Accessibility
Ensuring all learners succeed
Our mission is simple: to help people make progress in their lives through learning. We will only be successful when our educational materials are accessible to all users.
We’re committed to providing access to students with disabilities. Our commitment is woven into the fabric of our learning materials, development processes, innovation efforts, employee culture, and partnerships.
Our guidelines for accessible educational web media
We gratefully acknowledge and endorse the work of the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web consortium on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, as well as the work of United States Access Board and the Information Technology Advisory Committee (TEITAC) on their Section 508 Refresh Drafts.
We strive to provide equal access for all students. To achieve this goal, we’ve created the Pearson Accessibility Guidelines for eLearning. These guidelines provide developers standards for creating the most effective educational content.
Our involvement in the accessibility community
Pearson works closely with key members of the disability and advocacy community who are committed to accessible instructional materials. We work with organizations such as W3C, the DIAGRAM Center, Book Industry Study Group, the Center for Accessible Materials Innovation, and the EDUPUB Alliance (EPUB for Education). Pearson is pleased to announce our collaboration with the Book Industry Study Group to promote the launch of Quick Start Guide to Accessible Publishing.
Pearson staff contribute time, expertise, and creativity to moving accessibility forward. We conduct user studies and a variety of research and usability studies on important topics, such as assistive technology use, and on product prototypes. We collaborate with advocacy groups and share advances and insights through conference presentations.
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Students can now instantly purchase accessible digital textbooks for select Pearson titles, providing affordable, faster, and more efficient access to their learning materials.
More information is available for students
Alternate Text Files for other Pearson titles are available for qualified students upon request and at no added cost, provided the student has purchased or is renting the print or digital textbook.
Please request files from Pearson’s disability request form or via AccessText Network, a clearinghouse for files from all major higher education publishers.
Accessible Learning Resources
eBooks
Deployed in 2015, Pearson’s new eTextbook platform meets most WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards. As titles revise, they flow into the new platform.
PowerPoint® presentations
Accessible PowerPoint presentations are available for many Pearson products, and more are added each semester. Please email Pearson Disability Support at disability.support@pearson.com to ask about specific titles.
Audio-video content
Since 2012, the majority of our educational videos have been closed captioned. Transcripts are available for most new audio-video content. If unavailable, transcripts will be created as needed.
Accessibility eBook
Created in collaboration with the BISG Accessible Publishing Working Group, Pearson is pleased to announce the publication of the new Pearson-branded BISG Quick Start Guide to Accessible Publishing!
This guide serves as the model for best practices in creating accessible digital content. This eBook offers a succinct introduction to the basics of accessibility, legal requirements, top tips, very practical advice on producing accessible content, and much more.
Accessibility support
We have a team of accessibility specialists to assist customers
Pearson Support site
Visit the Pearson Support site for additional information.
Send us an email
Email your accessibility issue to disability.support@pearson.com.