Briefing 5 Final Final

JISC TechDis – Supporting Your Needs The JISC TechDis Advisory Service has been responsible for this Senior Management Briefing Series, focussing on Colleges of Further Education across the UK. This is only one resource of many that the Service produces for the sectors it supports - currently HE, FE, Adult and Community Learning and the Specialist Colleges. There are also smaller specific projects working within Offender Learning, Schools (1419) and the Business and Community Engagement arena (3rd Stream funding within HEFCE funded institutions). TechDis aims to be the leading educational advisory service, working across the UK, in the fields of accessibility and inclusion. If you are not fully aware of TechDis the notes below will help you to become more familiar with the Service and what it can offer your organisation. Advice and Guidance - Support can be provided in the form of:  Staff development materials on the website www.techdis.ac.uk.  Helpdesk queries via email; [email protected] or telephone 01904 717580.  The TechDis community site; www.techdis.ac.uk/community.

National Priorities - TechDis also works at national levels with such bodies as Funding Councils, specific disability organisations, key intermediaries working within their sector or subject – in particular Becta, JISC, the other JISC Advisory Services, the JISC Regional Support Centres, the Higher Education Academy and its Subject Centre network. Areas of work - TechDis has a very broad remit around the themes of technology, inclusion and disability. Areas of work include assistive technologies, effective use of mainstream facilities (for example, corporate systems, e-learning and the production of elearning materials), transition issues, assessment, disabled staff, e-portfolios, mobile learning and other emerging themes. If you would like to pass any comments or request further information, please contact TechDis via [email protected] or 01904 717580. We hope this briefing series and the resources it provides have been of interest to you and your colleagues. We would be grateful to receive feedback on the Senior Management Briefing series, and if you would like to give us your comments an online feedback form can be found at; www.techdis.ac.uk/SMTfeedback.

All these resources have been referenced throughout the series of briefings.

The Higher Education Academy Building Innovation Way, York Science Park York YO10 5BR. Tel: 01904 717580 Fax: 01904 717505 www.techdis.ac.uk © TechDis 2007

[email protected] Page 16

JISC TechDis Senior Management Briefing 5 www.techdis.ac.uk/getDEDgoodpractice

From Good Intention to Good Practice: Making the Disability Equality Duty Meaningful Introduction The Disability Equality Duty (DED) came into force on 4 December 2006, a legal duty requiring all public bodies to actively look at ways of ensuring disabled people are treated equally. Bert Massie, chairman of Disability Rights Commission (DRC) claimed the duty ‘will have a major impact on the lives of disabled people and will radically shift the way public authorities deliver their services’. Whilst some good guidance on the Disability Equality Duty has been available, for example on the DRC website, this has tended to focus more on collecting baseline data and implementing the systems needed to acquire it. Many colleges are currently reviewing their Disability Equality Scheme (DES), so this is an opportune moment to review a sample of DESs and to consider how they might be improved in order to:  Better represent the good practice the college already employs.  Better inform learners of the colleges’ support mechanisms.  Better integrate into wider college policies.

In preparing this briefing, TechDis consulted with a range of organisations, each with expertise in supporting disabled learners. We asked each organisation to suggest key priorities for a college in implementing genuine disability equality. They were also asked for the kind of support, services or consultancy they could offer individual colleges. We then compared this information with the kind of information available on college DESs by sampling 10% of English Further Education Colleges. Given that the biggest influence on a learner's experience is what goes on in the learning environment, we were particularly interested in any references to inclusive teaching and learning, assistive technologies or inclusive learning resources. The research showed there was a significant under representation of the role of assistive technologies in the DESs sampled. For many colleges, assistive technology consists of a narrow range of expensive software provided on an ad hoc basis, but in reality a wide range of free or open source technologies exist. Few of these technologies match the sophistication of commercial software, but they do offer a

TechDis, The Higher Education Academy Building, Innovation Way, York Science Park, York YO10 5BR. Tel: 01904 717580 Fax: 01904 717505. [email protected]. www.techdis.ac.uk © TechDis 2007

