How to evolve accessibility at your University and FE institution
Submitted by Guest Blogger on Thu, 13/05/2021 - 12:54
Guest blog by Alistair McNaught of McNaught Consultancy*
This is the final blog in a four-part series (see part 1, part 2 and part 3) exploring accessibility maturity in educational settings. We suggest you read the first three blogs to fully benefit from this post.
Lenses 3, 4 and 5 – Model of disability, Focus of effort, Skills and expertise
In the previous post we explored the issue of responsibility and the irony that the responsibility for institution-wide accessibility is usually delegated down to people who have neither the authority nor the budget to make the changes necessary. In this post we explore 3 lenses together.
There are three reasons for exploring them together:
They are interdependent - beliefs influence our behaviours but our practices also depend on us having the right skill sets.
When piloting the accessibility maturity model, these 3 were the lowest scoring lenses for all participants. They are therefore the areas where biggest improvements are possible.
February got busier than I expected so writing them up together saves time.
Unpacking the lenses – model of disability
When we explore accessibility maturity with organisations, they are often rightly proud of their disability support colleagues and their commitment to students. They are surprised to find that excellent disability support does not give a high score for accessibility maturity. This isn’t a reflection on the team or their value.
It simply reflects the fact that supporting students to get over the barriers they encounter does nothing to change the barriers or the institutional practices that create them. Look at the disability support pages of your organisation and ask some questions about the model of disability.
In the maturity model we unpick an organisation’s approach to disability using questions that probe whether disabled students and the technologies that support them exist in a “medicalised” bubble or whether they blend and blur into generic advice and guidance that would benefit everyone.
Questions like:
Does guidance for disabled students references a range of digital skills?
Is there join up between study skills, library and disability support / AT information?
Are mainstream technology tools such as lecture capture, VLE, library platforms et cetera available and signposted for their accessibility benefits?
In many organisations you only get to know about assistive technologies if you declare a disability. That is a medicalised model and doesn’t rank highly on the maturity scale. For many students, having accessible systems and resources - and knowing how to exploit them - might mean they were no longer disabled.
Focus of effort
If your focus of effort is to build upon the social model to reduce the barriers in the teaching and learning environment, you are on the road to accessibility maturity.
However, many organisations are still focused on compliance as a “task and finish” project rather than culture change and quality improvement. The kind of questions that elicit a mature focus of effort are those that show commitment to long-term improvements. These include:
Is there evidence that accessibility informs choice and/or purchase of digital tools and services?
Is there evidence of comparable achievement for disabled and non-disabled students?
Has there been any mapping of “learning journey accessibility” for disabled staff and students?
Is accessibility part of job descriptions for roles involving digital communication with students?
The “Focus of effort” can be considered mature when it’s based around understanding institution-wide barriers and tackling them at source. But this requires a commitment to raising awareness and upskilling staff.
Are you looking for accessibility training courses aimed at higher and further education professionals?
This is where the next lens becomes important. What is the focus of training? Who gets it? How important is it considered?
In this lens, the questions revolve around the following themes:
Is guidance available? In what form? Who knows about it and how easy is it to access?
Is it generic or specific to the different needs and influences of different roles? The latter is more mature than the former.
Is training an optional extra for the enthusiasts or a mandatory requirement to ensure staff are equipped to change their digital practices?
Is “go to” expertise available in-house to troubleshoot issues – or do trickier problems simply get ignored?
Do the learners themselves have clarity about the accessibility levels they should be able to expect? If they do, they not only benefit personally but can also play their role as informal quality assurance support.
In our pilot group, these 3 lenses were uniformly low – none scoring above Bronze. Much of the issue is still to do with mindset. A mindset that sees accessibility as a niche concern, supporting a “minority of learners with a deficit in their abilities” is never going to be mature. Maturity is when you realise that:
The deficit is not the in the learner but in the organisation’s ability to exploit digital technologies in ways that increase their value for everyone.
The problem isn’t solved by teaching everyone about 50 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
The problem is solved when everyone whose role involves creating digital content or communications knows how to do it properly and why it matters. The skills needed will be specific to the tasks they do and the technologies they use.
Deliver training to frontline staff
In total, these three lenses - Model of disability, Focus of effort, Skills and expertise – cover 30 different statements, using evidence from different parts of the organisation to tease out the digital maturity of the organisation.
