Broaden accessibility responsibility beyond learning teams

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.

A curved library corridor full of books

Further and higher education organisations in the UK (and, indeed, in Europe) have a legal obligation to meet the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations (PSBAR).

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?


Attend our HE and FE accessibility courses
 

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

Person sat at a desk drinking coffee

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.

* This is an edited version of Alistair's blog that can be found in full on LinkedIn.

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.

Want to learn more?

Further resources

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

"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." 

That's feedback from an attendee of our recent webinar, HE/Public Sector Update: How to promote digital accessibility at your institution.

4 women looking at screen on webinar call

Tips for meeting mobile applications accessibility requirements

Part of our focus in the webinar was to provide an update on the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations (PSBAR), in advance of its 22nd June mobile apps accessibility deadline.

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.

Mobile phone and laptop in use at desk

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.

Alice answered further questions about testing techniques for mobile and testing mobile apps. Watch the webinar playback below or access the transcript to find out more:

NEW! Accessibility training courses for HE and FE professionals:

How to grow your accessibility maturity and How to deliver and sustain accessible digital learning

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.

As a participant in AbilityNet’s Accessibility Maturity Evaluation pilot badging project, Claire and her team worked with AbilityNet to help shape the accessibility elearning module 'Accessibility and Me'.

"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.
 

Find out about eLearning modules >>
 

Further resources:

Productivity boost for people with Learning Disabilities: Digital Lifeline

Image shows a young person from JennyRut working on a tablet donated through Digital LifelineAbilityNet is proud to be supporting Jennyruth workshops in its work, boosting confidence for people with learning disabilities by providing support with technology. 

Jennyruth workshops support adults with learning disabilities to create and sell handcrafted products.

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

Image shows Action Blocks logo for Google Android and an example on a smartphone. Text reads "With one tap on your home screen, you can accomplish what you want to do."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

Library outreach helps adults with learning disabilities: Digital Lifeline

AbilityNet is working in partnership to ensure adults with Learning Disabilities get access to technology in the community. 

One project is with Penrith Library, which runs an outreach project that has accessed technology through the Digital Lifeline project spearheaded by the Department for Culture Media and Sport alongside charities including AbilityNet. 

“Pre-lockdown we had groups come into the library to access the books mainly and occasionally the computers with a support worker on a weekly basis.  We have also been involved with an art group for people with learning disabilities and mental health who have used our establishment as a base to come and be involved in an art project which then was displayed in the Library,” said Claire Dougherty, library outreach project manager at Penrith Library

Community support for Adults with learning disabilities

Image shows three people looking at a laptop with a wall of books in the backgroundAlongside other libraries within Cumbria, Penrith applied to Digital Lifeline to support adults with learning disabilities. “One of our libraries has been involved in a similar project in previous years and all the main libraries in each area decided it would be a good thing to be involved in especially regarding the situation with Covid,” said Claire.

“It’s a very rewarding project and helps people with learning disabilities access the internet who wouldn’t be able to or think that they can’t do it. It also provides resources for people who would not normally be able to afford it and additional resources which help with their disability.”

The main goals have been to help people use the internet, play games, contact GPs, and look up hobbies during the lockdown.

Support from AbilityNet for adults with learning disabilities

AbilityNet supports people who have received tablets through the scheme. “I have had lots of support from AbilityNet which has been invaluable,” said Claire. 

“Everyone had an assessment and when I explained it was a friendly discussion to support them and find out what else AbilityNet could provide the candidates to help them with the tablets, they all went for the assessment,” she added. 

“I have also had lots of discussions on the phone with Sian Hendy who I feel has supported me too. I am the only Library Project Officer based at Penrith and Sian has provided a lot of support for me sorting these out. Sian has always answered questions and supported me throughout and we have been able to move on to the next stage at a good steady pace.”

Nine tablets are with adults with learning disabilities.

How AbilityNet can Help

Meet the co-founders of GAAD

Thursday 20 May 2021 marks the tenth annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). The purpose of GAAD is to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital accessibility and inclusion for people with different health conditions and impairments.

One of the ways AbilityNet plans to mark GAAD is to chat with the two co-founders of the annual event: Jennison Asuncion, Head of Accessibility at LinkedIn, and Joe Devon, founding partner at Diamond, an inclusive digital agency.

