Accessibility is good for you OPERA Opportunity Productivity

Accessibility is good for you

OPERA (Opportunity, Productivity, Engagement, Reducing barriers, Achievement) • OPERA is a university-wide accessibility project supported by advice and guidance from Jisc. • To implement a range of accessibility initiatives and monitor their impact on the development of a more accessible information environment at the University of Kent.

Partners

OPERA aim • To make recommendations that will help to develop an inclusive information environment and encourage the wider adoption of assistive technology (productivity tools) for all at the University of Kent.

OPERA aim: What does it really mean? • Promoting self-sufficiency. • Teaching people how to fish. • Not being anyone’s gatekeeper.

Mainstreaming ‘Mainstreaming takes equality to the heart of an institution, moving it from a bolt-on aspect of delivery to an integral part of the way it thinks and functions’. Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) Mainstreaming: equality at the heart of FE and HE: final reports.

Inclusive design…inclusive technology

We are all designers Design has the power to make us feel competent, or incompetent. It has the power to include us or exclude us. Ostroff, E. Institute for Human Centered Design

Building bridges

Building bridges ii

How it works at the moment: reasonable adjustments • Three key vehicles: • Individual reasonable adjustments. • Anticipatory reasonable adjustments. • Inclusive practice.

Reasonable adjustments? • At Kent individual reasonable adjustments are made for each student via an Inclusive Learning Plan (ILP) prepared by Student Support and Wellbeing (SSW) in partnership with academic schools.

The Edinburgh 3 • The following three anticipatory reasonable adjustments made up half of the those recommended by the Student Disability Service: • Prioritised reading lists. • Providing lecture outlines before class. • Permitting lecture recording for personal use.

The Kent 3 Kent ILP adjustment (Edinburgh mainstream adjustment) Use of Enabling Equipment (Permitting lecture recording for personal use). Provision of Class Resources (Providing lecture outlines before class). Direct Book Lists (Prioritised reading lists). Total Number of ILPs featuring adjustment Percentage of ILPs 972 62. 2% 945 60. 5% 757 48. 4% 2674

1. Use of Kent Player • To assist notetaking, ideally for everyone, but at least, for students with Inclusive Learning Plans (ILPs). • Benefits: • ‘To support students’ note-taking efforts, facilitate review of complex content, and aid revision’ (University of Edinburgh, 2012).

2. Providing lecture/seminar outlines in electronic format in advance • Benefits: • ‘Help students familiarise themselves with the lecture material ahead of the class, provide an opportunity for preparatory background reading and prepare any questions that they may have. It also facilitates notetaking during the lectures by removing the need for students to copy down content from slides’ (University of Edinburgh, 2012). • Advance electronic delivery enables student self-sufficiency to readily convert materials using text-to-speech, or text-to-Braille applications.

3. Prioritised reading lists • Benefits: • all students who are able to manage their time more effectively by focusing on most important readings first (improved satisfaction). • Student Support and Wellbeing are able to prioritise the delivery of alternative formats (e. g. Braille) for students with print disabilities. • Information Services can order strategically to ensure correct quantities of library holdings based on importance making more effective use of Departmental Monetary Funds (DMF).

3. Prioritised reading lists: working together Dear SSW, Reading List **801 has been reviewed for alternative formats and all available E-Resources have been purchased and will be linked to the list once they're available. The following items were not available to buy as e. Books and so require scanning Recommended - Available in library in hard copy Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics: and sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll – Andy P. Field , pub SAGE, ISBN: 9781446249185 Many Thanks Christine Templeman Library

Collateral benefits: case study: Kent School of Architecture Merged reading list data with: • Module evaluation data • Total number of UG and PG modules • Sample reading list usage statistics.

What is an ‘accessible’ resource? Accessible resources lend themselves to being adapted and manipulated to a users needs: • • • Magnify Reflow/Responsive Recolour Convert Navigate • Procurement

Alternative formats?

Video magnifier

Claro. Mag. X • A free tool that can effectively turn a smartphone or tablet into a mobile video magnifier: Online guide

Optical Character Recognition Scanner

How can I make electronic documents more accessible? Sensus Access is an online tool that will enable the conversion of electronic documents into a more accessible/usable format. • Using a mobile device. • Take a photograph of the OPERA paragraph and submit it to Sensus Access. • Request an MP 3 conversion. • Enter your University of Kent email address. • Check your email in a couple of minutes. • Open the file and listen to it.

Sensus Access @ Kent • The facility for staff and students to quickly convert documents to a more accessible format enables learners to realise potential and participate fully. • Promotes self-sufficiency in learning and teaching across the institution. • Device and operating system neutrality.

Document types being submitted: PDF – 95. 8% Image 2. 5% Microsoft Power. Point – 0. 8% Microsoft Word – 0. 8%

Output of converted formats: Microsoft Word - 58. 8% Microsoft Excel - 24. 4% PDF - 10. 1% RTF - 5. 9% Text - 0. 8%

Staff/student feedback ii. 3 rd year law student The most frustrating obstacle of any academic work is the lack of accessible resources readily available. I’ve spent years dealing with dull, badly contrasted photocopies which I cannot remedy in any way so as to read them effectively. Sensus Access is an incredibly quick and easy tool for converting files into accessible formats. From inaccessible materials come accessible ebooks, pdfs, mp 3 s or even basic word documents. It’s easy to use, takes only a minute to make a request and the turnaround is only about 10 minutes or so at the most. It is simply a lifesaver. I honestly use it with almost any file I have trouble with now.

Using technology to promote self-sufficiency Inclusive innovation: collaboration and participation. Crowdsourcing. • Be My Eyes. • RNIB Bookshare. • Case Study: Anne Arundel County School District + Double Robotics.

Productivity tools (assistive technology)

Inclusive design for teaching and learning @ Kent • Give preference to electronic (‘born-digital’) resources that meet minimal accessibility standards and support the use of productivity tools (assistive technologies). • Make module outlines accessible (e. g. via Moodle) at least 4 weeks before the module starts. • Make prioritised reading lists available in advance (e. g. at least 4 weeks) to accommodate the provision of alternative formats and support those with slow reading speed. • Ensure lecture/seminar slides/outlines are made available in electronic format in advance (e. g. at least 24 hours) to allow all students to prepare (particularly students with notetaking difficulties). • Use lecture capture to assist notetaking, ideally for everyone, but at least for students with relevant Inclusive Learning Plans (ILPs).

Guidance • University of Kent accessibility web pages • Productivity tools – tools to help you study and manage your time. • Dr Howard Leicester: accessibility in academia.

Contact • If you would like any further information about working with accessible resources please contact: • Ben Watson: b. watson@kent. ac. uk