11.2: Framework

Accessibility at Higher Education Institutions

Universities are increasingly becoming involved in technology-based education programs. The level of sophistication of such offerings (cohort organizations, electronic learning) is accelerating rapidly. However, persons with disabilities, taking courses off campus, are not always provided with the same rights of access and program accommodation as those on-campus. In some cases, slow Internet access is a problem, and in other cases, electronic course offerings coming from the university have not been coded to support adaptive technologies (like screen readers, Braille display, enhanced print size, voice-over, sip and puff control, etc.). The end result is an unfair imbalance in academic access.

Conformance with the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C, an international organization for developing Web standards) and its Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 will enhance the market share and audience reach of programs by increasing their general usability. Adoption of WCAG 1.0 recommendations also demonstrates a commitment to social responsibility and equity of access to education, information and services.

These changes do not have to be substantial to be successful. Web accessibility is usually achieved by careful planning and attention to details. This all translates into Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a practice of designing web pages so that they can be navigated and read by everyone, regardless of location, experience, or the type of computer and technology used, In addition, it means providing educational material with flexible goals, instructional and assessments strategies that apply to different learning styles and practices. We will talk more about Universal Design later in this chapter.

Having an increased number of life-long learners, as well as those who are returning to school for their professional development or upgrade, removing barriers to web access becomes even more pressing.

Legislation

In the United States, a law called Section 508 requires federal agencies to ensure that people with disabilities have the same access to information in electronic systems as people without disabilities.

“Section 508 requires that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology, Federal employees with disabilities have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use by Federal employees who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. Section 508 also requires that individuals with disabilities, who are members of the public seeking information or services from a Federal agency, have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to that provided to the public who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency” (Section 508, 2006, Subpart A—General, para. 1).

In the United Kingdom, there is a similar law known as SENDA (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Act) that applies specifically to students.

Canada has no such law at the moment, but the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms both deal with discrimination on the basis of many factors, including disability. A failure to provide information in an accessible manner could be considered discrimination if no reasonable attempt is made to accommodate the disabled person.

The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) in Australia published World Wide Web Access: Disability Discrimination Act Advisory Notes, All government websites are required to follow these policies and guidelines.

Around the world, accessibility and information access issues are being addressed at different levels. The Report on Developments World-Wide on National Information Policy (2001) gives a nice overview of what a number of countries are doing to support all online users, including those with special needs.

Background

The term “disability” is very broad, and can include persons with sensory impairments (blind or visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing), learning disabilities, motor functioning problems, or neurological impairments. The number and severity of challenges increases with the age of the population served—especially in the area of sensory impairment. For example, while the Canadian Federal government reports that the overall disability rate in the total population is about 12.4 percent—for persons between the age of 65 and 74 it increases to 31.2 percent (Statistics Canada, 2001, para. 2).

The main goal is to improve usability and to provide online learners with disabilities, who were academically qualified, with full, fair and equal access to all university services, and programs. It means either redesigning the existing electronic content or developing a new one with accessibility in mind. Usually, you need to do both.

The first step is to carefully look at the courses or modules and determine their level of accessibility. Consultation and collaboration with users, advocacy groups, other university and government agencies, and various experts is very helpful. In the case of the project described here, all the procedures were tested by making adaptations and necessary changes inside WebCT. During this process, it is important that the work does not entail any modification of the academic standards of the university or elimination of the academic evaluation of students.

Making online courses accessible to students with disabilities, i.e., providing easy and consistent navigation structure, and presenting the material in a clear and organized way brings benefit to all students, regardless of their physical and mental condition. Every student is different; everyone has different levels of comfort with new technology, from computer-shy technophobe to web-savvy expert. We are all in the process of adaptation to new tools: in a survey conducted at Renton Technical College in Renton, Washington, in 2002, the highest number of participants (31 percent) reported difficulties in studying and troubles with computers (Microsoft, 2005). It will take a lot of time for computers or similar devices to become as invisible and user-friendly as books, for example. Universal design for learning attempts to reach that “easiness” by improving usability for non-disabled and disabled users alike. It supports persons with low literacy levels, improves search engine listings and resource discovery, repurposes content for multiple formats or devices, increases support for internationalization of courses and assists access for low-bandwidth users.

An inaccessible site in a corporate world may mean a loss of clientele. In an educational setting, the quality of a learning experience is much more difficult to measure, since it is not only a matter of numbers and physical access. With this awareness, content should be presented in a variety of ways in order to meet the online learners’ needs. Material that is inaccessible to a student with one type of disability can be offered in an alternative format. It is important to realize, however, that not everything can be made accessible without compromising the value of the learning experience. Teaching visual concepts and explaining different colour schemes, for example, is not fully adaptable for students who are blind. The materials should be made as accessible as possible for most groups of disabled students, but some people ultimately may still be excluded. In those cases, you will need to offer alternative exercises for the affected student, although the production of such materials can be time consuming. The choice of different delivery methods can exist, but only “in ideal world” (Draffan & Rainger, 2006).

Every effort made to increase accessibility will help to disseminate information on accessibility issues and provide a basis for raising awareness not only in British Columbia, where this project was conducted, but in wider academic communities as well.

Accessibility at Universities in British Columbia

It is the policy of UBC (and it is similarly stated in virtually every other university policy in North America and Western Europe) that “the University is committed to providing access for students with disabilities while maintaining academic standards” (UBC Student Services, 2006, para. 1). This is in keeping with UBC policy that recognizes its moral and legal duties to provide academic accommodation. The University must remove barriers and provide opportunities to students with a disability, enabling them to access University services, programs and facilities and to be welcome as participating members of the University community. The Policy goes on to note that such accommodation is in accordance with the B.C. Human Rights Code, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and US federal law. Universities have worked hard to write and implement policy that improves access to campus buildings, ensures the health and safety of those with disabilities, and which provides appropriate supplementary support in the facilitation of learning.

The External Programs and Learning Technologies office (EPLT) (http://www.eplt.educ.ubc.ca/) acts as the facilitator for all off-campus Faculty of Education programs, both domestic and international at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. EPLT seeks to use innovative, efficient and effective delivery vehicles that are first and foremost designed to meet the diverse needs of learners. Furthermore, it provides them with access to the highest quality programs possible by making Web content accessible to a variety of Webenabled devices, such as phones, handheld devices, kiosks and network appliances.

The second largest university in British Columbia, Simon Fraser University has a Centre for Students with Disabilities (CSD), which primarily offers services to students on campus, similar to UBC’s Access and Diversity—Disability Resource Centre (www.students .ubc.ca/access.drc.cmf).