JISC

Education institutions now operate against a backdrop of quality and legislative issues relating to the provision of learning and teaching for all students, notably the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001. This paper highlights some of the issues relating to Managed Learning Environments (MLEs) and provision for students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.  

Disability, accessibility and usability

Further education has well-established good practices in supporting students with a variety of needs. Additionally, colleges have developed inclusive learning strategies with input from governors, principals, teaching and support staff. As the sector moves into e-learning, this good practice should be continued within Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) and MLEs.

Disabilities and e-learning environments
e-Learning environments present opportunities for students to study in a way which suits them, for example, accessing material at different times of the day for workers with diverse working patterns or gaining access to learning for those who are housebound. For some students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, however, these new learning environments can be exclusive rather than inclusive unless designed in ways that allow them access.

Accessibility
In the context of e-learning, accessibility refers to the removal of barriers that can prevent, for example, a user with a visual impairment from accessing the content of a Web site. Usability An integral feature of e-learning design is usability, which refers to the effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction with which specified users achieve specified goals in particular environments, such as a VLE or MLE. This user centred approach looks not only at the access of learning materials but also at how learners use the materials. Jakob Neilson devotes a chapter to 'Accessibility for Users with Disabilities' in which he states "In general, it is often the case that design rules that may have been intended to help users with disabilities end up being of benefit to all users." 

Legislation and technology

The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act, which became law on 11 May 2001, legislates for the prevention of discrimination against disabled students in the provision of education, training and other related services. The new law will affect all education and training provided by further and higher education institutions, and local education authorities or education authorities, including adult and community education and youth provision.

The Legislation requires that a disabled student is not treated 'less favourably' for a reason relating to their disability (such as marking a student down in an exam because they are dyslexic); and that 'reasonable adjustments' are made to ensure that a disabled student is not placed at a 'substantial disadvantage'.

Further information can be found in the JISC's Senior Management briefing paper 15.

Disability, technology and legislation 

Guidelines, designers and vendors

Guidelines for good practice already exist for the design and development of online materials. The Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) covers a range of accessibility issues and the guidelines are available free online.

Issues of accessibility should be addressed to the designers or vendors of MLEs and VLEs. Ensure that systems are fully compliant with W3C guidelines. In addition, although UK law is still to be tested, vendors who trade in the US will be aware of the Federal Governments Section 508 which requires that Federal agencies' electronic and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities. Therefore any system that is compliant with the Section 508 standards is likely to be accessible for UK based colleges and institutions.  

About the Authors

Lawrie Phipps has been involved in the development of learning and teaching materials (both electronic and paper based) for several years. Since February 2001 he has been managing the JISC-funded Technology for Disabilities Information Service, TechDis. He maintains a research interest in virtual laboratory and field work and accessibility, and is currently examining issues surrounding computer aided assessment and disabilities.

Allan Sutherland is the Further Education coordinator for TechDis. He is also Director of Learning Resources for North Tyneside College and Tynemouth College. He has been managing the development of online and multimedia learning materials for many years. He has particular interests in video conferencing for deaf students, and the relationships between accessibility and usability.

Contact: helpdesk@techdis.ac.uk 

Further information

TechDis, the JISC funded Technology for Disabilities Information service aims to support institutions in providing access for those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to learning, teaching, research and administration across further and higher education through the use of Information and Communication Technologies.

Email: helpdesk@techdis.ac.uk

Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity. Neilson J, New Riders Publishing, 2000. ISBN 1 56205 810 X

W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) The W3C's WAI, in co-ordination with organisations around the world, pursues accessibility of the Web through five primary areas of work: technology, guidelines, tools, education and outreach, and research and development.

Federal Information Technology Accessibility Initiative A US based Federal government interagency effort to offer information and technical assistance to assist in the successful implementation of Section 508. Section 508 requires that Federal agencies' electronic and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities
Is your Web-based content accessible? Bobby is a free service provided by CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) to help Web page authors identify and repair significant barriers to access by individuals with disabilities.