TechDis is an advisory service of JISC, the Joint Information Systems Committee

Page 1

repertoire of inexpensive solutions which can provide benefits for both disabled and nondisabled learners. The final section of this briefing explores some of the possibilities and provides links to downloads, evaluations and selected video clips. Advice from the Specialists TechDis contacted seven national organisations with expertise in supporting disabled learners, to ask for their top priorities in effectively implementing the DED. The organisations contacted included AbilityNet, Becta, The BRITE Initiative, Learning and Skills Network (LSN), Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB), Royal National Institute of the Deaf (RNID) and SKILL: The National Bureau for Students with Disabilities. The following themes were identified in order of significance. Staff Training and Awareness All of the organisations pointed to the significance of staff training. This included both generic disability awareness training and more specific training geared towards those who work directly with disabled learners. A point brought out by most of the specialists was the importance of a whole organisational approach - recognising that the learner’s experience is as much to do with the library and learning resources staff, receptionists and administrators as it is to do with the teaching and learning staff or additional support staff. Both BRITE and RNID recognised that having an accessible curriculum requires quite specific training for teaching and learning staff if disabled learners are going to participate at the same level as other learners. Actively Involving Disabled Learners The second most common theme to emerge was the involvement of disabled learners at every stage. For example, AbilityNet pointed out the importance of the learner playing an active part in the assessment of need, so that they had opportunities to trial different technologies or adaptations. The more the learner is involved in suggesting alternative approaches or adjustments, the more likely they are to be © TechDis 2007

successful. It was also pointed out that the learners should be involved in ongoing active evaluation of solutions. An appropriate adjustment at the beginning of the course may be less appropriate as time goes on and the learner’s confidence and independence grow. Effective Transition Planning Along with actively involving disabled learners, was the importance of timely and effective transition planning. This involves effective liaison with feeder schools and communication with relevant agencies. There are also implications within the college for early assessment of need, involving curriculum specialists, additional support staff and technical staff. For more detailed information and guidance on effective transition planning see the TechDis Senior Management Briefing ‘Transition Arrangements Partners, Processes and Funding Issues’ which can be found at www.techdis.ac.uk/getbriefings. Effective Use of Technology The importance of effective technology support was highlighted by AbilityNet, RNID and RNIB. The client groups supported by each of these organisations can benefit enormously from an appropriate technology infrastructure. The RNID highlighted generic technologies for reception (counter loops, textphones or TalkByText) teaching spaces (induction loops for meeting rooms, seminar rooms and lecture theatres) and commercial paging systems to protect deaf and hard of hearing learners in the event of a fire. AbilityNet raised the importance of effective technology training for the learner. No matter how good the technology is, if the learner has limited training or confidence, the level of support they experience will be equally limited. They also highlight the importance of communicating the accessibility options available in everyday software from Microsoft® Office products through to Virtual Learning Environments, intranets and websites. Alternative Formats Nearly half the organisations contacted highlighted the availability of alternative formats in their top five priorities. An important part of Page 2

making the curriculum accessible is to make the learning materials accessible to the learner. An effective DES would clarify to all learners how they can get alternative resources. In many cases existing or freely downloadable software allows the learner to independently adapt the material to suit their own needs (for

example in terms of colours, fonts styles, font sizes and even audio versions). Unfortunately very few learners - even disabled learners - have received training on how to do this. For more information see the TechDis Accessibility Essentials Series, particularly the first publication on reading online documents available from www.techdis.ac.uk/accessibilityessentials.

For many learners, simply having the resources available in digital format would allow sufficient personalisation to give independent access to the content.

The TechDis Research and Implications As part of the research for this briefing, TechDis set out to compare the priorities suggested by the specialist organisations contacted with the actual content of ‘typical’ DESs. Using a systematic sample to maintain objectivity and ensure a breadth of coverage the websites of 42 colleges were searched. These same colleges had their DESs searched for keywords that had been selected on the outcomes of an earlier pilot project. The findings are as follows:

Online Disability Equality Schemes Availability, Format and Size. Less than 60% of the colleges surveyed had a DES available online. Amongst those lacking an online statement, one third of them gave information as to where to obtain a copy varying from picking a copy up from reception, to contacting a named member of staff or getting a copy from your tutor. The research also examined format and size of the statements sampled. Two thirds of the statements were in PDF format with most of the remainder in Microsoft® Word. One was available as a web based document. Interestingly, there were very few mentions of the DESs being available in alternative formats. In practice, PDF documents can have a high level of accessibility provided they have been created with © TechDis 2007

It seems contrary to the spirit of the DED if disabled people have to make special requests in order to find out the way the college plans to improve their equality! accessibility in mind and the user is aware of the accessibility features built-in. Unfortunately none of the samples we saw provided information to support either of these considerations. The size of the Disability Equality Scheme was immensely variable and this can be seen overleaf in figure 1, ranging in our samples from three pages to 96. The average size was approximately 19 pages. In general, it would be expected that the longer the document the less likely it is to be read, although in fairness to our sample the 96 page document was actually one of the most pragmatic, informative and genuinely helpful of all the statements sampled. Suggested Good Practice

 Make the Disability Equality Schemes available online.

