You professor or teacher might prefer that you and your classmates use an e-reader to save trees, but according to a new ruling by the United States Department of Education and Department of Justice, it's not going to fly unless your school is willing to provide some alternative for the blind or disabled.

In accordance with the "No Child Left Behind" Act, both departments recently sent out a letter reminding United States high schools and universities that they can't ask students to use e-readers like a Kindle or Nook in an educational setting because the devices weren't designed with the blind in mind, so it automatically violates the rights of those students with visual of physcal impairments.

"… [W]e ask that you take steps to ensure that your college or university refrains from requiring the use of any electronic book reader, or other similar technology, in a teaching or classroom environment as long as the device remains inaccessible to individuals who are blind or have low vision," the departments state. "It is unacceptable for universities to use emerging technology without insisting that this technology be accessible to all students."

The letter was issued following a recent settlement agreement in which five schools were sued after they started e-reader pilot programs without considering the rights of handicapped students.