The pair will be in conversation with AbilityNet’s Robin Christopherson MBE, our Head of Digital Inclusion, as the latest in our Accessibility Insights webinar series.

Profiles of Robin Christopherson, Jennison Asuncion and Joe Devon
  
The free Accessibility Insights with Jennison and Joe featured their experiences creating the global awareness event, and their thoughts on the future of inclusion and accessibility.  

About GAAD

GAAD began in 2012 and now takes place annually on the third Thursday of May. The idea for the event was started by a single blog post written by Joe Devon, a web developer at the time, tentatively suggesting the event and encouraging people to spread the word.

Jennison at TechShare Pro 2019

Watch a captioned interview with Jennison from AbilityNet's 2019 TechShare Pro conference:

Further resources:

 

Accessibility maturity in higher education

Guest blog by Alistair McNaught of McNaught Consultancy*

This is the second in a series of four blog posts (see part 1) exploring accessibility maturity in educational settings. We suggest you read the introductory blog first to fully benefit from this post.

Further and higher education organisations in the UK (and, indeed, in Europe) have a legal obligation to meet the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations (PSBAR).

Policies, strategies and practices that are enacted in order to meet minimum legal requirements cannot be considered maturity, only compliance.

AbilityNet/McNaught maturity model - Lens 2 - "Drivers"

In the AbilityNet/McNaught maturity model, there are a 8 different institutional lenses, each explored by a series of questions.

In this article we explore the “Drivers” lens. What is driving your change? The need to be compliant and tick off the boxes? Or a desire to be digitally inclusive, ensuring every student can be as confident, independent and productive as possible?

We explore the Drivers lens with a number of self-assessment statements on which participants measure their organisation's accessibility:

  • Top level accessibility statement for all sites.
  • Links to 3rd party site external statements.
  • Staff training in digital accessibility available.


Student standing in library between shelves of books

These are important, but they are low on the scale of maturity so in the maturity model they have low scores.

You would be foolish (and/or non-compliant) to ignore them, however. They demonstrate less of an institutional commitment to inclusive practice and more of a desire to “cover our back”.

A higher score in the model's 'Drivers lens' would be reflected in statements such as:

  • Automatic scanning conducted and regular (e.g. termly) review of results.
  • External accessibility review of sample pages to supplement internal testing and scanning.
  • Course level accessibility statements explain benefits of accessible content for student productivity.

Showing commitment to accessibility

Statements like these are designed to draw out commitment and purpose. For example, regular automated scanning of the digital estate illustrates a commitment to ongoing improvement. External reviews demonstrate integrity, a desire to learn and a recognition that automated processes are limited. Course level accessibility statements show that an organisation recognises that accessibility benefits all students and is the responsibility of all staff. This is a maturity shift.

The highest marks in this lens are reserved for statements that illustrate a commitment to a changed culture rather than a tick box compliance. This includes the following kinds of statements:

  • Blackboard A11Y, Sensus Access, Brickfield or other alternative formats/virtual learning environment (VLE) scanning tools are installed and promoted.
  • Staff training in digital accessibility is mandatory.
  • Disabled users (staff or students) involved in development of new sites or services.
  • Where such evidence is available, it strongly suggests an organisation is driven by a vision for excellence and inclusiveness rather than the need for compliance.

Results from the pilot

In a pilot project with 18 institutions, the average score for this lens was 35% with a range from 11% to 61%. These low scores can be interpreted in more than one way.

In some organisations, it was clear that the focus had been “getting over the line” in terms of the legislation. There had been little thought in making digital accessibility sustainable. But in other organisations, participants were uncertain about how to respond to the sample statements because it was outside their role or responsibility.

This highlights the importance of accessibility maturity being explored by different people within the organisation.

Some of the lower scores could also be explained because the pilot version of the model had scope only for yes/no answers. This made some participants answer “no” to statements where they were aware of partial but incomplete implementation.

Are you looking for accessibility training courses aimed at higher and further education professionals?


Register for HE and FE courses
 

How statements map maturity

In total, the “Driver” lens covers 14 different statements. They use a range of evidence from different parts of the organisation to tease out whether digital accessibility is being driven by a one-off response to the legislation or an ongoing commitment to inclusive professional practice.

