Several of the DiVLE projects addressed accessibility issues from the outset, often drawing upon expertise from within their institution. Projects were also aware of W3C, and WAI, of the use of standard style sheets and of JAWS or similar text reader software. However some projects claimed that accessibility was not relevant at an early stage of product development. It is worth mentioning that while we recommend that these accessibility issues should form an integral part of user testing of products and services, the issue of accessibility in a wider sense, for example in relation to the needs of off-campus students, should not be forgotten and may require particular attention.
It is also worth adding that projects should be aware of the limitations of accessibility-checking software and of the need to assess aspects of accessibility manually. It is also noteworthy that projects are already discovering vendor products which do not comply with accessibility standards. We recommend that all such instances should be recorded and that feedback to the JISC and to the vendor on this point be encouraged.
Universal Accessibility This page provides links to additional resources and discusses accessibility in relation to current legislation and good practice.
National Disability Team The NDT is contracted by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Department for Employment and Learning for Northern Ireland (DELNI) to provide a national team to improve provision for disabled students in higher education. It should be of use to anyone with an interest in supporting disabled students.