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Driving Accessibility with AI: Pearson and the Inclusio Project

Artificial Intelligence
June 27, 2024
Allison Bazin

Pearson is proud to bring its expertise to Inclusio's new AI-powered solution that will remove barriers to accessible content for the blind and visually impaired.

Key takeaways:

  • Pearson is working with Saint Louis University to make accessible educational content readily available for blind and visually impaired learners.
  • Inclusio is an AI-powered solution that supports the conversion of content into accessible formats reducing the time it takes to create accessible materials, especially for subjects like science and maths.
  • We're proud to support this thoughtful application of AI to enhance the teaching and learning experience and make learning accessible and equitable for all.
 

Access to educational content for the blind and visually impaired is an issue that persists around the globe. A game-changing new solution led by Saint Louis University aims to change that with the help of AI and Pearson as a key collaborator.

"Many people don't realize how difficult it can be to find high-quality accessible learning materials, especially in science and math fields, which are harder to translate for the blind and visually impaired. In fact, acquiring accessible science and math learning materials can be so difficult that it often discourages young people from pursuing careers in these fields," said Steve Noble, Principal Researcher at Pearson and Pearson liaison for the Inclusio project.

While Pearson is one of the few education companies with a dedicated braille assessment services team, Inclusio will make accessible learning content and translations – including those for science and maths – available to anyone, quickly.

To tackle this initiative, Jenna Gorlewicz, Principal Investigator from Saint Louis University, assembled leaders from across education and technology, including ViewPlus Technologies, Vital, and UNAR Labs, to collaborate and bring Inclusio to market. Pearson lends experience in developing accessible learning materials and a pioneering approach to integrating AI into its products and services.

AI is being used specifically to reduce the amount of time needed to convert content into accessible formats, with a special focus on automating the process to create accessible graphics, which are more challenging to develop. AI is one of three supporting pillars of Inclusio, the others being an accessible authoring suite and the ability to find and display content across multiple platforms.

Inclusio aims to:

  • Establish a digital platform where educators and individuals can access and choose from a variety of widely used, accessible learning materials that best fit their requirements
  • Minimise the time required to convert existing and user-uploaded content, empowering individuals with disabilities to manage this process independently
  • Create a suite for authoring new accessible content, complemented by training resources to help people use it.

According to Noble, the Inclusio project is a perfect fit for Pearson as it draws on our expertise and commitment to accessibility and our drive to use purposeful AI throughout education. He concludes, "It aligns with our mission to improve people's lives through learning and to create equitable opportunities for all learners. This is a huge step forward for equity."

 

Steve Noble is a principal researcher at Pearson and Pearson's liaison for the Inclusio project. He has been working in the accessibility space for over 25 years and was recently featured in theSTL.com for his work with Inclusio.