Many of our pilot participants valued the way the statements used evidence to map maturity, for example:

  • “It's not a 'one-off' task - it's about culture and embedding practice. This is so helpful!”
  • “The activities and focal discussion points have provided a most useful lens for critical self-reflection at an organisational level.”

They also highlighted the importance of more than one person taking part in an accessibility maturity review:

  • “Definitely a collaborative process across teams to fill in.”
  • “It would be easier completed as a group exercise - partly because of lack of knowledge of certain areas and also to get a balanced view.”

Making ongoing improvements

One of the key outcomes from the pilot was the way we were able to adapt and improve the model, clarifying explanations, tweaking some of the statements and scores and, most importantly, moving beyond a yes/no scale to a more accurate No/don’t know; Somewhat agree; Largely agree: Agree.

This makes the scoring more accurate at institutional level and it also makes the badging process more nuanced by allowing a more granular range of scores.

About this blog series

The third post in this four-part blog series will be about 'The Lens of Responsibility - who are the Actors? Do they have sufficient authority?'.

* This is an edited version of Alistair's blog that can be found in full on LinkedIn.

Want to learn more?

Further resources

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

Is your public sector app prepared for the final deadline?

In August 2018, a new law was passed that means that public sector apps and websites will need to meet accessibility standards so that people who use assistive technology or have additional needs can easily access services and information. 

Nearing the final deadline

The Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations (PSBAR) did not require organisations to achieve full compliance all in one go. They published the following timeline within which websites, downloadable documents (such as PDFs) and mobile apps needed to comply with the new regulations:

  • 23rd September 2019: websites published or substantially revised after 23rd September 2018. 
  • 23rd September 2019: new content published on intranets.
  • 23rd September 2020: existing websites still in use for delivering services.
  • And by 22nd June 2021: mobile apps.

That’s right – all but the final deadline has passed and it’s now the turn of mobile apps to be made compliant by this June.

Man sitting at desk with laptop and looking at mobile phone

Are you included in this legislation?

The regulations are not completely clear about what constitutes “public sector,” but if you receive public funding then you are likely to be required to comply with these regulations.

Non-government organisations like charities (unless they provide services that are essential to the public or aimed at disabled people), schools or nurseries are exempt from the regulations - except for the content the public need to use their services, and public sector broadcasters and their subsidiaries.

The regulations are made up of 3 parts:

  1. Websites, apps and documents hosted on websites must comply with accessibility standards. There is a timeline (above) for when new and existing websites and mobile apps must comply.
  2. Public sector organisations must publish an accessibility statement on their websites and in their apps to inform visitors about their accessibility.
  3. The Government is required to monitor if public sector apps and websites are meeting these regulations by checking accessibility statements and the accessibility of a sample of apps and websites.

Accessibility standards

The regulations state that websites, apps and documents meet a European standard called EN 301 549, which covers all types of technology including documents, websites, mobile apps and software.

What are the exemptions?

Some content in your app may remain exempt, including:

  • Live audio and video and pre-recorded audio and video published before 23 September 2020.
  • Maps - although if the map helps users find a service, you must provide directions another way.
  • Third party content that isn’t under the organisation's control or hasn’t been purchased (e.g. social media ‘like’ buttons).

Find further details on the Government Digital Service website

Disproportionate burden

Organisations can exempt content or aspects of their apps from the regulations if they assess that this would cause a disproportionate burden to address the accessibility issue. This assessment must consider the benefits to disabled users of meeting the standards, the cost of meeting the standards and how the particular content or app element is used by disabled people. It should also consider your organisation’s size and resources.

This rationale (and how disabled visitors can acquire an accessible alternative) must be published in the accessibility statement.

Accessibility statements

Organisations are required to publish accessibility statements on their apps and websites explaining which parts of the content are not accessible, and, where appropriate, provide links to accessible alternatives.

It must also include contact information to raise any accessibility issues and details of the government’s process for escalating accessibility complaints to its monitoring and enforcement bodies.

What can I do next?

We have some great resources to get you started:

How do I teach staff about accessibility?

Are you seeking a cost-effective, straightforward way to provide accessibility guidance to your staff?

To help UK public sector organisations meet the requirements of the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations, AbilityNet has created two customisable online eLearning modules on digital accessibility, so you can train your staff in accessibility dos and don'ts. The courses are designed specifically for higher and further education institutions (HE and FE).

