Digital Accessibility.pptx

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• Mathematics
• Further Education (Key Stage 5)

Digital Accessibility

What we all need to know

15.04.2024 // Tom Hughes

Objective & Overview

To inform all college staff on digital accessibility principles, key legislation and regulations to ensure inclusivity and compliance with accessibility standards.

Understanding digital accessibility

Key legislation and regulations

Best practices for digital accessibility

Q&A and discussion

What do we already know?

Discussion

Some statistics...

•  1+ Billion people worldwide have disabilities, many of whom need assistive technology (Microsoft 2024)

•  Estimated 16 million people in the UK with a disability (DWP 21/22)

•  Represents 24% of total population

•  At Boston College this year, there are 1141 students with declared SEND, representing nearly a third of all learners.

•  163 of these also have an EHCP

•  92 are High Needs

•  It is estimated that a larger proportion of adult learners (and staff) may also have undiagnosed, or undeclared SEND needs.

•  Disability can affect any of us at any time – Permanent / Temporary / Situational

What is digital accessibility?

Digital accessibility refers to the design and development of digital content, websites, applications and technologies in a way that ensures they can be used and accessed by all individuals, including those with disabilities. It aims to eliminate barriers that may prevent people with disabilities from fully participating in the digital world.

Four principals of Digital Accessibility:

P - Perceivable

O - Operable 

U - Understandable

R - Robust 

By adhering to accessibility principles and standards, organisations ensure that their digital products and services are usable, inclusive and compliant with legal requirements

Common Barriers

•  Inaccessible design – eg complex layouts, confusing navigation, inconsistent headings

•  Lack of Alternative Text 

•  Inadequate Keyboard Accessibility 

•  Poor Colour Contrast

•  Lack of captions or transcripts

•  Complex forms and controls – clear labels, instructions and well-defined focus states are essential for form accessibility

•  Inaccessible PDF documents – incorrectly formatted/tagged PDFs may not be readable by screen readers or assistive tech

•  Non-responsive design – digital content that does not adapt to the screen size being displayed on

Legal stuff

• Colleges and educational institutions in the UK have legal requirements and responsibilities to ensure digital accessibility under various laws and regulations. Some of they legal requirements and responsibilities include:-

• Equality Act 2010 – colleges are required to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled students are not disadvantaged in accessing education, which includes ensuring that digital content and services are accessible.

• Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Apps) Accessibility Regs 2018 – These regs require PSBs, including colleges, to ensure their website and mobile apps meet accessibility requirements, based on Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 - this requires the college to publish an accessibility statement detailing the level of compliance with the regs and any steps taken to improve accessibility.

• SEND Code of Practice: 0 – 25 years – emphasizes the importance of inclusive practice and reasonable adjustments

• Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) - colleges have a due regards to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between different groups.

• Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) - not a legal requirement but guidance to HE institutions on meeting the needs of disabled students, including the accessibility of digital resources and technologies.

Best Practices for Digital Accessibility

• Key takeaways for creating accessible digital content:-

• Structure and Formatting: Use Headings, Lists and Descriptive Links

• Alternative Text: Provide descriptive alternative text for images and multimedia

• Colour Contrast: Ensure sufficient contrast for text and background elements

• Keyboard navigation: Ensure all functionality can be accessed using a keyboard

• Multimedia Accessibility: Provide captions and transcripts for audio and video

Let's look at some handy tools

• Firstly, take the time to set your own device up to meet your needs in the system settings.

• Accessibility Checker within O365 Apps

• Using headers, alt text and descriptive links

• Immersive Reader

• Live sub-titling & translation in Powerpoint

• Dictate

Further Reading and Learning

• The Government Digital Service (GDS) accessibility guidance 

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

• AbilityNet:  - Provides resources and support for digital accessibility.

• Microsoft learn

• Accessibility Fundamentals

• Creating Accessible Content with Microsoft 365