Speakers: Ben Watson, accessible information adviser, University of Kent Julia Taylor, subject specialist, Jisc Many organisations struggle to get staff engaging with technology enhanced learning. They also struggle to meet the needs of disabled students in efficient and sustainable ways. The two are not unrelated. Technology can be the most effective way of giving disabled students inclusive resources and experiences and the Equality Act can be a convincing argument for staff to engage.

1. Infiltrating the systems
Inclusive policies as a driver for effective practice
Alistair McNaught - Ben Watson - Julia Taylor - CC-BY-ND-NC
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2. Accessibility – alternative views?
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»We often look
at things the
wrong way
round…

3. The OPERA project
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Opportunity, Productivity, Engagement, Reducing barriers, Achievement

4. Whose problem - 1?
“I struggle to read text efficiently.”
Student The medical
model:
A physical /
sensory
impairment or
neurological
difference is the
disabling factor.
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5. Whose problem - 2
I struggle to create documents that can be
read efficiently. Teacher / academic
I struggle to communicate with mind maps,
audio or video clips. Teacher / academic
I can’t advise on the accessibility of our
e-book platforms. Library manager
I don’t know how to set up Windows, browsers and
the learning platform for reading support. Network / e-learning
manager
I can’t advise students on text to speech
on their mobile devices. Disability manager
The social
model:
The environment
is the disabling
factor - e.g.
inaccessible
resources.
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6. Making sense of practicals
Making sense of lectures
Need for peer support
E-book accessibility
Making sense of references
and reading lists
Lecture notes and presentations
Writing assignments
Barriers to overcome
A tale of two stories
The DSA story
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Industry-readiness
Alistair McNaught - Jisc - CC-BY-ND-NC

7. Barriers to overcome
Video clips
Feedback tools
Lecture recording
Feedback / quiz tools
Accessible documents
Accessible presentations
Social media tools
Colour and font changes
Text to speech
Notetaking tools
Mind-mapping tools
Mind mapping tools
Grammar checking tools
Blogging tools
Text to speech
Citation tools
Voice recognition
Collaborative tools
Inclusive digital practice
A digital
inclusion
story
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Making sense of practicals
Making sense of lectures
Need for peer support
E-book accessibility
Making sense of references
and reading lists
Lecture notes and presentations
Writing assignments
Industry-readiness
Alistair McNaught - Jisc - CC-BY-ND-NC

8. The hidden heart of inclusion
The hidden heart of
inclusion is
»the effective use of
everyday technology,
»by everyone,
»for everyone.
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9. Productivity tools or assistive technologies?
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10. Activity 1: Improving an existing policy
Consider the following statement in a module specification
template.
The School/Collaborative Partner (delete as applicable)
recognises and has embedded the expectations of current
disability equality legislation, and supports students with a
declared disability or special educational need in its teaching.
Within this module we will make reasonable adjustments
wherever necessary, including additional or substitute
materials, teaching modes or assessment methods for
students who have declared and discussed their learning
support needs.
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11. Activity 1: Improving an existing policy ii
» What might we change about it to make it more practically
useful?
› What are the priorities you would need to consider when
asking people to be more inclusive when designing
modules?
› What is it reasonable to ask for?
› How can you ensure that it is scalable?

12. Mainstreaming
» The mainstream incorporation of adjustments is
key to developing an inclusive and effective
organisation that not only ‘reduces barriers for
disabled learners but also provides positive
benefits for all other learners’ (Jisc 2015)
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13. Areas to influence?

14. Changing the culture
At Kent individual reasonable adjustments are made for each
student via an Inclusive Learning Plan (ILP) prepared by
Student Support and Wellbeing (SSW) in partnership with
academic schools.
3 key ways to deliver accessibility:
» Individual reasonable adjustments.
» Anticipatory reasonable adjustments.
» Inclusive practice.
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15. Activity 2: Mainstreaming inclusive practice
Look at the adjustments table and consider which of
the following mainstream adjustments you would
recommend to reduce duplication:

16. Activity 2: Mainstreaming inclusive practice ii
1. Make module outlines/handbooks accessible at least 4
weeks before the module starts.
2. Make prioritised reading lists (giving preference to ‘born-
digital’ resources) available sufficiently in advance (e.g. at
least 4 weeks).
3. Provide lecture outlines in electronic format at least 24 hours
in advance of the class.
4. Record lectures using lecture capture system.
5. Provide electronic access to all materials.
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17. Activity 2: Adjustments table
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Kent individual adjustment Number of individual
adjustments
Percentage of individual
learning plans (ILPs)
Extend library borrowing 1190 76.1%
Permit lecture recording for
personal use.
972 62.2%
Provide lecture outlines
before class.
945 60.5%
Provide prioritised reading
lists in advance.
757 48.4%
Provide materials in
alternative formats.
180 11.5%

18. The big story
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» Right culture: Inaccessible = inexcusable.
Benefits for all. Signalling / labelling.
» Right skills: blended learning; accessible
practice; assessment; assistive technology.
» Right policy: procurement; job
descriptions; KPIs.
» Right infrastructure: robust, reliable,
accessible to assistive technologies.
» Right tools: open access, interactive,
designed with accessibility in mind.

19. Activity 3: Procurement
You are asked to scope a new third party virtual
learning environment (VLE).
What questions might you ask the supplier to ensure
that the product will meet the requirements of
students with print disabilities?
» Use the Post-It notes provided to provide 10
requirements
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20. Some recent actions…
» “Discuss Accessibility Policy with student support teams. /
Discuss inclusive practice at next staff meeting”.
» “Contact ICT about website accessibility / Contact marketing
about accessibility of the prospectus”.
» “Have a proper look at all relevant policies to see what
changes could be made to make them more inclusive / embed
inclusion into existing policies / Identify actions for Accessibility
Policy and who is responsible”.
» “Design workshops aimed at staff promoting productivity tools
/ Arrange staff training for our next all staff conference / Look
at further JISC training which is relevant”.
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21. jisc.ac.uk
Except where otherwise noted, this work
is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND
Thanks for listening…
Contact us
b.watson@kent.ac.uk
Julia.Taylor@jisc.ac.uk
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