VitalSource Earns Perfect ASPIREscore for Excellence in Accessibility

August 17, 2020

Top ranking affirms company’s longstanding commitment to supporting accessibility and transparency in digital course materials market

Leading education technology solutions provider VitalSource® earned a maximum ASPIREscore of 100% for ensuring clear communication around our industry-leading implementation of accessibility standards and transparency. This ranking places VitalSource at the top of the ASPIRElist of platforms.

VitalSource President Kent Freeman said, “We appreciate ASPIRE's recognition of our long-term commitment to providing accessible learning solutions and value their partnership in moving accessibility in educational technology forward.”

VitalSource has led the industry on incorporating best practices in its mission and creating technology with the best accessibility features. These efforts are reflected in the following:

• More than 20 years of commitment to delivering a highly functional reading experience
• Technology that equips the reading experience with accessible navigation, visual adjustments, Read Aloud, and other study aids
• Transparency and public documentation of conformance to standards
• A transparency initiative with publisher content enabling instructors to know accessibility features before they adopt, and students to know before they purchase
• A commitment to continue to innovate and update technology with the industry leading assistive technologies

Learn more about VitalSource’s commitment to accessibility.

As part of the ASPIRE Project, ASPIRE evaluates a number of factors that contribute to overall accessibility, including communications, discoverability, responsiveness, content clarity and relevance, intuitive user experience, and advanced features such as Digital Rights Management (DRM) to allow side-loading content.

“Particularly during these challenging times when students are more reliant than ever upon digital learning tools and eTexts in order to continue their education, we must remain focused on improving accessibility and clearly communicate those capabilities.” said Rick Johnson, Vice President of Product Strategy & Accessibility at VitalSource. “Accessibility is a journey, not a destination. Just as technology is continuously evolving and changing, so too are students’ needs. Many years ago, the VitalSource team made a commitment to accessibility, and we will always strive to be the industry leader in this space.” Read a recent blog from Rick Johnson that dives deeper into the importance of accessibility.

About VitalSource
VitalSource is the leading education technology solutions provider committed to helping partners create, deliver, and distribute affordable, accessible, and impactful learning experiences worldwide. As a recognized innovator in the digital course materials market, VitalSource is best known for partnering with more than 1,000 publishers and resellers to deliver extraordinary learning experiences to millions of active users globally– and today we’re also powering new, cutting-edge technologies designed to optimize teaching and learning for maximum results. Learn more at https://get.vitalsource.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.