Module 4: ACCESSIBILITY IN HE

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Hello, my name is Alice Chapman and I am the Product Developer in the Learning Design team in the Faculty of Learning and Teaching.

I'm also the Co Chair for the Disability and Wellbeing Colleague Network.

In this short video, I will be talking through an Arden Value which is especially important to highlight during our first Diversity Festival.

The value I'll be looking at is Accessible.

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We have 5 core values at Arden which are Standout, Progressive, Accessible, Resourceful and Kindness.

We use the acronym SPARK to help us to remember them.

The values were created through a consultation process with people at Arden and each value has a set of behaviours.

For this video, I'll go through the 8 behaviours that colleagues and students work to when we think of the value Accessible.

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Accessible behaviours 1 to 4.

1. We create a sense of belonging for everyone at Arden, recognising that we all have a contribution to make and appreciating the value of different experiences and backgrounds.

2. We offer everyone a chance, opening doors to students of any age, going above and beyond to provide transferable skills and the real life tools needed to develop

3. We treat everyone as individuals by being honest, upfront and genuine in what we say and how we say it.

4. We are welcoming, understanding and respond quickly to people's changing circumstances.

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Accessible behaviours 5 to 8

5. We provide a considered, tailored and practical support throughout the education journey.

6. We stay up to date with the latest guidance on accessibility, so we can offer the best possible learning to everyone, regardless of ability

7. We raise awareness of what accessibility means

8. We value and celebrate diversity and ensure everyone feels included through clear and open communication.

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Continuing work on accessibility.

Working in areas of accessibility. We recognise that this is an ongoing and ever changing process so we strive to make sure that we are meeting values wherever we can.

A lot of the work happening at Arden focuses on this and throughout Diversity Festival. This year you will have the chance to see some of the amazing things that both colleagues and students are doing to help my garden. An inclusive and accessible place to be.

Thanks for watching and see you again soon.

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Hello, my name is Alice Chapman and I am the Product Developer in the Learning Design team at Arden University. We are part of the Digital Learning Team and I work across different areas of the team to look at and think about ways we can improve the digital learning experience.

My specialist areas are inclusive design and digital accessibility.

In this short video for Arden's Diversity Festival, I'll be talking about what digital accessibility is and introducing you to the Digital Learning Team at Arden.

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What is digital accessibility?

Digital accessibility is about making digital content usable for as many people as possible.

This includes websites, virtual learning environments, mobile applications and everything that's held on them such as this video.

To help people meet these needs, there are laws and guidance in place.

At Arden, we look to follow Web Content Accessibility Guidelines or WCAG 2 and Universal Design for Learning Principles.

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Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines or WCAG looks at 4 principle areas;

1. Perceivable. Can the user access the content according to their needs?

2. Operable. Can the user operate the interface in order to engage with the content?

3. Understandable. Can the user understand how to interact with the content

4. Robust. Can the user access the content using the digital tools that they need?

And for each principle area, there are three levels of conformance and testable success criteria which look at digital accessibility through a number of different areas.

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Universal Design for Learning.

Universal Design for Learning, or UDL is an approach to teaching and learning that aims to improve learning for all.

It looks to create a curriculum that provides genuine learning opportunities for each and every person through flexible learning opportunities in design, noting that the best way of learning is not the same for everyone.

UDL looks at neuroscience and tells us that our brains have 3 broad networks which are broken down into three areas of learning in the UDL Framework;

·   Representation

·   Action and Expression

·   Engagement.

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Digital Learning Team.

Arden's Digital Learning Team work closely with academics and subject matter experts to design brand new modules, maintain existing learning materials, and help our colleagues make accessible, appropriate and creative use of technology.

We are a multidisciplinary team with expertise in learning technology, multimedia design, project management and learning design.

One of the Digital Learning Team Core values is to create accessible, high quality digital learning experiences for our students.

And our focus for digital accessibility is on the WCAG and integrating elements of UDL.

By removing barriers in digital content, we are opening our provision up, being more inclusive and avoiding potential barriers to access for people that identify as disabled.

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Thank you for watching this short video on digital accessibility in the Digital Learning Team.

Stay tuned with other areas of the Diversity Festival to learn more about equity, equality, diversity and inclusion at Arden University.