With thousands of staff in a large institution, the need for skills and training is a challenge but an excellent starting point is with the front line delivery staff who teach students. Creating learning experiences and teaching resources is an excellent place to begin. It’s worth noting that a course level maturity model has also been developed for this group of staff – a model based on the principles of universal design for learning and mapped across to existing elearning frameworks.
In May and June I’ll be working with colleagues at AbilityNet to run a couple of training sessions:
The courses focus on giving consistent student experiences at course and module level. They offer a good way to consider accessible practice in a focused, relevant way that makes sense to front line delivery.
Do you need to train your staff in digital accessibility dos and don'ts? AbilityNet has two HE and FE customisable, cost-effective online eLearning modules.
Consider how our findings might help your organisation to become more “accessibility mature”. How would you respond to those sample statements? Who is championing cross-institution digital accessibility? Do they have the clout to make changes?
AbilityNet provides a range of free services to help disabled people and older people. If you can afford it, please donate to help us support older and disabled people through technology
He continued: "...because if the frameworks are accessible, they include accessible documentation, they include accessible examples, and the developers that take up the project will do a better job with accessibility which can affect millions of users downstream."
Facebook takes the #GAADPledge
Joe was discussing the #GAADPledge on the webinar alongside his GAAD co-founding partner Jennison Asuncion, Head of Accessibility Engineering Evangelism at LinkedIn. The pledge is a commitment made by organisations and developers to make accessibility a core value of their digital products.
Facebook became one of the first organisations to take the #GAADPledge.
Coming up on 20th May and now in its tenth year, GAAD aims to encourage thinking and learning about digital access and inclusion, and the more than one billion people with disabilities/impairments.
On the webinar, Jennison shared his thoughts about GAAD's significance as a day for promoting accessibility.
"What is neat about this, is that people use the GAAD platform as a reason or an excuse to raise accessibility for the first time in companies or to launch a product or to start a campaign, or to end something, or to make an announcement," Jennison said. "We are fine with all of that, as long as it involves digital access or inclusion."
Seeking to learn more about digital accessibility? AbilityNet has a range of accessibility training courses available online.
Jennison also noted his thoughts about how GAAD can develop further: "We have to do more on the mobile side of things to ensure that the mobile app developers are doing exactly what the web folks have been doing for the last ten years."
Webinar attendees posed their questions to Jennison and Joe during the session. One attendee asked: "Do you have suggestions for getting companies to keep their apps accessible as they update so often? Many apps are broken with updates."
Joe Devon responded: "It all comes down to the organisation having accessibility as a core value of the company. If they do, everyone doing updates will pay attention to accessibility and most importantly, have accessibility testing as part of their quality assurance process before going live with an update."
Each session in the Accessibility Insights series is hosted by AbilityNet's Head of Digital Inclusion, Robin Christopherson. He asks the guest to pose a question to the next guest in the series, so each session follows on from the previous episode.
Our guest for June's session is Larry Goldberg (pictured, below), Senior Director and Head of Accessibility of Verizon Media.
"I want to shower the praise on to Larry for all he has done in accessibility and for being such an approachable leader… he has so much energy... he is doing so many great things over at Verizon and I wanted to take the opportunity to acknowledge and to thank him for his keen enthusiasm," said Jennison.
Joe and Jennison's question for next month's webinar: "What are your thoughts on auto captioning technology and in particular, the habit of sensoring out content like swear words?"
Find out Larry's answer by attending the webinar on 8 June. Registration now open:
AbilityNet provides a range of free services to help disabled people and older people. If you can afford it, please donate to help us support older and disabled people through technology
The two aims of the campaign are the encourage people to connect with nature in new ways and to convince decision-makers that access to and quality of nature is a mental health and social justice issue, as well as an environmental one.
The theme is a fitting one given many of us have found solace in nature during lockdowns.
The Mental Health Foundation's Chief Executive, Mark Rowland, talks about the reason for the theme including hearing a story of an elderly person who had lost all in-person contact following a fall.
Research from the foundation found that 45% reported being in a green space was vital for our mental health. Visits to websites hosting webcams with footage of wildlife increased by over 2000%.
The Foundation is asking people to take time this week to share their experiences of nature; take a photo, a video, or record an audio clip and share these with others using the hashtags; #ConnectWithNature #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek.
