Categories
Policy & strategy Quality improvement

Tracking those Accessibility ‘Reasonable Adjustments’

The University of Chester has been actively preparing for the changes to disabled student allowances. In this guest post by Pete Scorey – Assistive Technology Officer for Learning and Information Services – Alistair McNaught invites Pete to explain his approach to benchmarking accessibility. There has been much talk of ‘reasonable adjustments’ recently, along with the […]

Categories
Policy & strategy Quality improvement Reading effectively Researching effectively Teaching Writing effectively

Access and Inclusion Strategy: are you digitally inclusive?

Funding changes in Scottish FE sector prompt Margaret McKay to reflect on the wider opportunities for colleges to embrace digital inclusion in widenening participation… A review of funding to support disabled students in FE colleges in Scotland was undertaken last academic year (2015-2016).  Engaging with a wide range of stakeholder groups, the Scottish Funding Council […]

Categories
Lectures / seminars Policy & strategy Productivity/assistive technology Quality improvement Resources

Accessible learning platforms

Many things influence the accessibility of a learning platform. Here, Alistair McNaught gives some pointers to the main issues. And – as we see below – it is not just about technology; the way you use it matters too. This overview looks at four key areas; users, resources, activities and browser choices. Users  Usability of […]

Categories
Policy & strategy Quality improvement

Integrating inclusive practice into your ILT strategy

Julia Taylor on Having an inclusive ‘Vision’ for ILT Widening participation is crucial to business development and therefore essential when considering your ILT strategy. Technology can play a significant role in reducing the cost of widening access. Your organisations ILT strategy should reflect how inclusive practice is becoming key to improving student satisfaction, retention and achievement, and reflect how […]

Categories
Alternative formats Quality improvement Resources

Accessibility in the real world – compromises that count

People are different. Personally, I loathe icons. I am a words person. I hate working with wordless IKEA self-assembly booklets or icon driven tablet and phone screens. Even after 3 months daily use I stare at my Mac screen trying to differentiate between email and word processing symbols because icons are just a jumble of […]

Categories
Policy & strategy Quality improvement Teaching

The cost of non-compliance

Most of the postings we make on accessibility and inclusion are upbeat and positive: we are firm believers that accessible practice is good practice. There are plenty of good positive reasons for engaging an inclusive teaching and learning. However, now and again it is worth considering the role of sticks as well as carrots in […]

Categories
Policy & strategy Quality improvement Resources

Involving Staff in Inclusive Learning at Anglia Ruskin

  With cuts to disabled student allowance (DSA) it is imperative that organisations become more inclusive, learning how to reduce barriers at source.  Dr. Jennifer George, Academic Lead for Learning Technologies and Digital Media at Anglia Ruskin University, explains their approach to ensuring some of the key content students encounter has good accessibility credentials… Introduction Staff […]

Categories
Quality improvement

Recording everyone’s achievement

Julia Taylor talks about the importance of recording and monitoring data on all learners achievement. Not all learners will be using an online e-portfolio to record their achievement. Some learners particularly those studying on courses with personalised outcomes will want to find ways to record what they have learned and they may wish to use a images, video and even […]