Wiley & Alchemie Give Students Who are Blind/Have Low Vision Unprecedented Access to Online Visualization Tools

College students with vision-based disabilities can now use visualization tools in online courses without outside help. The creators were told it couldn't be done.

Hoboken, NJ-Ground-breaking visualization tools now allow learners with disabilities - especially students who are blind or have low vision (BLV) - to successfully complete online chemistry course assignments without outside help.

A partnership between Wileyand Alchemieprovides BLV students with unprecedented access to visual STEM learning materials through Alchemie's tools, which are now exclusively integrated in Wiley's Knewton Alta Principles of General Chemistrycourse.

Alchemie's digital interactive learning tools were created to increase student success in STEM courses by using hands-on exploratory learning to help students better visualize complex scientific concepts. But learners with disabilities had difficulty benefiting from those tools.

Chemistry is a visual subject, so learners with disabilities can easily fall behind. To use visualization tools within any ordinary online chemistry course, BLV students typically work with a designated tutor or scribe outside of the course, restricting their flexibility and adding time-constraints to when they can study. This could force many to drop their chemistry course altogether and sometimes even alter their degree plans.

Alchemie CEO and Founder Julia Winter realized the need for an accessible solution after showing a tool for teaching organic chemistry at a national science education conference and being told by a blind PhD chemist and professor, "I can't use this at all."

When Winter and her team decided to develop accessible digital molecular visualization tools, they were told it couldn't be done. But they didn't let that stop them; they began working with learners with disabilities and their teachers from all over the country. Eventually, their efforts paid off.

"For blind and low-vision students, this system is about being included; it's about independence," said Winter.

Wiley announced its partnership with Alchemie last May.

"Our ultimate goal is to expand the accessibility of chemistry courseware, which is used in required courses for so many different majors," said Lyssa Vanderbeek, Wiley group vice president for Courseware. "The more we learned about Alchemie's system, the more we wanted to incorporate it into our courseware and work with them on a long-term basis, as it helps us toward achieving that goal."

Alchemie's key accessibility features include a unique, patent-pending keyboard-only navigation system, compatibility with common screen readers, color contrast support, screen magnification support, and auto-generated alternative text descriptions.

Alchemie's tools could also support learners with hearing, mobility, and cognitive disabilities.

Wiley hopes to extend the Alchemie tools to other courses in the future. In addition, Wiley and Alchemie are working closely together to improve and expand interactive tool capabilities based on research and user experience.

Wiley measures accessibility according to the standards set by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Revised Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act, and EN 301 549. The company is dedicated to implementing accessible features in Knewton Altaaccording to those universal accessibility standards.

About Alchemie

Alchemie has created a suite of game-inspired digital learning tools to increase student success in STEM. With Alchemie's interactives, students explore and experience science content, while gaining real-time feedback to build the conceptual reasoning skills needed to be successful. Through inclusive and accessible design, Alchemie is paving the way for all students to learn and understand STEM visualizations. More information can be found at www.alchem.ie.

About Wiley

Wiley (NYSE: WLY) is one of the world's largest publishers and a trusted leader in research and learning. Our industry-leading content, services, platforms, and knowledge networks are tailored to meet the evolving needs of our customers and partners, including researchers, students, instructors, professionals, institutions, and corporations. We empower knowledge-seekers to transform today's biggest obstacles into tomorrow's brightest opportunities. For more than two centuries, Wiley has been delivering on its timeless mission to unlock human potential. Visit us at Wiley.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedInand Instagram.

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