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D2L Brightspace and Aria, an Accessibility Platform, Announce Partnership

Following on the heels of Blackboard Ally accessibility integrating with D2L, D2L announced a one-year strategic partnership with Aria, a service for blind and low-vision people. From July 15, 2019 to July 15, 2020, users in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand will have free access to Aria while using D2L’s Brightspace.

Aria connects blind and low-vision people with visual interpreters and navigators. Its agents help users read when Braille is not available or navigate through unfamiliar and complex areas such as airports. This will help to remove obstacles to learning and create equal access to course materials for those who are visually impaired.

Source: D2L at Software Reviews, Report Published January 2019

Our Take

Offering inclusive learning content and accessibility tools is a necessity in the educational market. Schools and institutions typically have mandates around providing access to content regardless of ability. This strategic partnership is not surprising considering Blackboard Ally’s announcement the other week on providing access to D2L users. It helps disrupt Ally’s revenue stream from D2L customers and is cheaper and easier than D2L developing Aria’s capabilities in house.