Accessibility
"...we've got dyslexic students who were, at first, very wary of that format and we also had a student with a significant visual impairment... initial concerns didn't follow through, our dyslexic students are actually blogging very will each other and they're engaging really well with it. (For) our student with visualimpairment we were able to set up zoom text and things like that that support facilities on a computer for him so he was able to access it"
Health and Science Tutor, HELPP Project
Resources and Links
Key Services
All institutions need to show that they are making reasonable adjustments to comply with the Disability Discrimination Bill 2005 and the Special Education Needs and Disability Act 2001 (SENDA). It is worthwhile noting that there was a very varied response to the question referring to accessibility in the Strivens' study with a 'high awareness of the importance of accessibility but with only moderate practice' (Strivens 2007, p.15). Her survey identified that some institutions were dependent on commercial suppliers to address this issue whilst others were more proactive having tested their systems with screen readers such as JAWS.
Learners on the Access to Art course at the University of Brighton, a partner in the myWORLD project, enjoyed the e-portfolio sessions but if they were to use the system without assistance would require a simple user interface that used a system of easily recognisable and colour coded symbols. In the FILE-PASS project there was a mixed response to using additional reader software such as JAWS and Supernova with OSPI. See Appendix B of the FILE-PASS resources and the Kent PLPP Case Study for more information.
It is essential when working with a software supplier, or developing a system, that accessibility is not left until the final stages of development (link to video of OU presentation at RSC event at QMU). JISC TechDis provides information about accessibility and e-portfolios whilst JISC-CETIS (the Centre for Educational Technology and Interoperability Standards) provides general guidance on accessibility in e-learning.
