Sanoma Learning is one of Europe’s leading education providers, serving 25 million students across 12 countries. Following the acquisition of Pearson Italy in 2022, they leveraged this integration as an opportunity to integrate accessibility criteria into the production process, driven by the deadline to meet the legal requirements of the European Accessibility Act, (EAA).

Sanoma Italia (part of the Sanoma Learning Group) is a learning company operating from Primary to Upper Secondary School, and a market leader in many school subjects, with historical publishing brands such as Paravia and Bruno Mondadori.

Sanoma Italia identified that they didn’t just need a ‘quick fix’; they wanted to really shift the organization’s mindset.

As is true in many companies, accessibility was previously seen as an issue solely for the technical team, overseen by a small section of the company. The arrival of Sanoma Italia in the Pearson group provided an opportunity to drive a company-wide cultural shift and to embed accessibility into every level of the organization.

They chose to partner with Fondazione LIA to drive this change and put accessibility at the heart of their strategic goals.

A partnership based on trust

Partnering with Fondazione LIA was a natural choice for Sanoma Italia. They were confident in Fondazione LIA’s international reputation for leading the field in digital accessibility and their work in shaping global standards.

Sanoma Italia were not looking to just meet the legal requirements, but to excel in accessibility. Having already supported 150 publishers and certified over 40,000 e-books, they were confident that Fondazione LIA could help them meet these goals.

“For us, it has never felt like working with a supplier, it’s a
true partnership where we are working together towards the same goal.”
Francesca Avanzini, Digital Project Manager, Sanoma Italia

Improving platforms and ensuring compliancy

Fondazione LIA worked closely with Sanoma Italia to review their existing platforms and content, ensuring they meet global accessibility standards and comply with the legal requirements of the European Accessibility Act (EAA).

This auditing process has provided a pathway for Sanoma to work towards a ‘Born Accessible’ approach, moving from remediation towards making accessibility an integral and essential part of the production process.

2025

Ecommerce Sanoma Italia Platforms:
Km0; My Place; Registration and login flow

2026

Platforms:
Player (interactive exercises); My Learning Box; Learning Academy

The auditing process

Automated testing:

The first stage of the audit involved automated checks of the platform. This was a quick way of uncovering approximately 30% of the issues that needed addressing.

Detailed manual checks:

This initial scan of the content was followed up by manual checks led by accessibility experts at Fondazione LIA. This stage explored more complex elements such as color contrast, semantic tagging, keyboard navigation, image alt-texts and, importantly for an educational publisher like Sanoma Italia, the user journey for students with dyslexia.

Matrix report for easy prioritization:

Combining both the automated and manual checks, Fondazione LIA produced a detailed report that prioritized errors based on complexity and user need. This helped Sanoma Italia identify the core priorities to improve the user experience.

Second check to address unresolved errors:

This second scan of the material identifies what issues have been resolved and highlights what still needs to be actioned.

Flexible solutions:

As well as providing a list of issues, the audit offered flexible solutions. For design and visual elements, multiple options were provided in line with Sanoma Italia’s brand guidelines. Similarly, Fondazione LIA offered insightful recommendations to improve overall usability.

Agile support:

A dedicated helpdesk was on hand to support the Sanoma Italia team at every step of the process.

Final accessibility statement:

Once both Fondazione LIA and Sanoma Italia were satisfied with the results, an accessibility statement page was published on the website to inform end users and demonstrate their commitment to accessibility standards and legal requirements. The page will be constantly updated to include further improvements.

“The helpdesk was amazing. We had direct contact with the team and were able to get help in an agile way. The format of the report also helped to accelerate the learning curve of the internal team. It’s still a work in progress, but we can now ask the right questions at the right time.”
Francesca Avanzini, Digital Project Manager, Sanoma Italia

Driving a shift in culture

Since embarking on this partnership, Sanoma’s platforms have been completely redesigned. The accessibility checks were used at prototype stage to fully embed accessibility from the outset of the project.

The updated platforms demonstrate that accessibility does not come at a cost to quality. It resulted in an improvement for all learners, not just for those with visual impairments, and those changes have not gone unnoticed by their customers. There is a cultural shift happening in schools too where teachers are more aware of the increasingly diverse needs of their students. This level of commitment to accessibility is not something users often encounter and Sanoma Italia see it as a real competitive advantage to have the support of specialists Fondazione LIA.

Sanoma Italia has also undergone a cultural transformation during this process. The whole organization now recognizes the importance of accessibility. It is a habit that permeates across functions and is embedded into every process.

Since embarking on the project, Sanoma Italia has become a benchmark for the wider Sanoma Learning group. The example they have set is permeating throughout the business at European level, with the registration and authentication team now looking to embed accessibility in their design build.

“The success of this collaboration lies in Sanoma Italia’s understanding that accessibility is an ongoing journey of improvement, not a project with a fixed end date. They have moved from seeing it as a technical hurdle to a driver of innovation.”
Cristina Mussinelli, Secretary General, Fondazione LIA

Work with Fondazione LIA. Let’s build your roadmap to accessibility

If you would like a personalized approach to support your organization’s accessibility journey, Fondazione LIA offers a comprehensive, end-to-end accessibility
service.

From strategic consultation and training, through to auditing and certification, we provide a 360-degree approach to ensure accessibility is baked into your workflow. Find out more about our Services for companies.

Contact us for a free consultation where we can assess your needs and recommend next steps: segreteria@fondazionelia.org