Dive Brief:

• The New York City Department of Education has delayed a deal with Amazon to build an online marketplace for classroom-aligned e-books and content.
• The city planned to pay the company $30 million over the next three years to build the “Amazon Storefront.”
• The deal looked poised to go through last month, but concerns arose regarding access for blind students and teachers.

Dive Insight:

The concern seems to stem from a letter from the National Federation of the Blind, which criticized Amazon’s lack of consideration for the blind in the development of its Kindle e-reader. In the letter to Chancellor Carmen Fariña, the federation wrote, “Amazon’s lack of regard for accessibility when creating Kindle e-book content would leave blind students and teachers far behind their sighted peers if NYC DOE chooses to proceed with the proposed contract with Amazon.”

The city plans to develop a new plan this fall, in collaboration with Amazon and other partners.

The accessibility of new school innovations for disabled students is a key question for many districts. One district in Denver, CO, has made those kinds of questions a part of the process for vetting new apps. When done right, blended learning and innovative school models offer potential for more integrated, engaging instruction for disabled students.