Making technology accessible to all
When sharing these experiences online, it's vital to ensure they're accessible to everyone. There are some simple things you can do to ensure that your shared experiences are accessible.
1. Use Alt Text for images
When sharing photographs use Alt Text to describe the image. These are captions that describe the image you've uploaded. Screen readers will read out this Alt Text to people with visual impairments.
2. Accessible social media
Social media is a great platform for sharing experiences including those from the natural world. Find out more about How to do accessible social media in our FREE webinar recording. The web page includes Q&As from the session.
We have helped deploy tablets and technology into the community including supporting disadvantaged children from the BAME community, and have helped deliver mental health support remotely.
We've supported more people than ever in 2020, and as our impact report shows technology has helped reduce social isolation, improve confidence and more.
This FREE app from Google uses your camera to help identify what you're looking at. The app uses artificial intelligence to identify text and objects from your camera's phone.
While not specifically designed for identifying plants and animals it can do just that and so is a great way to get to know the natural world better. It’ll work with the live view as well as with any pictures you've taken.
This app looks complicated when you open it, but it's great fun. Essentially, if you hear a bird and wonder what it is, you hit record, then select the section of the recording you want to be analysed and the app will attempt to analyse it (it'll also tell you how confident it is with its answer). As you use the app, you’ll see how the birdsong appears as a pattern, so picking the bit to analyse becomes easier.
This app won’t help with identification, but if you already know your stuff, it enables you to get involved with the logging of species across the UK. It's a great way to share your knowledge with others.
Creepie crawlies...
There are some apps for identifying insects, but unfortunately, most are subscription apps or have hefty in-app purchases. Picture Insect is one (£20 per year), but unless you’re a budding entomologist Google lens is a better (free) starting point.
Oh, and as lockdowns lift and you explore further, don’t get lost!
Where you are in the world, doesn’t always have an address and telling someone “I’m in the middle of a wood!” isn’t helpful. Winner of the AbilityNet Tech4Good BT Ingenious Award 2015, what3words is a simple, ingenius, idea for locating where you are.
It divides the planet into 3m squares and assigns 3 words to each of those squares so whether you’re standing in the middle of Trafalgar Square (verge.mutual.firmly) or at the top of Scafell Pike (attends.untrained.booklet) you’ll be able to let someone know exactly where you are!
Support for Mental Health Issues
If you feel you are struggling, you can talk to your GP or contact the NHS for help (999 or go to A&E in an emergency, 111 for less urgent help) there are also a number of charities where you can talk to someone:
C.A.L.M. – Campaign Against Living Miserably – for men
Submitted by Sophie Stevens on Mon, 10/05/2021 - 14:25
"We're living in a digital-first world in so many aspects of our lives. People with disabilities or impairments often rely on them more than most. Key activities such as shopping and banking need to be inclusive or people will not only be left behind but potentially even left without food or money to buy it," - AbilityNet's Head of Digital Accessibility Robin Christopherson highlights one of the key considerations for accessibility in a digital age, in advance of his upcoming talk as part of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD).
Celebrating 10 years of GAAD
GAAD was founded to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital accessibility and inclusion for people with different health conditions and impairments. Ten years on from the first GAAD, Robin will be presenting at Texthelp's free Festival of Accessibility on 20th May.
In his session, titled, 'Accessibility, Usability, and Inclusion - what’s the difference?' Robin will delve into digital accessibility further and explore topics including:
What an online experience that’s ‘Accessible, usable and inclusive’ looks like
How organisations can build all three into their digital platforms
Advice on overcoming common barriers to inclusion
Robin will also be part of a panel session where he will discuss the future of accessibility. The sessions will air from 10.15am to 10.45am and at 3.35pm to 4.30pm BST.
Another expert from AbilityNet, Accessibility and Usability Consultant Zenab Khan, will be speaking on the TextHelp session: Accessibility law and how to check your website for the top 5 WCAG errors, from 1.15pm to 2.10pm.
GAAD co-founders share their experiences
Robin recently spoke with the co-founders of GAAD, Jennison Asuncion and Joe Devon in AbilityNet's Accessibility Insights webinar, where they had an insightful discussion around the rise of hybrid events. Watch the webinar playback to find out more about GAAD directly from its co-founders.
