JISC TechDis Accessibility Passport: Building a Culture of Accessibility

Poster presented at ALT-C 2006, 5-7 September 2006

Introduction

The Accessibility Passport is a way of encouraging people who commission or design learning objects or software to take accessibility into account, and to give them feedback on the effectiveness and inclusivity of their materials.

Accessibility is not just about standards, it’s about how materials get delivered and their fitness for purpose. The Passport provides feedback from the user and the deliverer to the commissioners and designers to encourage productive interaction. The Passport is an online document, a form or a wiki, that is available to everyone and the link to it is carried within the learning object or software.

The Accessibility Passport

Increasingly attention is moving from a reliance on ‘standards’ as the arbitrator of accessible content to a realisation that it is a more complex issue than standards may be able to allow for. Whether a learning object is accessible to the user depends on many factors - the abilities of the learner, the disposition of the lecturer, the policies of the institution as well as the time, place and medium of delivery.

All those involved in the writing, sharing and delivering of learning materials have responsibilities for ensuring that learners are not excluded from the end result. The way that materials are delivered can have a drastic effect on the range of learners who can benefit, and many different individuals may have an impact on the final experience. Those who design and write learning materials have a high level of responsibility for the accessibility of their output, but currently there is no standard means for them to inform others about the way they intended the materials to be used.

The Proposal

This poster examines a unique kind of metadata proposal. This proposal recommends a document (such as a JISC TechDis-hosted Wiki or form) that travels with each learning object specifically to help the deliverers to attain maximum accessibility and educational effect. The Passport would carry information and suggestions from the author and designer about:

• Inbuilt accessibility,
• Alternate strategies and delivery methods to suit a range of contexts and learners.

It would encourage feedback and suggestions from users. Uniquely, the Wiki format would stimulate all those involved in the building and delivering of materials to be involved in an ongoing analysis of the accessibility and effectiveness of the materials in practice.

• Commissioning - The specification of the Learning Object or software and the requirements for accessibility.

• Design - The Designer/ Developer enters the description of the object and describes how the objectives set out in the commission are to be accomplished.
  
  
• Delivery - Most materials are delivered with the help, support and encouragement of a tutor or support worker. They are in the best position to judge how accessible the object is in their situation and how well it works for the user, and are therefore best placed to give advice on how its features might be improved.
  
  
• The User - The user is the ultimate judge of how the object works in delivering learning, their interaction with their tutor or learning support is the most valuable form of feedback for the designer and commissioner.

Where are we now?

JISC TechDis need to trial the idea of the Accessibility Passport to prove the concept and value. A format needs to be provided that is easy to use and encourages the feedback the idea is designed to create. JISC TechDis are holding talks with several software companies with a view to running trials. We are also in contact with the Open University.

If you are interested in the Accessibility Passport idea and want to make suggestions, receive further information, or if you would like to trial the idea in your environment, please contact John Sewell, Senior Advisor with JISC TechDis at john@techdis.ac.uk or telephone 07966 201 118.