News
From RSCWMWiki
Contents |
Introduction
Any new changes which may affect Learning Providers and how we implment the use of Assistive Technology will be posted here. At present there are two issues to consider:
1 Do the Duty
2 E- portfolios
3 Moodle and issues for Accessibility
Please add your own news here if you think it may be of interest to other learning providers.
Online Self Evalution Service
The JISC TechDis online accessibility self evaluation service rolled out in January 2009 with a series of online surveys supported by JISC TechDis online presentations. These were targeted at managers in the following role groups:
senior manager; network manager; staff developer/learning technologist; additional learning support manager/head of disability support; marketing manager, and library manager.
The purpose of the self evaluation service was to provide institutions with a quick, free and anonymous way of gauging their accessibility practices compared to widely accepted 'reasonable adjustment' recommendations ... as well as the actual practices of other institutions. Teaching institutions and learning providers can either create or demolish barriers to access in a number of technology-related ways including:
Website; Marketing materials; Application and admissions; Learner resources; Virtual learning environment; Network; Software available to users; Hardware and alternative interfaces; Training and induction.
http://www.techdis.ac.uk/index.php?p=2_2_9
E-portfolios - an avatar for the Pebble Pad e-portfolio
Coming soon: an avatar for Pebble Pad, to act as a text to speech delivery mechanism, moving away from the JAWS e-portfolio system with its own screen reader. The link below gives you the background to accessibility developments in Pebble Pad.
Do the Duty
The Disability Equality Duty (DED) has the potential to have a major impact on the lives of disabled people and will radically shift the way public bodies deliver their services. The DED will ensure that all public bodies - such as central or local government, schools, health trusts or emergency services - pay 'due regard' to the promotion of equality for disabled people in every area of their work.
The Disability Equality Duty came into force on 4 December 2006.
This legal duty requires all public bodies to actively look at ways of ensuring that disabled people are treated equally. All of those covered by the specific duties must also have produced a Disability Equality Scheme, which they must now implement.
The Disability Equality website can be found at http://www.drc-gb.org/default.aspx
Do the Duty http://www.drc-gb.org/employers_and_service_provider/disability_equality_duty.aspx
Moodle
If you are thinking of using Moodle as part of your course you may wish to take a look at the following report outing difficulites and solutions for Blind and Visually Impaired learners. This is a useful and easy to read report. (http://randall.test.opensourcery.com/clients/cannect/)
See also
Techdis news pages
Updates on the accessibility of BBC services
Accessibility main menu
RSC contacts
Alison Wootton contributed this page.
- Please contact her on a.wootton@rsc-wm.ac.uk or 01902 518984
