With the introduction of e-readers such as Apple's iPad and Amazon's Kindle, campuses across the US have reportedly begun to adopt them into their curriculum. Though students have been quick to accept the change in technology, the Department of Education and the Department of Justice have stepped in to regulate the use of e-readers in the classroom.
The Department of Education and the Justice Department recently issued a letter stating that classes requiring e-readers to be used in the class must ensure that the devices are fully accessible to all students. This includes students who are blind or those who have low vision. This means that the devices must have text-to-speech options that will allow students to listen to the textbook. Also, the text-to-speech options should help the user in successfully navigating the menu and choosing the text to be read in the first place.
Not all e-readers necessarily have this capability. It was found that Amazon's Kindle cannot be accessed by students with nil or limited vision. Federally funded public and private institutions like colleges, universities, elementary schools and high schools are barred from discriminating against individuals with disabilities or preventing them from having an equal opportunity to learn. Therefore, institutions have been prohibited from requiring e-readers for use in classrooms if it is found to be inaccessible to those with disabilities. While the Department found faults with Amazon's Kindle, Apple's iPad has reportedly passed the accessibility test.
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