What is accessibility? - Activity 2.2

What does accessibility mean to me?

Accessibility is more than merely accommodating and adapting to the needs of disabled people. It is about ensuring that all reasonable attempts are made to make learning equally available to all. Although accessibility is often considered in relation to disabled people, within my professional context, there is an equal need to consider language, culture and socio-economic factors.

Why are people working to improve access to online learning for disabled students?

Why wouldn’t they? In the crudest terms, learning is a business. If we alienate any group of people, we limit our ability to earn money. Hopefully, there is also a moral and ethical sense of duty to ensure equality of access for all. Even if that moral and ethical duty is absent, the law says that institutions should do this.

Main issues arising from Seale Chapter 1

·         Definitions  - as with most academic works, key terms are defined for the purposes of this paper.

·         Reflection - the author reflects on how her views have changed since the first edition of the book, being honest and critical of her previous work and seeking to improve it.

·         Silence - as well as writing about what has been said and researched, Seale talks about the need to consider what isn’t said and what isn’t researched.

1.    According to Seale, all the players in accessible online learning have their own perspectives and their own stories to tell.

o    What is your perspective?

I have a dual perspective. From a personal perspective, as a disabled student, I expect institutions of higher education to make every effort to ensure that online learning materials are fully accessible. From a professional perspective, faced with an overwhelming range of disabilities, each of which expects me to make every effort to ensure that our online learning materials are fully accessible, the task seems impossible.

My observations of attempts to ensure that various aspects of everyday life are accessible to all, would suggest that there is often conflict between the accessibility needs of people with different disabilities. For example, whilst textured paving is essential to blind people, giving them information about hazards, the same textured paving can create a barrier for people with some mobility disabilities, causing a trip hazard or vibrations through a wheelchair. In the same way, it is likely that attempts to make online learning accessible to all, could result in opposing needs creating conflict.

o    What events, people or objects have influenced your current perspective regarding accessibility?

Personal experience, the experience of family and friends, and twenty-three years working in education have influenced my current perspective regarding accessibility. Human beings have a tendency to be somewhat self-centered. It is easy to assume that our personal needs have greater importance than the needs of others. This can also be seen in the expectations of disabled people and their expectations in terms of accessibility.

Perhaps more understandably, it is also assumed that those with more common disabilities should take priority when considering accessibility requirements. For example, dyslexia is relatively common and is probably near the top of the list of learning disabilities that teachers aim to accommodate in their teaching. It is widely accepted that a dyslexia-friendly classroom is good for all learners, with bright colourful visual displays and a rich multisensory learning environment. This kind of environment could, however, be overwhelming to a learner with sensory overload, causing them to shut down and block out all the excess noise.

My current perspective is that rather than using accessibility guidelines as lists of definitive rules, we should aim for open dialogue with learners (disabled and non-disabled) so that accessibility needs can be discussed and a ‘best fit’ found for each group of learners.

o    How conscious are you of these factors when you are reading and thinking about accessibility issues?

At this stage, I am a little sceptical when reading and thinking about accessibility issues. I hope to be convinced that academics in this field genuinely have the best interests of learners at heart.

2.    If you were to conduct an analysis at this point in time, of the costs and benefits for you personally as a learner in studying this module online, what would the analysis look like?

o    Would there be more costs than benefits?

Up until now, I haven’t given much thought to the costs and benefits of me studying for this module. I suppose, in terms of the whole qualification, I weighed up the pros and cons before committing to an expensive course of study, but I didn’t focus on the benefits or costs of studying online as opposed to face-to-face. At the time, it just seemed the most obvious way of combining part-time study with full-time work.

Costs:

•  financial
• time
• energy

Benefits:

• convenience
• study from home
•  flexible
• enjoyable
• practical

o    Are they evenly matched?

