It seems tautological to write a blog post on open access and accessibility. Surely if something is open access then it is open to anyone and therefore accessible to anyone? Alistair McNaught argues that the link between open access and accessibility is more nuanced than you might expect. Authors and institutions need simple guidelines to […]
What digital skills do you need to do the job? In the fast changing, competitive landscape of employment, Digital Capability is seen as essential to developing a competent individual and an effective organisation. Defining the digital skills needed to do a job efficiently is only part of the challenge in education. Because technology offers so […]
A hectic new term. You come up to breathe. Alistair McNaught explores a new support service from Jisc and how it might help you better meet the needs of your disabled students. The new term begins. You have a new cohort of disabled students to work with. In many organisations, the support staff will be […]
Risk, regulation, success and policy – the Universities UK’s case for making mental health a priority. Technology has a clear role to play in supporting student mental health. Julia Taylor considers the issues. How big is the problem? With 1 in 8 graduates saying they have a Mental Health condition, costs and demand for support with […]
As the start of the academic year is just around the corner we’ve pulled together some quick reminders and quick wins for you to consider when creating accessible resources, information and/or learning material. How do you make sure your Word documents are accessible? I use inbuilt heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2 etc.) to structure […]
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Praise a publisher month
The students leave. The library staff have a chance to breathe, reflect and plan ahead. August is an excellent month to take the opportunity to say ‘Well done’ to those who have made a difference in supporting disabled students. Using a simple online voting tool Alistair McNaught asked the LIS-Accessibility Jiscmail list who they wanted […]
Learning analytics has the potential to change the way we respond to students facing challenges but who and how best to make the intervention? Julia Taylor reminds us of the need to look deeper into the data. Interpreting data is a skill. It requires considerable knowledge and experience to ‘read’ the increasingly complex layers of data […]
Online collaboration offers learners new opportunities. Alistair McNaught explores the inclusion pros and cons. There are many pros… ‘Collaborative’ is not new; but it’s better now Collaborative approaches have been around since the first hunter-gatherer apprentices worked together to net birds on the marshy shores of Doggerland. But digital technologies have brought new opportunities. Learners […]
Learning spaces come in all shapes and sizes, just like the people who use them! In the same way that accessible physical spaces are key principles of inclusive design; careful and insightful planning of the digital environment present the same opportunities to anticipate need, to widen access and to address the diversity of prospective users. […]
Disability statistics are stark: Government statistics show Disabled people are around 3 times as likely not to hold any qualifications compared to non-disabled people. They are half as likely to hold a degree-level qualification. 19.2% of working age disabled people do not hold any formal qualification. Compare that with 6.5% of working age non-disabled people. […]