Module 1: Introduction to accessible teaching and learning course
Module 2: Accessibility and Me: Lived experience series of mini courses

 

Find out more about our eLearning modules
 

Module 1: Introduction to accessible teaching and learning course

A man and a woman looking at a laptopIn this training course staff are introduced to the importance of digital accessibility.

Participants learn what accessibility is, why it is important and how they can play their part in creating a learning environment where nobody is excluded. 

The course contains:

  • Introduction to assistive technologies, models of disability and impairment types​ 
  • Introduction to legislation​ 
  • Personal stories to articulate the ‘why’ of accessibility
  • Student case studies  
  • Introduction to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines​ 
  • Top tips on how to create accessible learning experiences​ 
  • Video demonstrations of  dos  and don’ts
  • Resources and tools that can help​ 
  • Tests to check learning
     
“The digital accessibility course really opened my eyes up to the importance of designing and creating content which can be used by everyone, regardless of what condition one might be experiencing. It taught me that removing as many barriers as possible proactively - rather than reactively - is what makes a great user experience for all”

- feedback about Module 1 from staff member at The University of Westminster. 
 



Module 2: Accessibility and Me: Lived experience series of mini courses

Module 2 is a collection of shorter, person-centred mini modules which introduce staff to accessibility requirements via stories from people with lived experiences.

The series of mini-courses contains:

  • Introduction – general overview and key considerations​ for delivering content online
  • Personal stories to articulate the ‘why’ of accessibility
  • Visual impairment​ 
  • Hearing Impairment​ 
  • Mental health concerns​ 
  • Physical Impairment​ 
  • Neurodivergence​ 
  • A summary of best practices
  • Video demonstrations of  dos  and don’ts
  • Tests to check learning

University feedback on the modules

Speaking on our recent HE/Public Sector Update webinar, Claire Gardener of the University of Derby explained how her university has been using the Accessibility and Me set of courses (Module 2).

"It is very emotive and I think it provides a really powerful imperative to change," said Claire on the webinar, about the Accessibility and Me module.

The university incorporated a survey to help them understand the impact of the training. "90% have agreed that the courses provide advice and guidance that is beneficial to their job....so it's having great impact on those that have used it," Claire continued.


“This was a really great training session. I am not very confident with technology but found that everything was explained so I could understand it.”

- feedback about Module 2 from staff member at The University of Derby. 
 

Further resources:

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 the BBC uses disability passports to support workplace inclusion

The BBC has recently developed Workplace Disability Passports to make it easier for staff to move from project to project, which if you work in production could be every few months. The passports let new managers know what adjustments an employee may need and how they can help.

This is one of the discussion points from our recent Accessibility Insights webinar with guest interviewee, Emma Pratt Richens, Accessibility Specialist at the BBC.

She spoke with AbilityNet's Head of Digital Inclusion, Robin Christopherson MBE as part of our Accessibility Insights webinars series.

Annie Mannion, Robin Christopherson and Emma Pratt Richens speaking to camera during webinar recording - screenshot

Webinar highlights

Emma also discussed the BBC's good practices around working from home during the pandemic, particularly for meeting the needs of people with disabilities on the team.

"We already had quite a flexible way of working to allow for people within our team to work in a way that worked for them. And so having everybody working from home a hundred percent of the time has just validated that I think," said Emma.

Other topics covered included the need for accessibility training in education settings and the BBC Accessibility Champions network, in which Emma played a key developmental role.

 

Watch the webinar recording


You can also download the transcript and listen to the podcast version of this webinar.

Q&A highlights from the webinar

Emma provided a range of answers to some of the questions posed by attendees during the webinar - you can find them in full on the webinar recording page, but here are some highlights:

Q: I would be very interested to learn about the network of accessibility champions at the BBC, how you set it up, if it's a voluntary role, what they do, etc.

Emma Pratt Richens: The BBC Accessibility Champions network are volunteers from the various digital teams. They champion accessibility within the role they do and teams they work in. The team I’m part of support them with resources and training, so they can learn more about accessibility and share that with colleagues, and when needed they can request direct technical advice. To some extent the BBC had champions long before the term was used for them. The network kicked off about seven years ago and took a few years to grow to the numbers we have today, so we adjusted and adapted along the way and continue to do so. The champions are our eyes, ears and voices across the organisation, and have been fundamental to significant cultural changes.