 Offer alternative formats or provide information on personalising the format you have provided.

 Keep the size of the document short enough to encourage reading but long enough to give clear, verifiable information.

Page 3

Size of Disability Equality Statement (in pages) 100 90 80

Pages

70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Samples in ascending order Figure 1 - Size (in pages) of Disability Equality Statements sampled

but there is a good deal of cynicism about the ‘equalities industry’ and the associated issues it can produce.

Staff Training and Awareness Actively Involving Disabled Learners This was top of the list from the disability support organisations contacted yet 8% of the statements searched had no mention of training or staff development and a further 33% were very vague in their training commitments or topics. However, nearly 60% of the colleges surveyed had quite specific training targets. The majority of these were related to the DED or disability awareness. A much smaller number oriented towards inclusive teaching and learning, yet for the majority of teachers, tutors and lecturers the issue is not just about being aware of disability but knowing what to do about it - how to teach in a way that is more inclusive to disabled learners. Suggested Good Practice

 Set clear and specific targets for staff development in disability awareness and ensure that these are focused on a range of staff roles, using scenarios relevant to those roles.

 Ensure training is geared towards positive practice rather than political correctness. Most staff respond well to examples of good practice that are relevant and easily achievable

© TechDis 2007

Many of the colleges detailed the way they will involve disabled learners; focus groups and formal feedback being two of the common mechanisms. The best specified the information they were going to obtain, from whom they were going to get it and how, and gave proposals of what would be done with the data. About a quarter of the DESs read had no information about feedback or consultation mechanisms. A few of the statements published feedback already collected - an approach that had much merit since they were able to highlight their strengths and offer responses to their weaknesses. This kind of confidence projects a robust, transparent and responsive culture. One of the difficulties in actively involving disabled learners is that the process becomes harder work as your systems become more successful. People are keen to be involved when they want to see changes but satisfaction can result in complacency! None of the data on learner feedback and involvement included details about the technology used in the college with disabled Page 4

learners. This could be a useful amendment to gauge how to best use the technology provided in the college and to see if changes were required.

 Collect and analyse the progression of disabled learners compared to their non-disabled peers.  Obtain feedback from learners on their transition experiences.

Suggested Good Practice  Be prepared to trial different ways of involving disabled learners and gauging opinion - they will not have uniform views and some will certainly not want to be involved in the process or identified with the issues.

Make feedback public - publishing strengths, weaknesses and responses is an effective way of evidencing the integrity of your approach and the quality of what you already do.  Given the range of perspectives of disabled people it is important to gain the input of a focus group with the wider and more anonymous feedback obtained from questionnaires and satisfaction surveys.  Independent advice is also available from a range of organisations including those referenced at the end of this briefing.  Many disabled learners already benefit, or could benefit, from assistive technologies. Ensure feedback from disabled learners covers this aspect of their experience. Effective Transition Planning Among the disability support organisations contacted, effective transition planning was high on the list, reflecting the experiences and difficulties of disabled learners. Our research did not focus on this area because the pilot study indicated there was little reference to transition in DESs. This may be partly explained by the often well developed systems by which learner support departments work with disabled applicants. It may also be that DESs concentrate on supporting learners once they have arrived rather than focusing on arrival and departure. We would strongly suggest however that a college should: © TechDis 2007

Effective Use of Technology Infrastructure, Resources and Tools Half the specialist organisations we worked with highlighted the importance of assistive technology in one form or another. Yet less than half of the DESs sampled had a mention of technology at all and only a quarter had information of practical use to disabled learners. Those that did, however, had a wide range of detail. One had an entire section on assistive technology, detailing the hardware and software available, what can be borrowed and assessments of the available products. Less than a third of the colleges mentioned accessibility in this pedagogical sense and only one college gave a measurable target - to have 50% of teaching materials on the Virtual Learning Environment. Others provided a range of details from highlighting the availability of alternative formats through to in-depth details of website accessibility and software availability.