Need help with making your products and services accessible? AbilityNet can help. We offer a variety of products and services including expert consultancy, accessibility auditing, diverse user testing, bespoke training and off-the-shelf tools and resources.
Submitted by Sarah Botterill on Sat, 08/05/2021 - 18:04
National Volunteers' Week is 1 - 7 June 2021. We'd like to take the opportunity to say a huge "thank you" to the volunteers without who we couldn't provide support to thousands of older and disabled people every year.
Here, Sarah Brain who manages our volunteers shares a letter thanking them.
These 300+ volunteers make a difference to all of us at AbilityNet and, more importantly, impact the lives of thousands of individuals each year.
I am writing this letter to you to celebrate Volunteer's Week 2021, to say a heartfelt “thank you” to every single person who volunteers for AbilityNet.
We have over 300 volunteers who provide support with technology to older and disabled people to help them use technology.
This service is FREE as part of our charitable or public benefit work and without you, we couldn’t do it.
During a time of Covid-19, you helped 3,541 individuals, delivering over 11,700 hours of free technology support.
This included people with mobility, hearing and speech, vision and colour, learning and memory impairments. It also included people with neurodiverse needs.
I know what you do is not only about technology. It empowers people to live better lives or as a volunteer said recently “I help people keep being ‘me’”.
Your help means that the people we support feel more confident using technology, and to manage their daily lives better. Just one example is a client who said:
“Dave my local volunteer was an invaluable help. [I am] feeling a lot more confident now knowing that AbilityNet can lend support. Thank you so much.”
Our clients also feel less stressed and less isolated, more independent and better able to participate in new activities.
These statistics capture some of the story but not the passion that you all bring every day. It’s a pleasure to work alongside all of you.
BT at cost broadband for people on Universal Credit
Submitted by Sarah Botterill on Wed, 05/05/2021 - 17:23
People receiving Universal Credit can get cheaper access to fibre broadband from June through BT’s Home Essentials broadband service.
The service will be available exclusively to people on Universal Credit and other means-tested benefits.
Those who are eligible for Home Essentials will be able to access broadband with download speeds of 36Mbps and 700 minutes of calls for £15 per month, which BT claims are a saving of up to £240 per year.
Who might benefit from means-tested broadband?
According to government statistics, over 6 million people claim universal credit as of January 2021, a significant increase of 98% since March 2020.
Disabled people are less likely to be in work than non-disabled people and so more likely to be eligible for BT Essentials. Disabled people are more than twice as likely to be unemployed as non-disabled people, according to Scope.
Scope research also reveals the cost of living for disabled people is on average £583 a month more if you're disabled.
Over half of disabled people aged 16 to 64 years (52.1%) in the UK were in employment compared with around 8 in 10 (81.3%) for non-disabled people (July - Sept 2020); disabled people with autism were among those disabled people with the lowest employment rate, according to the Office of National Statistics.
BT research claims that broadband access is important to the financial well-being of Brits. Three quarters (74%) of Brits would not find it easy to improve their financial situation without connectivity. The majority (79%) of financially vulnerable people rely on broadband connectivity to manage household finances.
Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s Consumer division, said, “Fast, reliable connectivity has never been as important as it is today, with millions of people relying upon our networks to get back on their feet after the pandemic.”
During the pandemic, broadband access has also been vital to keeping people in touch.
Many initiatives during and prompted by Covid-19 have focussed on supplying tech equipment to people in need. One notable example is the DCMS scheme designed to assist people with Learning Disabilities.
We’ve also helped support a free tablet roll-out for people with mental health issues in partnership with the NHS and Tech4Good winner Jangala to provide low-cost connectivity.
Submitted by Robin Christopherson on Tue, 04/05/2021 - 14:37
Version 1.0 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) launched on May 6, 1999. We review how they've impacted digital accessibility and why?
W3C publishes the WCAG - one of the reasons they've become the de facto world standards for all things web (and soon mobile) and why they've proved to be such a game-changer terms of accessibility.
The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) part of W3C maintains WCAG.
Why is it essential to have accessibility standards
Clearly defined guidelines, published and updated by the W3C and incorporated into local legislation worldwide, means that digital developers and designers know how to ensure the accessibility of their products, and we can hold them to account when they fall short.
As the Abstract for version 1.0 of WCAG reads: “These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with disabilities. The guidelines are intended for all web content developers… The primary goal of these guidelines is to promote accessibility. However, following them will also make Web content more available to all users.”
