Resources for Lecturers & Course Organisers

General Guidelines

"Access All Areas: disability, technology and learning" Techdis and the Association for Learning Technology (UK) collaborated on the production of this book, available here as a 96-page PDF document. Practical advice on a range of relevant issues for staff involved in Further and Higher Education.
DEMOS project - "Online material for staff disability awareness". A project which ran from 2000 - 2003, funded by HEFCE (UK), aimed to develop awareness in academic staff of issues faced by disabled students in higher education.
SWANDS project - "The South West Academic Network for Disability Support (SWANDS) was a HEFCE funded project of nine HEIs in the South West, co-ordinated and managed by the Disability Assist Services at the University of Plymouth." Focusing on compliance with SENDA (Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (UK) 2001), they have drawn up a guidance document on effective practices for teaching and learning.
Teachability project. Funded by the Scottish Higher Education funding council, is aim is to develop strategies for the design of an accesible curriculum for students with disabilities.
ANU (Australian National University) useful, practical one-liner tips for inclusive teaching, as well as meeting the requirement for "reasonable accommodations" in teaching Higher Education students with disabilities.
FERL Leaflets - "Inclusive Learning and Teaching". Provide guidelines and sample case studies.

TechDis: developing accessible e-learning materials - advice on page design, sample style sheets etc. Also background information on the types of problems encountered by students when working online, and links to online evaluation tools.
WAI W3C - Web accessibility initiative. Established to research, develop and promote accessible web design on a world-wide basis. Site contains general guidelines and policies.
VICS - the Visually Impaired Computer Society of Ireland can advise and assist on online accessibility issues.
Open Interface "helps organisations create interactive technology that is easy to use, easy to learn and highly intuitive." They will carry out accessibility audits and provide short training courses on designing for accessibility.

TextAccess 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 Discussion List - A UK listserv covering topics for both staff and students in the field of disability in Higher Education.
AHEAD - the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability are a good source of guidelines on all issues relating to disability in higher education. For instance, a useful publication is their "Examination Arrangements for Students with Disabilities - A Guide for Institutions of Higher Education." (Written and Edited by Pat Hoey on behalf of AHEAD.) Copies available from AHEAD.

Last updated: 16 April, 2004