An important area to consider, and one often overlooked, is the accessibility of teaching and learning resources. Suggested Good Practice

 Be explicit about the accessibility potential of your mainstream resources. See TechDis Senior Management Briefing 1 - e-learning as an Accessibility Investment, for a range of suggestions, available from: www.techdis.ac.uk/getbriefings.

 Be explicit about any policies relating to accessibility of learning resources (for example software procurement policies).

 Clarify the assistive technologies that are available for both mainstream use (for example networking of mind mapping or text to speech software) and specialist use (for example joysticks or speech recognition). Page 5

Assistive Technologies - The Untapped Potentials Whether the learner is adequately supported by their assistive technologies depends on a number of factors: 1. Is the technology available to the learner on a regular basis? 2. Is the technology available to the learner on all the computers they are likely to use, including any at home? 3. Has the learner been trained in using the technology? 4. Has the learner had an opportunity to trial the technology before being provided with a final solution? Unfortunately for commercial software, the answer to most of those questions is ‘no’. The reasons may vary, but include the following much commercial software is expensive so it is spread thinly across the site. It may be too expensive for personal purchase or for speculative trials and it may be so powerful that it takes time to provide training in all its features. By contrast, free and open source software can be available across the network on any machine, can be downloaded at home, is cheap to trial and is normally relatively limited in its functionality (therefore quick to master). There is some excellent free and open source assistive technology available but it faces two major hurdles in implementation; firstly, lacking advertising budgets it is difficult to get good marketing exposure and secondly, lacking technical support teams it is less popular with college network managers. Nonetheless, given the benefits of widely implemented assistive technologies, free versions deserve far better exposure than they have currently received.

© TechDis 2007

The TechDis Approach to Assistive Technology TechDis has developed a model of assistive technologies which has many advantages. The model is based on seven tools reflecting the learning process. These include reading tools, recording tools, planning tools, writing tools, visualisation tools, alternative interfaces and communication tools (for those with no speech). These divide into sub themes as shown in figure 2. By looking at a ‘tools for learning’ approach a number of advantages become apparent:

 Learners are treated as individuals rather than ‘disabilities’. For example, dyslexia does not correlate with a particular software solution but the impact of dyslexia on the student’s learning becomes the significant factor. Some may need a reading tool, others a writing tool and yet others a planning tool - or a combination of all three.

 Within each genre, sub themes provide a wider diversity of potential approaches. A learner needing support in reading might benefit from altering the screen display but another learner may benefit from course handouts being converted from text to speech, or the tutor making audio recordings of key teaching sessions.

 Although a tool combining a wide range of solutions may be expensive, individual elements of a solution are often available in existing software or freely downloadable programs. This allows the user increased choice and independence - for example a learner with poor spelling could use Microsoft® Word’s spellchecker or AutoText function, freeware like LetMeType or commercial products such as Penfriend, TextHelp or Claro Software, depending on specific requirements, the budgets available, the time they are prepared to invest in training and the number of different computers they usually work with.

Page 6

 The genres approach highlights the interplay of roles in supporting learners - for example some solutions (like video clips and animations, structured documents and audio narration) require deliberate input from teaching staff whilst others (alternative interfaces and organiser tools) are more the domain of additional learner support staff.

Figure 2: The TechDis Assistive Technology Themes Assistive technology alternative interfaces keyboard alternative handwriting recognition voice recognition mouse alternatives key guards Screen readers

visualisation tools video animation

reading tools audio narration colour/font options comprehension tools outlining text-to-speech

recording tools video portable keyboards digital camera voice recording

writing tools handwriting alternatives handwriting recognition word prediction word banks