Accessibility goes to the heart of the web’s raison d’être in that “The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect,” as Tim Berners Lee famously said.
That means everyone, regardless of ability - including visually impaired people like myself - can access the content on the worldwide web.
What is the role of WCAG in driving web accessibility?
The first version of the guidelines outlined the types of challenges people using your website might experience, including:
They may not be able to see, hear, move, or may not be able to process some types of information easily or at all.
They may have difficulty reading or comprehending text.
They may not have or be able to use a keyboard or mouse.
They may have a text-only screen, a small screen, or a slow Internet connection.
They may not speak or understand fluently the language in which the document is written.
Guidance addressing these needs was divided into prioritised criteria, with related checkpoints organised around specific priority areas.
Notably, WCAG 1.0 set out a requirement for non-text elements such as images to have "a text equivalent" via alt or long description, essentially alt text. Therefore when I'm accessing something with a screen reader, it can read out the description.
Other priorities included making sure information conveyed through colour could also be understood without it.
WCAG 2.0 continued its focus on making web content accessible to people with visual impairments. There was a specific focus on screen reader compatibility.
Fast forward a few years, and screen readers have morphed from separate assistive technology to being part and parcel of the devices we all use today. Apple's iOS, for example, includes VoiceOver, which can read to me what's displayed on the screen.
But the content only works if the people who’ve designed it adhere to the guidelines.
Too often, I'm confronted by "unlabelled” buttons or other controls that, with the help of a sighted person, reveal themselves to be vital components such as the checkout basket or selector to choose your preferred method of payment.
Poorly designed websites of apps make simple tasks laborious.
I can be scrolling through multiple shopping slots within supermarket apps one at a time only to discover that they’re all fully booked, for instance.
The guidelines are constantly evolving to accommodate those with diverse needs. Due this summer, WCAG 2.2, for example, gives a new focus to neurodiversity.
Those with neurodiverse needs include people with ADHD, Autism, Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, and Tourette's syndrome.
WCAG 2.2 requires that help options appear consistently across pages on a website, for example, so it's easy for everyone to find. It also says that forms that are collecting the same information, such as name, must auto-populate.
You can set up browsers to store information today, but requiring websites to do it will reduce the cognitive load for us all, including people with neurodiverse needs.
I’m surprised it isn’t happening already.
What to expect from WCAG 3.0
Looking further ahead to WCAG 3.0, this will again expand to address a broader range of user's needs.
There’ll be a more comprehensive approach to mobile accessibility and a new emphasis on emerging assistive technology such as virtual and augmented reality.
Notably, there'll be a more diverse approach to testing, with less emphasis on true/false statements or a 'yes or no approach to accessibility. It's a positive step that could help dispel the myth that your website is either accessible or not.
Broaden accessibility responsibility beyond learning teams
Submitted by Guest Blogger on Tue, 04/05/2021 - 14:18
Guest blog by Alistair McNaught of McNaught Consultancy*
This is the third in a series of four blog posts (see part 1 and part 2) exploring accessibility maturity in educational settings. We suggest you read the first two blogs to fully benefit from this post.
Policies, strategies and practices that are enacted in order to meet minimum legal requirements cannot be considered maturity, only compliance.
Lens 2 - Responsibility
In the previous post in this series, we made the assertion that culture is made visible through practice. When it comes to the second lens of the maturity model – responsibility – this is especially noticeable.
For too long the responsibility has lain with the wrong people - disability support teams. It's not that they aren't good at their job. It's just that their expertise is different.
They are good at helping disabled learners climb over barriers. They're not the ones who can be designing barrier-free experiences in the first place.
Are you looking for accessibility training courses aimed at higher and further education professionals?
The importance of freeing learning support teams from overall responsibility for disabled students has been recognised for a long time. In 2007 the TechDis Senior Manager briefings included a self-assessment resource for those responsible for the external website, admissions, induction, independent learning, learning resources, career progression and guidance and assessment. That was 14 years ago.
Two years later followed the TechDis publication “12 steps towards Embedding Inclusive Practice with Technology as a Whole Institution Culture in UK Higher Education”. Step 1 was this:
“Deputy / Pro Vice Chancellor (Academic / Learning and Teaching) formulates and leads the inclusive practice action team.”
