Essentially, "accessible" means that any course materials you distribute to your students (whether in-class or online), and which are essential to the student's success in class, must be usable by all students in your class. In this case, usable means providing the benefits of the educational program in an equally effective and equally integrated manner.

The latest release of MyMathLab is compatible with the JAWS 12 screen reader, enabling print-disabled students to read selected multiple-choice and free-response problem types, and interact with them via keyboard controls and math notation input. For low-vision students, MyMathLab works with the ZoomText enlarger.

Our accessibility design is guided by the three-pronged functional definition of accessibility provided to post-secondary institutions by the Department of Justice and the Department of Education. Under their interpretation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), all students "must be afforded the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services." MyMathLab incorporates such opportunities to the extent feasible. In instances in which the technology does not yet exist or is not readily available to provide an identical user experience, the next step of the DOJ and DOE requirement--providing substantially equivalent ease of use--is warranted.

The DOJ and DOE refer to substantially equivalent ease of use as a concept to apply when the opportunities described above do not provide a student with a disability with identical ease of use, compared to the ease of use of students without disabilities. In these instances, the student must be provided with accommodations or modifications that "ensure equal access to the educational benefits and opportunities afforded by the technology, and equal treatment in the use of such technology."

As a simple example, in building an analytic geometry quiz that focuses on applications of the hyperbola, an instructor might first select a problem that relies on a highly graphical image that's not screen-reader compatible. To ensure that the quiz is usable by all students, the instructor can choose a different, but related, problem of equal difficulty that meets the same learning objective and can be read.

Of course, this is but one of many situations that could occur. We designed the educational benefits and opportunities provided by MyMathLab, and will share our expertise with you to help identify accommodations or modifications that will provide substantially equivalent user experiences.

Nonetheless, Pearson's accessibility team is working to reduce, and eventually eliminate, the need for substantially equivalent ease of use in favor of the more preferable "identical ease of use."

All MyMathLab videos accompanying texts with copyright 2009 and later have closed captioning.

Certainly. Accessible instructional technology is a dynamic and ever-changing field. While we have succeeded in achieving the basic premises of accessibility, there is always room for additional innovation and even greater improvement in ease of use.

For example, ongoing accessibility development focuses on graphical and tabular problem types, allowing access via both JAWS screen readers and, for a subset of non-algorithmic items, Braille translation software/embossers. We are working closely with advocacy groups and accessibility consultants to determine the most effective ways to present highly visual mathematics in non-visual forms.

We rely on a variety of resources--in-house specialists, advocacy groups, accessibility firms, independent consultants, and students--to evaluate our products and to gain insight into the effectiveness of our accessibility efforts.

For example, to better understand the impact of our efforts, the Pearson's Math Group hosted an Accessible Math focus group at the National Federation of the Blind's annual convention. Both MyMathLab and our accessible eBook were demonstrated, and user feedback and suggestions were gathered. This information is being used to refine existing products, and to better design future offerings.

Yes, new instructor features make it easy to identify and select accessible multiple choice and free-response items when building assignments.

Yes. To use Pearson print media for a low-vision or blind student, we can provide PDFs of your textbook or eText, Student Solutions Manuals, Graphing Calculator Manuals, and other ancillaries, which can then be used with such accessibility technologies as screen readers and Braille displays. You can also convert the PDF files into another format, such as a printed Braille book. More information can be found at  www.mymathlab.com/accessibility.

Also, many of our leading math textbooks will soon be offered as html/MathML "eBooks" compatible with JAWS and other Windows screen readers. These eBooks will be provided directly on the MyMathLab site so that all students will be able to access needed texts at the same place, at the same time, and at the same price. Contact your Pearson representative for up-to-date information on available titles.

A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template(VPAT) is used to assist Federal contracting officials, agencies and buyers in making preliminary assessments regarding the availability of accessibility support in products like MyMathLab.  A VPAT for MyMathLab is available upon request.  If you would like a copy of the MyMathLab VPAT, please contact mymathlab@pearson.com.

You can contact your Pearson sales representative, or email mymathlab@pearson.com .