Approaches to Developing Accessible Learning Experiences

For the past five to ten years researchers have been developing tools and guidelines for developing accessible e-learning experiences for students with disabilities. Despite this, very few practitioners in higher education are confident that they know how to develop accessible e-learning experiences. This is prompting researchers to work with practitioners in order to develop meaningful approaches to addressing accessibility; ones that facilitate the development of a clear conceptualisation of why and how practice can be changed to meet the varied needs of students. This book describes these approaches and explores the extent to which they might challenge current thinking and understanding. Topics covered include: - approaches to developing accessible multimedia and learning objects - holistic approaches to developing accessible e-learning and blended learning experiences - institutional and programme approaches to addressing accessibility issues. Exploration and discussion of these topics will challenge practitioners to reconceptualise their understanding of 'best practice' in relation to accessibility and e-learning and offer directions for future practice and development. This book was previously published as a special issue of Alt-J.

Jane K. Seale is Senior Lecturer in Educational Innovation in Higher Education at Southampton University. Her research interests include accessibility and assistive technologies and she has published and presented widely in these areas. Jane's recent work includes The Development of Accessibility Practices in E-learning: An exploration of communities of practice (Learning Technology Journal, 2004).

1. Disability, Technology and e-Learning: Challenging Conceptions 2. An Exploration of the Potential of Automatic Speech Recognition to Assist and Enable Receptive Communication 3. Making the Technology Work: Three Case Studies of Dyslexic Writers in Higher Education 4. Using Multimedia to Enhance the Accessibility of the Learning Environment for Disabled Students - Reflections from the Skills for Access Project 5. A Model for the Identification of Challenges to Blended Learning 6. Holistic Approaches to e-Learning Accessibility 7. The Development of Accessibility Indicators for Distance Learning Programs 8. Making Online Learning Accessible to Disabled Students: An Institutional Case Study 9. Accessibility and Adaptability of Learning Objects: Responding to Metadata, Learning Patterns and Profiles of Needs and Preferences