Low and mid-level accessibility maturity
An organisation with a low level of accessibility maturity is characterised by the absence of joined up thinking. Accessibility is owned by the passion of a few rather than the professionalism of the many. It is likely to be a marginal activity delegated down to people with limited authority to make necessary changes. Organisations that were just meeting the basics or below may be characterised by the following:
A cross-institution steering group that meets infrequently and has little visibility in terms of change practice.
Technical expertise in accessibility is limited, for example to the web team. Many teaching staff wouldn’t know if the documents they uploaded were accessible or not.
Outside of the disability team of the web team, few people will have much awareness of digital accessibility or know how it impacts on their roles.
As organisations become more mature, the sense of ownership and responsibility begins to extend. For example:
Teaching staff may be made aware of basic accessibility templates for document creation or course design.
The steering group may meet more often or have a more visible influence on changed practices.
Accessibility testing may baked into the design and sign-off for new digital projects or developments.
"For too long the responsibility has lain with the wrong people - disability support teams. It's not that they aren't good at their job. It's just that their expertise is different." - Alistair McNaught
Higher accessibility maturity levels
At the upper levels of maturity, the confidence and competence of a wide body of staff will mean the organisation moves beyond micromanagement of accessibility. Accessibility may be mandatory but a wide range of templates will be available. Even better, many staff will have enough understanding to create their own accessible content and courses without needing a template. At this level, the following lines of evidence will be available:
A senior sponsor will be responsible for digital accessibility across the organisation.
Any cross-organisation steering group will be hosted by senior staff, meeting regularly and evidencing positive outcomes.
Digital accessibility will be a standing item in self-assessment reviews or quality assurance processes, and appropriate training will be in place to make this meaningful (see the later lens in the final blog coming soon in the series, on skills and expertise!).
Students will be actively involved in accessibility developments.
Conclusion
In total, the “Responsibility” lens covers 13 different statements, using evidence from different parts of the organisation to tease out whether digital accessibility is owned or delegated and driven by passion or professionalism.
A real sign of maturity is when everyone within the organisation recognises digital accessibility as simply good practice - and inaccessible content as simply unprofessional practice to be noted and improved.
Some key observations from the pilot with 18 institutions included:
A number of organisations felt they were being led from the bottom or middle without the authority to influence the practice of other people.
The accessibility maturity of the organisation can depend on specific individuals. It is not unusual for specific teams (for example, the library or web team) to have a very real sense of responsibility, but other teams in the organisation have none at all. Equally, it is not unusual for the disability support team to be over-burdened with a sense of responsibility for the practices of others over whom they have little influence and less knowledge.
A real sign of maturity is when everyone within the organisation recognises digital accessibility as simply good practice - and inaccessible content as simply unprofessional practice to be noted and improved.
About this blog series
The final post in this four-part blog series will be published soon. See part 1 and part 2 in the series.
Do you need to train your staff in digital accessibility dos and don'ts? AbilityNet has two HE and FE customisable, cost-effective online eLearning modules.
Consider how our findings might help your organisation to become more “accessibility mature”. How would you respond to those sample statements? Who is championing cross-institution digital accessibility? Do they have the clout to make changes?
AbilityNet provides a range of free services to help disabled people and older people. If you can afford it, please donate to help us support older and disabled people through technology
How to prepare for June's mobile apps accessibility regulations deadline
Submitted by Annie Mannion on Wed, 28/04/2021 - 15:34
"Great informative and practical session, useful to have insight from colleagues at other unis - sharing tips, caveats and approaches from strategic and practical stance. Thank you."
During the webinar, senior accessibility consultant at AbilityNet, Alice Taylor, spoke with Amy Low, Service Delivery Director at AbilityNet (both pictured above, with Annie Mannion of AbilityNet, and Claire Gardener of University of Derby) to share guidance about mobile applications.
Alice and Amy's advice:
If you have in-house developed apps, make sure they are checked for accessibility
Most public sector organisations are more likely to use 3rd party apps. Speak to suppliers ASAP and publish a statement by 23rd June 2021.
Amy also posed questions about mobile applications to Alice, including:
What is the difference between web app, mobile web app, desktop and native mobile apps?