planning tools organiser tools summarising tools mind mapping

communication tools synthetic speech symbols system

© TechDis 2007

 Finally, the tools approach takes the emphasis away from disability. Many learners - disabled or not - benefit from video clips, audio downloads, well structured documents and predictive text. The TechDis themes approach is a way of generating alternative strategies for supporting learners. It also helps additional learning support staff to see some of the tools in a new way as some software can appear under more than one category. The section overleaf summarises a selection of free or open source assistive technology organised along the lines of the TechDis themes (outlined in figure 2). These tools and downloads have been either examined by TechDis team members or recommended by respected practitioners. There are caveats, however. The range of free and assistive software is wide and growing. Absence from this list does not imply inferiority in any way - for example there are other excellent assistive technology lists which we have been careful not to simply replicate. These include the OATS project, the software library is available at http://www.oatsoft.org/Software/ and AbilityNet’s ‘Useful low cost programs’ list at http://www.abilitynet.org.uk/athome_shareware. In compiling the examples, TechDis has selected technologies that could potentially benefit disabled learners and in many cases also be of use to learners without disabilities. Shifting the emphasis from a deficit model - ‘software to sort your problems’, to a tools model - ‘software that enhances productivity’ may be a subtle distinction but it is an important one in creating genuine disability equality and mainstreaming assistive technologies. Please note that in compiling the examples we aim to encourage institutions to evaluate the benefits and risks of using free and open source software. We are not formally endorsing or recommending these products. As with all free resources, the user is responsible for satisfying themselves as to the fitness of purpose of the products - but we would encourage experimentation, whether with these or with others available from the links above. Page 7

Existing Free/Open Source Tools for Learners.

Reading Tools Audio Narration

For brevity, this summary simply identifies a range of respected tools that can form part of a repertoire of support - both for learners with a disability and, indeed, learners who could simply make use of some handy tools. For full details of these tools see http://www.techdis.ac.uk/ getfreesoftware where we have an enhanced version of the list with commentary and selected video clips and screen shots. Alternative Interfaces Keyboard Alternatives

 Existing software opportunities - Handwriting recognition and voice recognition in Microsoft® XP onwards; Microsoft® Windows Onscreen Keyboard.  Other free or open source solutions - Dasher. Mouse Alternatives

 Existing software opportunities - Microsoft® Windows MouseKeys.  Other free or open source solutions - Click-ntype; Visual mouse. Screen Readers

 Existing software opportunities - None known.  Other free or open source solutions - Thunder Screen Reader; NVDA (non-visual desktop access). Visualisation Tools  Existing software opportunities - Windows Moviemaker; Microsoft® Powerpoint Animation.  Other free or open source solutions, Camstudio; Wink, Photostory.

 Existing software opportunities - Audio narration in Microsoft® Word or PowerPoint.

 Other free or open source solutions - Audacity; Portable Audacity.

Colour/Font Options

 Existing software opportunities:

 Display properties in Microsoft® Windows.

 Inbuilt Microsoft® Accessibility options - e.g. Windows Magnifier.

 Zoom and text reflow options within Microsoft® Word and Adobe Acrobat® Reader.

 Background and text colour options in Microsoft® Word and Adobe Acrobat® Reader.

 Other free or open source solutions Screentinter LITE; iZoom magnifier. Comprehension Tools

 Existing software opportunities - Synonyms and thesaurus in Microsoft® Word.  Other free or open source solutions - None known.

Summarising Tools

 Existing software opportunities - Document Map view, AutoSummarise and outline views in Microsoft® Word.  Other free or open source solutions - None known.

Text to Speech

 Existing software opportunities - Read Out Loud option in Adobe Acrobat® Reader.

 Other free or open source solutions - Dspeech (portable text to speech and text to MP3 convertor); WordTalk; Natural Reader. Recording Tools  Existing software opportunities - Microsoft® Windows voice recorder.

 Other free or open source solutions - The learner’s own technology (e.g. Mobile phone, MP3 player etc) may also have inbuilt recording devices (e.g. digital cameras and voice recording within a mobile phone)

© TechDis 2007

Page 8

Writing Tools Handwriting Alternatives

 Existing software opportunities - Voice recognition in Microsoft® Windows XP onwards.

Planning Tools Organiser Tools

 Existing software opportunities - Microsoft Outlook alerts, appointments and tasks.

 Other free or open source solutions - Dasher.

 Other free or open source solutions - Google Calendar, KalendarUK.

Handwriting Recognition

Outlining Tools

 Existing software opportunities - handwriting recognition in Microsoft® XP onwards.

 Existing software opportunities - Outline view in Microsoft® Word.

 Other free or open source solutions - none known.

 Other free or open source solutions - None known.

Word Prediction

Mindmapping Tools

 Other free or open source solutions LetMeType.

