Creating accessible e-learning resources for disabled students.

1. Introduction

“In its many forms e-learning can support teaching and learning through increasing flexibility in the location and time of study, in providing new ways of communication and interaction, in new ways to develop learning programmes and through increased access to quality information (Littlejohn, 2002).”

E-learning has specific potential to reduce the exclusion of disabled students from education, by enhancing access to information and communication, overcoming some barriers present in traditional course delivery and providing equitable access to learning programmes.

E-learning can offer an efficient and effective way of taking reasonable steps, as required by the DDA, to avoid unjustified discrimination of disabled students.

If academic staff provide information and teaching material in accessible electronic form, it can then be accessed in differing formats to meet the needs of students with a range of impairments.

For example:

• blind or visually impaired students can use text-to-speech devices to listen to the content in audio format, or Braille displays to output the content in tactile format;
• students with low vision can use screen magnification software to enlarge the text size of the content;
• students with dyslexia can make adjustments to the on-screen appearance of the text, or use colour filters to enhance readability, or have text read to them by a text-to-speech reading application;
• students with reduced reading skills, can use text-to-speech reading software to have read aloud specific pieces of text;
• the same electronically available text can also support students who are deaf or hard of hearing, and who would find it difficult or impossible to access the content of spoken lectures or tutorials.

The use of multimedia and animation can also significantly enhance the learning experience for students who may struggle with more traditional learning methods, for example students with specific learning difficulties who may find it difficult to read and process large amounts of text.

“When we are talking about eight textbooks that have over a thousand pages, per year, I cannot read that.”

In the context of ensuring the optimal accessibility of e-learning resources, including web sites and specific software applications, it is essential to establish:

• the role the resource plays in a learning programme -
  • Will the resource be compulsory for all students, or is it optional within a course or module?
  • Will a student’s usage of the resource be assessed? Will the resource itself be used as an assessment tool?
• the pedagogic aim of the e-learning resource – is the resource facilitating learning of a specific topic, or is the aim mastery of the resource itself?
• whether the resource is supporting traditional learning delivery by enhancing the accessibility of the learning environment for specific individuals.
• how the resource can be optimised for accessibility, through identificationof existing accessibility barriers that the intended audience may face, and how these barriers may be overcome.

A sound knowledge of accessible design techniques is vital in order to assess effectively an existing resource for potential barriers, and, as far as possible, to eliminate identified barriers, and for developing new accessible resources. But it is equally essential to have an understanding of the role played by an e-learning resource in the learning programme, as this can – and should – be a major influence in action plans for optimising e-learning accessibility.

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