Mobile and desktop apps: "These are generally referred to as 'web apps' and these are built with the traditional web techniques such as HTML, and Javascript. Generally they'll respond to screen size so you might see it on desktop and see it on your mobile, but it would have a different layout," said Alice.
Native apps: "These are built for a platform, so I think iOS, Android and built with technologies such as Swift. These, crucially, are different platforms so you may have an app that is on both of these platforms so it can be accessed on iOS and Android and it may look the same, but they are different, so they may have been built completely differently," Alice continued.
"So from a testing perspective you would want to look at both of them. Native apps can be downloaded from the app store while, if you have a web app, this is something that can be accessed on the internet on your browser," said Alice, also noting that as native apps are downloaded onto your device, some of its content would be available offline.
Training for university staff on accessibility fundamentals
Claire Gardener, Senior Learning Technologist and lead contact for Digital Accessibility at University of Derby, also shared in the webinar how her university has developed its accessibility programme.
"This really resonated with our staff who have gone through the course," said Claire. "To give them an understanding on how individuals are personally affected it is very emotive and I think it provides a really powerful imperative to change... people have said this was a really great training session," Claire continued.
Productivity boost for people with Learning Disabilities: Digital Lifeline
Submitted by Sarah Botterill on Wed, 28/04/2021 - 11:33
AbilityNet is proud to be supporting Jennyruth workshops in its work, boosting confidence for people with learning disabilities by providing support with technology.
People involved through Jennyruth make and sell everything from coasters to wooden bird boxes.
AbilityNet supports the non-profit organisation through our involvement in Digital Lifeline, a government scheme providing people with learning disabilities access to tablets and the internet.
“A lot of our adults don’t have internet access where they live. They don’t have any form of communication such as a tablet or a laptop,” said Anna Smith, publicity and media at Jennyruth workshops.
“Often, they don't have a support at home or someone who either feels confident in or knows anything about the technology,” she added.
Support from AbilityNet for people with learning disabilities
AbilityNet has provided assessments for 14 of the 15 people who have received tablets through their involvement with Jennyruth.
Useful recommendations included a more robust cover for people with learning disabilities and other peripherals, notably mice and keyboards.
“For one lady who has a loss of vision, we’ve managed to get one of the big yellow keyboards. She absolutely loves it and can see the keys,” says Anna.
Another popular adaptation has been Action Blocks, an app that enables the creation of shortcuts for popular tasks.
“It can take people to a Zoom session or a particular activity on the tablet,” says Anna. “For one lady, we have quick access to recipes. She looks at them and writes them down on a piece of paper,” she added.
Jennyruth is one of many organisations we’re supporting through Digital Lifeline.
How AbilityNet can Help
For support with devices, call our FREE Helpline on 0800 048 7642
This FREE app from Google uses your camera to help identify what you're looking at. The app uses artificial intelligence to identify text and objects from your camera's phone.
This app will help you visually identify your Goldcrest from your Firecrest, your House Sparrow from your Tree Sparrow.
This app looks complicated when you open it, but it's great fun. Essentially, if you hear a bird and wonder what it is, you hit record, then select the section of the recording you want to be analysed and the app will attempt to analyse it (it'll also tell you how confident it is with its answer). As you use the app, you’ll see how the birdsong appears as a pattern, so picking the bit to analyse becomes easier.
Curious about your conifers? Then this free app from the 
This app won’t help with identification, but if you already know your stuff, it enables you to get involved with the logging of species across the UK. It's a great way to share your knowledge with others.
Oh, and as lockdowns lift and you explore further, don’t get lost!
National Volunteers' Week is 1 - 7 June 2021. We'd like to take the opportunity to say a huge "thank you" to the volunteers without who we couldn't provide support to thousands of older and disabled people every year.
People receiving Universal Credit can get cheaper access to fibre broadband from June through BT’s Home Essentials broadband service. 
According to government statistics
Clearly defined guidelines, published and updated by the W3C and incorporated into local legislation worldwide, means that digital developers and designers know how to ensure the accessibility of their products, and we can hold them to account when they fall short. 
WCAG 2.0 continued its focus on making web content accessible to people with visual impairments. There was a specific focus on screen reader compatibility. 
AbilityNet is proud to be supporting Jennyruth workshops in its work, boosting confidence for people with learning disabilities by providing support with technology. 
AbilityNet has provided assessments for 14 of the 15 people who have received tablets through their involvement with Jennyruth.