PALO ALTO, Calif., April 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pearson, the world’s leading learning company, is now a Benetech Global Certified Accessible™ (GCA) publisher. Benetech, a global nonprofit focused on providing equitable opportunities for all learners, issues this certification to those publishers who produce EPUBs that meet a full range of accessibility features required to support the needs of all readers, including those with disabilities and learning differences.
Benetech’s GCA publisher certification program is the first-ever, third-party EPUB certification program to verify eBook accessibility. All approved publishers have demonstrated success consistently producing files in accordance with Benetech’s GCA certification standard, meeting the EPUB Accessibility 1.0 Conformance and Discovery specification and exceeding a publishing standard level of WCAG 2.0 AA. Benetech recognizes these publishers as creators of fully accessible EPUBs.
All Pearson publications authored using one of the Benetech digital workflows (with others to follow) are now available as Global Certified Accessible ™ (GCA) EPUB files, a format accessible for on-screen consumption. As the result Pearson Education EPUB files achieved a “Benetech Born Accessible” high score to earn the Global Certified Accessible ™ designation.
The result was the EPUB files are free of all WCAG violations and achieved a “Benetech Born Accessible score” of at least 80 percent or better to earn the Global Certified Accessible ™ designation.” Pearson was able to evaluate its workflow and conform to EPUB accessibility guidelines, which are based on the latest recommended version of WCAG 2 standards put in place by the international standards organizations and publishing community. To implement all the Benetech rules and recommendations, Pearson used existing software – making modifications to the workflow system to improve accessibility across the board and putting the business in a position to automatically remediate 1,600+ backlist titles.
“Accessibility is critical to ensure that all learners have equal access to educational content. Becoming a Benetech Global Certified Accessible publisher is an important step towards achieving our mission of providing equitable opportunities for all learners, including those with disabilities and learning differences,” said David Kokorowski, Pearson SVP Product Management.
To learn more about Pearson’s commitment and Accessibility work visit
https://www.pearson.com/us/accessibility.html
To learn more about Benetech’s Global Certified Accessible Program visit: http://bornaccessible.benetech.org
About Pearson
At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to add life to a lifetime of learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. That's why our c.20,000 Pearson employees are committed to creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. We are the world's leading learning company, serving customers in c.200 countries with digital content, assessments, qualifications, and data. For us, learning isn't just what we do. It's who we are. Visit us at pearsonplc.com
About Benetech
Benetech believes that equitable access to education is a human right. Our technology and services break down systemic barriers and empower all learners regardless of ability. Around the world, we partner with local communities to expand inclusive and equitable education opportunities. To date we have delivered more than 20 million accessible books through our Bookshare initiative, helping over 1.5 million students, jobseekers, and adults to read, learn, and pursue their dreams. Visit www.benetech.org and www.bookshare.org.