Q: As I have a moderately severe hearing loss I not infrequently find it at best unsatisfactory and often impossible to hear some radio programmes which have a background of music. What are the expectations placed on producers to monitor this issue?

EPR: I don’t know what expectations there are on producers. However, I do know of a neat Research & Design project that was looking into a user control that adjusted the audio balance. You can read about it on the BBC website.

Accessibility Insights webinars with the experts

Our next Accessibility Insights free webinar takes place on 4 May 2021, 1pm BST. We have invited the two co-founders of the upcoming annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) event, Jennison Asuncion and Joe Devon to join us.
 

Join our next Accessibility Insights session >>


Further resources:

 

Support for community-based tablets and technology

Image shows a recipient of one of the tablets holding it up, and smilingAbilityNet’s volunteers are supporting a tablet roll-out into communities through collaboration in West Yorkshire. 

Aspire Creating Communities provides support to people over 55 near Huddersfield. The charity is the brainchild of CEO Susanna Shotter, a trained Occupational Therapist with a focus on mental health. 

“I lead the charity with an OT, framework, overarching ethos,” she says.

The charity works with various community groups and provides a range of services, including running tutorials around working with clay, local history and storytelling, and exploring fire safety topics. 

It is working with around 200 individuals.

Tackling social isolation through technology

In response to Covid-19, the charity adapted its model, sending out around 150 crafting bags each month within the local community. 

It also recognized that many would feel increasingly isolated. 

“My family and my staff can use zoom really easily. We can access the internet, we can order things online, but for more and more people experiencing isolation, the need for technology was increasing and the need for understanding how to use that technology,” said Susanna. 


Logo for Aspire Creating CommunitiesAspire Creating Communities went to the council and secured funding to deliver over-50 tablets to digitally excluded people in Yorkshire. 

“We just rolled with it and just said, ‘let's have a go’; let's not spend months trying to research it. Let's get stuck in and do something and call it a pilot project and have a go at it,” said Susanna. 

Susanna contacted AbilityNet to see if we could offer community support. 

“The collaboration with AbilityNet makes it a much more sustainable project because we were starting to find that it was going to be really challenging to staff the support and to monitor the usage of the tablets,” she said.

Our volunteers are checking in on tablet recipients and running them through a mini questionnaire to see how they’re progressing and identifying those who need 1-2-1 support using or adapting their devices.

Susanna recognises people need support adapting their tech. “I’ve already put my ‘OT hat’ on a few times. I've got a lady with quite severe arthritis, and I tracked her down on a Bluetooth keyboard with chunky keys. That was quite cool,” she said.

For support with technology call our helpline 0300 180 0028

 

Please note: calls to our helpline number cost no more than a national rate call to an 01 or 02 number and count towards any inclusive minutes in the same way as 01 and 02 calls, and AbilityNet does not receive any money from these calls

6 ways we’re supporting technology in the community in partnership

AbilityNet offers FREE support to several community projects, which have provided hardware into various communities. 

1. Support with mental health

We’ve worked with NHS providers and a former Tech4Good winner to provide support with remote access to specialist mental health services. 

2. Helping to reduce isolation

Our volunteers supported a roll-out of KOMP video-conferencing devices to help reduce social isolation among older people.

3. Supporting BAME communities in Basildon

Our volunteers helped configure and set up a series of tablets for underprivileged children from the BAME community in Basildon.

4. Providing a digital lifeline

We’re part of a wider Digital Lifeline initiative designed to get technology out to people with learning disabilities who have been disproportionately affected by Covid-19. 

5. Collaborating with Age UK

Local branches of Age UK are reaching out into the community to offer support to people struggling to use their technology. We’ve teamed up with the Wiltshire branch to provide extra support. 

6. Offering remote support

Like many organisations, we’ve had to adapt to Covid-19 and are now providing remote support to individuals who are increasingly reliant on technology as a means of keeping in touch. 

  • If you’ve secured funding and need help supporting recipients in the community, email us at enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk.
  • We’re also open to conversations regarding joint bid submissions to provide technology and support with technology to create a digital world accessible to all.
  • Onboarding our volunteers and managing them does incur a cost, and so if you can, please Donate and help maintain our vital services.  

How AbilityNet can Help

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