Resources for Disability and Access Officers
Training and Professional Development
- AHEAD (Association for Higher Education Access and Disability) has staff available to provide training on numerous topics, including Disability Awareness, Equality and the Impact of Legislation, Disability Proofing your Teaching Practice, and Universal Design. Contact information is available on their website.
- Techshare is an international conference held in Birmingham each autumn. Hosted by the Royal National Institute for the Blind, Techshare is a very worthwhile event designed for professionals who work "in the field of visual impairment, or have an interest in technology and how it facilitates independent access to education, employment, lifelong learning and society for visually impaired people". The presentations are often relevant to other groups of individuals with print disabilities as well.
Associations and Discussion Lists
- Text Access Discussion
List - This list was established in response to suggestions from
people working in the area of access and disability support in Ireland's
third level educational institutions. The purpose of the list is to
provide a forum for them to discuss the disability and access issues
at third level and to facilitate the sharing of relevant information
and resources.
It is assumed that the list will be of greatest use to the Library, Disability, and Assistive Technology support staff responsible for ensuring that students with print disabilities obtain alternative access to printed materials. Students and anyone else with an interest in this area are also welcome.
-
Dis-forum - A (U.K. based) discussion list for disabled students and their support staff.
Textual Resources
- AHEAD's website includes several useful reports and publications, such as the AHEAD Student Handbook, the AHEAD Grants Booklet and a report outlining reasonable provisions for candidates with disabilities during examinations. Upcoming publications will address the areas of assistive technology, teaching practice and dyslexia, and a new quarterly newsletter.
- The National Disability Authority provide very useful guidelines on all aspects of IT accessibility.
Last Updated: 6 February, 2004
