This self evaluation resource aims to support managers in colleges and universities to help identify areas of current strength and areas for development in their practice in terms of accessibility and inclusion. This service is borne out of a series of facilitated online workshops delivered by JISC TechDis during 2009 where staff from nearly 100 UK institutions evaluated their practice and benchmarked their progress in accessibility and inclusion against that of their peers. The results of the process were anonymised therefore no other participant could tell who had provided each response, but it was clear to each institution where they stood on a variety of topics in relation to the rest of the cohort.
We are offering our supported colleges and universities the opportunity to undertake this accessibility self evaluation process. It will evaluate approaches to inclusion by working with identified groups of managers from several different practice areas. We will invite each discipline the opportunity to complete the survey from their own perspective (e.g. IT, staff development, marketing, learning resources).
At the end of the survey the RSC will assist in creating a report based on the outcomes of the evaluation with a benchmark to wider practice across the UK based on findings of the JISC TechDis evaluations. Institutions can compare their own responses with those of the wider sector in order to benchmark their progress in a variety of areas and formulate a list of priority areas to address. Solutions, advice and guidance links will be made available as an outcome from this activity. The evaluations will focus on the following specific areas of practice within an institution:
Senior Managers have a variety of agendas to address and priorities to balance; developing a culture of accessibility need be neither costly nor time consuming. The senior manager has responsibility to ensure that key relationships are developed between roles within the institution so that successes are fully exploited, weaknesses addressed and that inclusion has a visible champion at the highest level. This survey will highlight where senior managers, can make a difference to the accessibility and inclusion agenda in institutions.
The library / learning resource centre is a pivotal area for developing independent learning, however many learners - particularly disabled learners can find independent access to resources a daunting experience. Some of the most sophisticated technologies in an institution are in the library, and supporting learners in independent learning is critical to increasing their confidence and self-reliance. Libraries that grasp accessibility can significantly increase their support for learners at minimal (and even reduced) cost.
The first contact with any organisation is likely to be through its marketing - the website, brochures, and prospectus and so on. Accessible marketing is easy to achieve, requires little budget (it may save you money) and adds value for all your stakeholders. In a broader way, marketing teams can be significant players in raising the profile of access and inclusion by exemplifying good practices in communication, advertising, technology investments and highlighting support structures available to learners.
An organisation's IT infrastructure is fundamental to the way teaching and learning take place. The website, learning platform and network have huge potential to maximise learner support but there are also risks regarding the introduction of unnecessary barriers for users with accessibility needs. Where network specialists use their skills to promote accessibility, support for disabled staff and learners is significantly enhanced.
The first contact a disabled student has with an institution may be through their disability support mechanisms. They may revert to staff for support in addressing any institutional barriers they encounter. This group of staff therefore carry much of the responsibility to gather the expertise needed to help change the institutional culture around accessibility and inclusion so that fewer barriers are encountered. This Self Evaluation will help identify ways the staff in this role can be central to that cultural shift. It not only provides the chance to summarise direct influences on disabled students but also indirect influences in the way this staff group progress the inclusion agenda across the organisation.
The role of the staff developer or learning technologist is a crucial one in the institution, and one that needs to broker a range of partnerships in order to deliver a more inclusive experience for learners. Staff developers and learning technologists influence the lives of disabled students in many ways. Course and curriculum design, teaching practice, VLE and web design, VLE usage, learning technology deployment and best practice teaching skills all influence the disabled student experience. It is within the remit of staff in this role to develop and implement measures which will positively impact upon the student experience by adding benefits or reducing barriers.
Follow this link to see view a sample OASES.
To undertake this process or to discuss in more detail please contact Margaret McKay Access & Inclusion Advisor:
Email Margaret McKay
Tel: 0141 585 0022
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