The next 3 buses go to Holistic Accessibility
Articles are like buses - you wait ages then three get published at once.
Here are three of mine published in the last week - plus a bit of context on each so you know whether you want to read them or not:
Avoiding "inclusion exclusion" - keeping stakeholders on board (HE Advance).
30 second overview
Avoiding ‘inclusion exclusion’ – keeping stakeholders on board - published on HEAdvance argues that the too much focus of the legislation on technical compliance rather than learner experience. Sector leaders and influencers are understandably reluctant to "give legal advice" so point to standards rather than helping to translate them into everyday practice for teachers, lecturers, librarians et cetera..
Key quotes:
(a) "The people whose accessibility practices will make most difference to disabled users don’t understand what they need to do".
(b) almost any digital content is more accessible for disabled users than traditional chalk, talk and handouts.
(c) "How can I improve my current practices so that even if I claim Disproportionate Burden, fewer barriers remain?”
Guidance for captioning rich media (Disabled Student Commission)
30 second overview
Guidance for captioning rich media - institutional approaches to supporting disabled learners looks more narrowly at the issues around lecture capture and video use. Co-authored with Piers Wilkinson (Diversity and Ability) and 6 respected supporting authors, this publication looks pragmatically at the issue of creating 100% compliant video in a setting where hundreds of hours of lecture recording may take place every day. It suggests that where disproportionate burden is likely to be justifiable, the organisation nevertheless sets itself a benchmark of minimum good practice to reduce barriers.
Key quotes
(a) "The worst outcome is a retreat from digital..."
(b) "The next worst outcome is to collate evidence for a Disproportionate Burden claim and then carry on with business as usual, with no systemic improvements."
(c) "the suggestions in this document help reduce the barriers students may face from a blanket disproportionate burden claim."
Go to Guidance for captioning rich media
Golden opportunity or poisoned chalice? Shaping your response to accessibility legislation for the benefit of disabled people (AHEAD Journal)
30 second summary
As the further and higher education sectors in Ireland respond to the recently transposed EU Web Accessibility Directive , what are the issues to anticipate and how can the sector to make this a positive culture change rather than a compliance checklist?
Key quotes
(a) "The legislation is virtuous"
(b) "A further benefit of the legislation is the ‘legal leverage’ it provides for things you wanted to do anyway."
(c) Content can ‘meet standards’ yet still be inaccessible due to complexity, dullness or poor design. Equally, content that doesn’t meet standards can be used pedagogically in ways that are inclusive. Organisations need to grow beyond compliance to maturity.
Go to AHEAD article - Golden opportunity or poisoned chalice?
Indeed, Paul. Look forward to it!
HR Advisor
3 年A great read Alistair. Be a good talking point at our meeting on Tuesday.
Principal Lecturer at University of Worcester
3 年A welcome finger on the pulse of where things are at in terms of accessibility in higher education and how best to anticipate how future learning will integrate a strongly blended approach.