Overall, I would say that there are more benefits than costs for me studying this module online. Perhaps the benefits were so obvious and so obviously outweighed the costs, that I did not see the need to consciously think about this.

o    What factors helped you to decide you could cope with studying this module online?

For me, there was less consideration about my ability to cope with studying this module online than there would have been if it had been face-to-face. Because my disability is physical and affects mobility, studying in a brick uni would have posed a greater concern. Would I be able to park near to the building? Would I be able to access the building? Would the layout of furniture make me feel inconvenient? Would I fit in with my peers? How much stuff would I have to carry? Would I be able to access the library? Would there be accessible toilets? Would frequent toilet visits become embarrassing? The list is endless.

Studying online, however, triggered none of these kinds of questions. The idea of studying in my own home, at a time which is convenient to me, with easy access to a toilet and refreshments, able to take breaks at my leisure, and not have to actually go anywhere, seems to me the perfect arrangement.

3.    If you attended a conference where the main theme was making online learning accessible, what kind of information or evidence would you wish to hear from the presenters that would help to inform or change your practice?

If I was attending a conference, I would not want to hear what I already know about. I would be looking to learn something completely new. As such, I would hope to be presented with challenges to my thinking, regarding disabilities that I may not have considered before, presented by people with those disabilities, giving practical advice about how I, as a manager, can make online learning more accessible.

4.    Thinking about accessibility:

o    Why do you think some students do not declare their disability to the institutions in which they are studying?

In my work context, this is a very common problem. There are a number of reasons that I am aware of, why some students do not declare their disability. These include:

·         fear of discrimination

·         differences in culture (especially ESOL learners)

·         previous negative experiences

·         no diagnosis/learner unaware of disability.

There are also probably other reasons for not disclosing a disability, which I am completely unaware of.

o    Does it matter if an institution does not know the exact numbers of disabled students registered on its modules and the exact nature of their learning needs?

I do not think it is necessary for an institution to know the exact numbers of disabled students registered on its modules. It is more important for every tutor to get to know that their students as individuals, identify any barriers to learning and nowhere to access a range of tools to overcome barriers to learning. It is, however, useful to know numbers for monitoring purposes and for targeted evaluations.

Change of thinking following discussion in OUSA Disabled Students group: If an institution doesn't have accurate data about numbers of disabled students, there is the possibility that a 'no news is good news' culture may develop, where there is an assumption that we don't have many disabled students and therefore do not need to consider adaptations.

o    How necessary do you think this information is, in helping institutions develop accessible learning?

Again, I do not think it is essential to have specific, exact information in order to develop accessible learning. It is useful in terms of monitoring and evaluating accessible learning but I think attitudes, at all levels of the institution, play a greater part in the success or failure of developing accessible learning.

o    In what way might such information help an institution improve the accessibility of its online learning material?

Statistics about particular disabilities and numbers of students with disabilities can help with the development of accessible online learning materials, ensuring that the most common disabilities are given priority. The downside of this, is that less common disabilities may not be given the attention that they need.

5.    In our working lives we are all constantly managing our identities – both public and private.

o    What aspects of your identity do you openly reveal to your work colleagues or students?

I am happy to openly discuss my visible disability with work colleagues and students. I do not find it offensive if people ask questions about my disability or the way my disability affects me. I actively seek situations where I can challenge people with disabilities to achieve to their full potential, using my own experiences to inspire others.

o    What aspects do you reveal in a more selective manner (if at all)?

I am more selective about revealing some of the invisible disabilities I have, particularly those of a sensitive nature. Whether or not I will openly discuss these, depends on how well I know the person, my expectations of their response, and how much I think they would benefit from knowing.

o    Are there any aspects of your identity or information about yourself that you would feel uncomfortable revealing to work colleagues or students?

The only aspects of my identity which I would feel uncomfortable revealing to work colleagues or students, are those which might compromise my professionality. There have been occasions where I have not revealed something which might have been helpful to the person, because of the risk of it negatively impacting on my reputation.