 Other free or open source solutions FreeMind; Stickies.

Word Banks

Communication Tools

 Existing software opportunities - AutoText in Microsoft® Word.

 Existing software opportunities - AutoCorrect in Microsoft® Word.  Other free or open source solutions - ClipGuru.

© TechDis 2007

 Existing software opportunities - Drawing tools in Microsoft® Word.

 Existing software opportunities - None known.  Other free or open source solutions - See the Symbol Library and Alternative and Augmentative Communication sections of the OATSoft website.

Page 9

Further Support and Guidance AbilityNet About AbilityNet AbilityNet are a national charity and the UK’s leading provider of advice on computing and disability. Every year they help thousands of people with a wide range of disabling or limiting conditions to access and release the enabling power of computer technology. They provide a freephone advice and information line, individual assessments, awareness training, courses for professionals, support for organisations, loan equipment and equipment to buy. Resources Available

 Available online and in hard copy, for further information please see; http://www.abilitynet.org.uk/education.  To view the factsheets that are available to download please go to; http://www.abilitynet.org.uk/edu_factsheets.

 For information about support available from AbilityNet please see; http://www.abilitynet.org.uk/edu_sla_he. Contact AbilityNet about these resources and other support they can provide via the freephone and minicom number; 0800 269 545, or by fax; 01926 407 425 or email a member of the team at; [email protected]. Training and Consultancy Standard courses for staff can be found at http://www.abilitynet.org.uk/webopencourses and the details of the bespoke courses can be found at http://www.abilitynet.org.uk/ webbespoketraining. To contact AbilityNet regarding these course please email [email protected] or telephone on 0800 269 545.

Becta About Becta Becta leads the national drive to improve learning through technology. They achieve this by working with industry to ensure they have the right technology for education in place. Becta also support the education sector to make the best use of technology so that every learner in the UK is able to benefit from its advantages and achieves the best they can. Resources Available: Generic advice and guidance

 Making accessible software: a guide for developers and providers http://publications.becta. org.uk/display.cfm?resID=33482. This guide is designed to help industry to understand how legislation applies to learners with special education needs and what 'reasonable adjustment' may mean in the context of ICT.  Making software accessible: a guide for schools http://publications.becta.org.uk/display. cfm?resID=32113. This guide is designed to help schools to understand how legislation applies to their learners with special education needs and what 'reasonable adjustment' may mean in the context of ICT.  Software accessibility: legal requirements for schools http://schools.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=tl&catcode=ss_tl_inc_ac_03&rid=13343

© TechDis 2007

Page 10

Organisations will want ICT resources to be accessible to all their learners – and have a legal duty to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to ensure that learners who are disabled are not put at a substantial disadvantage. This publication examines what this means in practice. Resources Available: Teaching, learning, libraries and examinations  Improving access with assistive technology: Many learners have sensory, physical or cognitive difficulties that make it hard for them to use a standard keyboard, monitor or mouse without some adjustment being made. This can be achieved through the computer’s system accessibility options, or by using alternative or assistive technology. http://schools.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=tl&catcode=ss_tl_inc_ac_03&rid=13414  Inspire me: Using podcasting to support language and communication Aimed at 15-16-year olds with severe learning difficulties and uses podcasting to support language and communication. http://schools.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=tl&catcode=ss_tl_inc_ac_03&rid=12848

 How assistive technology is used by learners: Learners who have special needs or disabilities often need adjustments to be made to hardware or software, or additional devices, to enable them to access learning through ICT. http://schools.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=tl&catcode=ss_tl_inc_ac_03&rid=13414 Many others are available via www.becta.org.uk/schools/inclusion. For more information regarding Becta’s resources contact them via; telephone; 024 7641 699, fax; 024 7641 1418 or email; [email protected].

