Institutional change for improving accessibility in the design and delivery of distance learning – the role of faculty accessibility specialists at The Open University

Slater, Rachel; Pearson, Victoria; Warren, James and Forbes, Tina (2015). Institutional change for improving accessibility in the design and delivery of distance learning – the role of faculty accessibility specialists at The Open University. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-learning, 30(1) pp. 6–20.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2015.1013528

Abstract

The Open University (OU) has an established infrastructure for supporting disabled students. Historically, the thrust of this has focused on providing accessible adjustments post-production. In 2012, the OU implemented securing greater accessibility (SeGA) to raise awareness and bring about an institutional change to curriculum design so that the needs of all students, including disabled students, are taken into account from the outset of module design and production. A core component of SeGA is the introduction of faculty accessibility specialists (AS). This case study discusses the successes and challenges for AS in motivating and supporting production teams in the adoption of inclusive anticipatory practices to make new curriculum accessible. It also outlines the process of reasonable adjustment during presentation. It shows how collaborative working between AS has helped standardise design and production processes for accessibility, principles with wider relevance for supporting disabled students in other higher education