Development of Assistive Technology role at the University of Strathclyde

Chris McKenzie

Assistive Technology Adviser

chris.g.mckenzie@strath.ac.uk

AT team growthnumber of disabled studentslegislation and sector developmentsAT role and functionsuniversity information systemsinclusive mainstream services

AT development in Context

Development of the AT team

Pre – 1998 • Shona Cameron (Manager of Centre for

Educational System – CES Information Services) supported Disability Service in supporting technology requirements of disabled students

• Set up AT Room in library purchased specialist AT equipment (government grant)

• By 1998 the technology support required had increased to point where a full-time post was required.

Development of the AT team

• Aug 1998 first AT adviser appointed• Aug 2002 second AT adviser appointed

– Sept 2002 education exemption removed reasonable adjustments; anticipatory duty

• Aug 2007 third AT adviser appointed– Introduced joint needs assessment using Toolkit in

2006/07

• Aug 2008 AT assistant appointed– Purchasing support taken up by AT assistant

• 2002 (0.2FT) IT training team

Development of the AT team

• Aug 1998 first AT adviser appointed• Within 1 year all assessments were conducted

in-house• Developed AT Training• Upgraded AT Resource room• Piloted Assistive Software in centrally managed

labs• Launched Disabled Student Requirements

System

Development of the AT team

• Aug 2002 second AT adviser appointed• Student numbers increasing• Technology Assessments ongoing• Training & Purchasing Support• Development of module on ‘Inclusive Curriculum’• Toolkit for Needs Assessments (pilot 2005)• Strathclyde Laptop Initiative• Video Captioning• ‘Web Lectures’• Scanning Service

Development of the AT team

• Aug 2007 third AT adviser appointed• Carol Howieson re-graded to AT Manager (less

student contact)• Student numbers increasing• Technology Assessments ongoing• Development of Effective Learning Programme• Purchasing, Setup, orientation and collection –

pressure on staff due to purchasing support

Development of the AT team

• Aug 2008 AT Assistant appointed• Driver: to allow AT staff to develop AT support for

students and departments.• Equipment Setup and software installation

• Development of Loan Pool• Management of purchasing support systems• 2011/12 PECOS online procurement system

Development of the AT team

• Loan/trials testing ongoing• 2008/09 Transition programme students with Aspergers’• 2009/10 ELP taught programme• 2009/10 ADR process introduced• 2009/10 Waiting list management• 2010/11 Live Remote Captioning Service• 2011/12 Pathway myplace class• 2011/12 ELP myplace class• 2011/12 Enhanced waiting list Management with Pathway and

ELP myplace classes• 2011/12 Dedicated Print assessments• 2011/12 Provisional adjustments• 2012/13 Departmental Disability Contact myplace class • New – sign-on screen

Development of the AT services

• Increasing year on year• Approaching 50% increase in student

numbers since 2007 (2007: 822, 2013: 1212)

Student numbers

• 1995 Disability Discrimination Act• 1999 QAA standards disabled students• 2002 education exemption removed SENDA -

reasonable adjustments; anticipatory duty• 2003 Auxiliary Aids and Services• 2005 Disability Equality Scheme• December 2005 Toolkit pilot• 2010 Equality Act• 2011 Single Equality Duty

Legislation and Sector Developments

To provide first class assistive technology support to disabled students

•To enable students to maximise their independent participation in their course:

– work with student to determine solutions to reduce the impact of their impairment on study

– work across institution to develop inclusive services

– guide department on accessible resources

AT strategic objective

Work to academic calendar.

For students’ requirements to be met as they start their course you require:

i. early identification of disabled students

ii. timely assessment of students’ requirements

iii. support pre-assessment – not all students can be assessed pre course start date.

Timeliness is everything

• Applicant Extract

• Disabled students requirements system– provisional adjustments

i. Early identification of disabled student

• waiting list management (2011/12)

• joint assessment (introduced 2006/07)

• 2013/14 - single needs assessments for dyslexic students to increase throughput– retain joint needs assessment for other

disability categories.

ii. Timely assessment of students’ requirements

• Provisional adjustments• AT software in centrally-managed computer labs• AT software in departmental computer labs• Assistive Technologies Room• On-site AT training• Disability Resource Development Fund

(DRDF)• Pathway (Myplace class signposting services)• Effective Learning Programme (ELP)

iii. Support pre-assessment

• Asses technology requirements to minimise impact of disability

on study and promote independent study. Consider:

• Reading

• Note taking

• Writing

• Researching

• Organisation

• IT competence– Myplace classes, e-texts– Library catalogue, journal, databases

– Departmental and institutional provision (DRDF)

AT Adviser – needs assessment

• needs assessment– advance purchasing– loan and trial– on-campus provision– training– Disability Resource Development Fund (DRDF)

• purchasing support– orientation and collection

• Evaluation• Research of emerging technologies, alternative devices

for adviser development and informed assessment

AT Support – needs met model

• Development budget (premium funding)– site-licenced assistive software (JAWS; ZoomText; Read&Write

Gold; Mind Genius (with take-home licence); Browse Aloud)

– demonstration and trial equipment– loan equipment

• Advance Purchase budget (core funds)– Allows advance purchase with condition that funds

will be returned on receipt of DSA

• Salaries (0.5FT AT, 1FT ATAss) (DSA fees funding)• Disability Resource Development Fund

(DRDF) (premium funding)

AT specific budgets

QAA 1999 – ethos to support the development of inclusive service provision within the areas of expertise

4 examples where AT supported the development of mainstream inclusive services:

1.working with IT Services

2.working with IT training team

3.working with teaching space support

4.working with Scanning service

mainstreaming inclusion

AT advisors working with IT services:– IT service take over management of AT Room– AT on campus network – Software download (includes AT)– AT on departmental labs– Innovative IT provision (e.g. library discussion

spaces collaborative stations) include AT– IT Help Desk provision of extended service for

disabled students

1. IT services mainstreaming inclusion

• rolling AT training programme– available pre-assessment– available pre-award– can take repeated sessions

• Builds IT training team capacity– AT training within staff development programme

• Supports roll-out of AT on-campus centrally managed labs• Supports roll-out of AT to departmental labs (software

download)

– guidance on accessibility within all training materials– development of training courses specifically to

develop inclusive practice – Accessible Word and PDF

2. In house AT training

Based within Learning Services (2004 to 2009), the wider team became mindful of accessibility and felt a moral duty to create the following services:

•Captioned video

•Transcription service

•Lecture recording

•LRC Live Remote Captioning

•Accessible teaching delivery AMX, radio microphones

3. Teaching Space Support

University adopted CLA scanning licence in 2006 and developed the Scanning Service to scan materials for the VLE in compliance with legislation.

•Incorporated service to provide accessible materials for students who are blind or have low vision.

•AT support to develop service and ensure service provision is accessible and to train students.

•Capacity to provide students required reading as accessible e-texts, on time, despite removal of DSA funding for transcription.

•AT introduced print assessments in 2010 as an extension to needs assessment for visually impaired students.

4. Scanning Service

DISCUSSION