The BRITE Initiative About the BRITE Initiative BRITE stands for Beattie Resources for Inclusiveness in Technology and Education. The Initiative was established in 2001, with funding from the Scottish Executive and Scottish Further Education Funding Council, on the recommendation of the Beattie Committee. The BRITE Initiative was set up to inform, train and assist the staff in Scotland's colleges who work to include and support students, often through the effective use of enabling technologies. Resources Available BRITE has a range of Assistive Technology User Guides that are available in both electronic and hard copy formats. In addition BRITE have developed multi-media resources such as an online guide to supporting deaf students, an Inclusive Building Design checklist and an interactive guide for students with dyslexia. Although these have been developed with funding from Scottish Funding Council, none of the content is geography-specific and all of the content is available to support colleagues working with post-school learners in FE/HE. For further information please visit http://www.brite.ac.uk/resources.htm. Please note that BRITE materials are available in a variety of alternate formats. Training and Consultancy Training resources, such as standard courses or bespoke courses for staff: The training designed and developed by BRITE Initiative has recently been validated by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) as a Professional Development Award (PDA) entitled: Inclusiveness: Facilitating Strategies to Support Learners with Additional Needs. For further information, contact SQA: www.sqa.org.uk or BRITE: [email protected] BRITE also offers an annual programme of seminars on a wide range of inclusion and assistive © TechDis 2007

Page 11

technology topics. The seminar programme can be viewed by visiting the BRITE website. The Autumn/Winter 07/08 programme will be available from mid-August 2007. BRITE offers bespoke training in response to requests from other post-school educators and learning providers. Recent contracts include work with the Scottish Disability Team, Equality Forward, the University of Oslo and the Department for Education and Learning in Northern Ireland (DELNI). Requests for further information can be lodged via emailing; [email protected] or on the BRITE website, www.brite.ac.uk where you will also find FAQs and general information.

LSN: Learning and Skills Network About LSN The Learning and Skills Network (LSN) is an independent not-for-profit organisation committed to making a difference to learning and skills. LSN aims to do this by delivering quality improvement and staff development programmes that support specific government initiatives, through research, training and consultancy; and by supplying services directly to schools, colleges and training organisations. Resources available: Generic advice and guidance

 A list of all LSN’s publications can be found at http://www.lsneducation.org.uk/pubs/pages/index.aspx.

 ‘The journey towards disability equality toolkit’ briefing is available from http://www.lsneducation.org.uk/pubs/pages/062483.aspx.

 Briefing for providers: The new Duty to Promote Disability Equality; Duty to promote disability equality: final report can be found at http://www.lsneducation.org.uk/dda/disabilityequality/seminar0206.aspx.

Resources Available: Assessment of Need ‘Do you have a disability - yes or no? or is there a better way of asking?' Hard copies and downloads are available from: http://www.lsneducation.org.uk/pubs/pages/052243.aspx. Training and Consultancy LSN Consultancy Page: http://www.lsneducation.org.uk/consultancy/. For more information on LSN, or any of our programmes of resources, please telephone the Information and Customer Centre on 0845 071 0800 or e-mail: [email protected]. Please contact either Sally Faraday (Research Manager & DDA lead) on 020 7297 9098 [email protected] or Chris Barlow (Development Advisor) on 020 7297 9059 [email protected].

RNID: Royal National Institute of the Deaf About RNID RNID is the largest charity working to change the world for the UK’s 9 million deaf and hard of hearing people. The RNID provides hearing support equipment to the education sector. They offer advice, surveys, supply, installation and maintenance of induction loop and infrared systems, FM radio microphone systems (radio aids) and Soundfield sound reinforcement systems. © TechDis 2007

Page 12

Resources available A range of factsheets on various subjects including equipment and communications, and issues relating to FE/HE can be found at http://www.rnid.org.uk/information_resources/ factsheets/education/factsheets_leaflets/. These factsheets have information on issues such as: DDA for learners in FE/HE institutions, DDA for service providers, teaching strategies and 'How inclusive are you?,' Disabled Students Allowance and the DED for public authorities Training and Consultancy RNID have courses on British Sign language available along with a ‘Start to sign’ BSL introduction, deaf awareness training and deaf and disability awareness training. Email the information line on [email protected] to get more details about these courses. The RNID can tailor their courses for bespoke packages. ICT and usability consultancy can help you follow current industry best practice. Bespoke consultancy is available to enable colleges to support learners with deafness and hearing loss, and help colleges work towards the RNID’s ‘Louder than Words’ chartermark. To contact the RNID regarding the resources, training and consultancy available please telephone 0808 808 0123 (freephone) or textphone 0808 808 9000 (freephone) fax 020 7296 8199 or email [email protected].

