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Supporting Self advocacy. Three Asks for an accessible education Alistair McNaught, Senior Advisor, JISC TechDis. Ask 1 - tutors. Teaching resources should be available any time and place and should include basic good practices.
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Supporting Self advocacy Three Asks for an accessible education Alistair McNaught, Senior Advisor, JISC TechDis www.jisctechdis.ac.uk
Ask 1 - tutors • Teaching resources should be available any time and place and should include basic good practices. • Handouts and presentations are centrally available in electronic format. • Documents are structured using heading levels. • Images are described. • Alternative media are used. • Resources are available in mobile friendly formats.
Why is it reasonable? • All learning providers have a virtual learning environment of some sort • Using heading levels can be taught in 10 minutes and benefits all learners.. • Image descriptions and alternative media benefit a wide range of other learners. • Mobile friendly resources can be created using free tools that are widely supported such as Xerte OnlineToolkits.
Ask 2 - library staff • Libraries should be an accessible gateway to accessible resources. • All library systems from catalogues to e-book platforms should be accessible. • Textbooks in alternative formats should be proactively offered to those who need them. • Libraries should point to more than books.
Why is it reasonable? • Accessibility should be a part of all procurement activities because libraries are for ALL users. • Some e-book platforms are more accessible than others. Don’t buy into exclusion. Use the PublisherLookup.uk website to get electronic versions of textbooks. • A wide range of online resources from podcasts to subject websites offer a huge range of accessible alternatives. Signpost some of them.
Ask 3 - managers • Ask MANAGERS to promote equality through proactive technology policies. • Making the most of available technology services. • Promoting site-wide assistive technology tools. • Learning from others and checking own practices.
Why is it reasonable? • Load2Learn is free. Windows has many inbuilt accessibility features are they enabled by IT? Word can “Speak selected text” if set up right. • Many learning providers are entitled to free high quality text to speech voices. Many free tools can provide text to speech, screen colour or contrast tinting that would make technology a tool for all rather than prop for some. • Check RNIB and Jisc TechDis websites for advice on supporting learners. Try the free online accessibility self evaluation service from TechDis.
Ask 4 – You - Be proactive Know what is reasonable to expect and expect it. See the joint guidance at http://tinyurl.com/reasonableexpectation