SKILL: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities About SKILL: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities Skill: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities is an independent charity that promotes opportunities for people with any kind of disability in learning and employment. Since 1974 SKILL have been helping young people and adults with any kind of disability. SKILL believes that for many disabled people education is the key to leading a fulfilling and independent life. Resources available SKILL provides many resources about regarding education available from: http://www.skill.org.uk/info/infosheets.asp#fe. Resources covering topics specific Further education include:

 Applying to Further Education.  Guidance for Disabled People.

 Funding for Disabled Students in Further Education. Training and Consultancy SKILL Provides standard training, bespoke training and consultancy for staff.

To find out more information about what SKILL can provide for you please contact SKILL via:  SKILL WALES - Telephone: 02920 786506. Email: [email protected]

 SKILL ENGLAND - Telephone/ Minicom: 020 7450 0620. Fax: 020 7450 0650 Email: [email protected].

 SKILL NORTHERN IRELAND - Telephone/ Minicom: 028 9028 7000 Fax: 028 9028 7002 Email: [email protected]

 SKILL SCOTLAND - Telephone/ Minicom: 0131 475 2348. Fax: 0131 475 2397. Email: [email protected]

© TechDis 2007

Page 13

RNIB: Royal National Institute of the Blind About RNIB The RNIB works with partners throughout all areas of post-compulsory education and training to address three key priorities as below:  To empower and support blind and partially sighted people in accessing learning by providing information, advice and advocacy.

 To contribute to the development of the infrastructure necessary to facilitate high quality inclusive learning; by providing training, consultancy and partnership in direct service delivery.  To contribute to the expansion and rationalisation of specialist provision for blind and partially sighted adults with severe or profound and complex learning difficulties; through training, consultancy and the expansion of holistic models of provision in partnership with others.

Resources Available

 Guide to RNIB Services - www.rnib.org.uk, hard copy and online version available.

 Student Factsheet: Learning and Technology Needs Assessments, available in hard copy and information can also be found on the student website www.rnib.org.uk/student.  Student Factsheet: Examinations and Assessment, Libraries and information services, and information online at these websites; www.rnib.org.uk/student and www.rnib.org.uk/pcet.

Training and Consultancy All topics above are covered by courses and conferences run by RNIB PCET and Employment staff in Regional Centres. For further information please contact [email protected] National PCET Team Administrator who will forward your query onto the appropriate person to reply. Also available is a wide range of short one day courses covering a range of topics including Visual Awareness, Enabling Technology, Adapting Learning Materials, Education and Career Planning, Access to Examinations and Qualifications, Access Technology and Accessible Materials, Supporting Mobility Issues for learners in FE and HE and many more. Contact the RNIB for further details. The RNIB also have a one year Post Graduate Course in partnership with University of Birmingham - Visual Impairment in Further Education Level Three Course Post 16 Partners in Learning (for Learning Support Workers). Consultation available on a wide range of issues relating to blind and partially sighted learners and providers / organisations. Please contact your Regional RNIB office or Karen Edwards as above for further details. The contact details for the RNIB head office are: Tel: 020 7388 1266; Fax: 020 7388 2034 and Email: [email protected].

© TechDis 2007

Page 14

JISC TechDis About JISC TechDis TechDis is the JISC service supporting accessibility and inclusion in the post 16 sector through the effective use of technology. TechDis provides advice on policy and practice, both directly to practitioners and indirectly through partner organisations. Resources Available The TechDis website is a rich source of information including many staff development resources (for example, the TechDis Staff Packs, the TechDis Accessibility Essentials series), briefings for senior managers, case studies, articles and some excellent hosted resources such as the SimDis simulation software found at; www.techdis.ac.uk/simdis and the WatchWords Deaf Awareness resources by Sussex Downs College found at; www.techdis.ac.uk/watchwords.  TechDis Staff Packs - www.techdis.ac.uk/staffpacks.

 TechDis Accessibility Essentials Series - www.techdis.ac.uk/accessibilityessentials.  TechDis Senior Management Briefing Series - www.techdis.ac.uk/getbriefings. Training and Consultancy TechDis does not provide staff training or consultancy for individual institutions but the helpdesk [email protected] provides an email based service for queries from institutions and can signpost sources of more detailed help and guidance where required. TechDis is also a regular contributor to national and regional conferences and training events. See your local JISC Regional Support Centre for further information www.jisc.ac.uk/rsc.

© TechDis 2007

Page 15