Online accessibility evaluation - Marketing Staff
 

1. Online Accessibility Audit: Marketing staff

 

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1. Welcome to the JISC RSC SW Scotland Online Accessibility Self Evaluation Service.

The first issue we need to resolve is: Why are you here? To provide you with a further insight into this evaluation process please take a minute to watch a short video which explains more about this process.

When you have watched the video, please return to complete this evaluation process.

This kind of structured self evaluation can provide you with a wealth of useful information. It can act as:
1. A reality check: cheaper than an accessibility consultant, yet maps to the core business of education institutions, in a way that is pragmatic and realistic, not legalistic or recommending you reach for unachievable ideals.

2.A means of risk reduction: becoming well versed in, and acting upon, pragmatic advice and guidance on the use of technology to enhance accessible and inclusive practice (potentially benefiting all learners) reduces the risk of falling foul under the Equality Act 2010. No guidance can prevent legal challenges from being made, but understanding accessibility principles and adopting inclusive practices can help to prevent this eventuality. This will only be true, however, if you take on board the findings of this survey and discuss each question in context - treating it as a checklist will achieve little.

3. A source of pertinent resources: you will be directed to relevant and useful free staff training materials, free software and services. Embedding these into your existing policies, processes and procedures will enhance your overall culture of inclusion.

So first of all, it would be helpful for you to identify exactly why you are undertaking this self evaluation (tick as many as appropriate and add to the free text box if required)

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2. The JISC TechDis Service is centrally funded to advise post 16 and higher education on the effective use of technology to support an accessible and inclusive experience for students and staff. To do this, JISC TechDis works closely with a wide range of:
  • sector agencies (e.g. BRITE Initiative, Regional Support Centres and other JISC Advisory services),
  • the Scottish Funding Council
  • disability related groups (e.g. RNIB, AbilityNet)
  • other relevant organisations (e.g. The Publishers Association, Awarding Bodies etc.

    Each year the JISC TechDis team contributes to several hundred events across the UK in the FE/HE, communities. Over 50,000 copies of the JISC TechDis Accessibility Essentials series have been distributed (alongside over 1 million downloads).

    To give us an idea of the awareness in the sector of our activities, please tell us whether you had heard of JISC TechDis prior to learning about the existence of this Online Accessibility Self Evaluation Service.

    Prior to hearing about this Online Accessibility Self Evaluation Service:

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    3. JISC TechDis have produced a number of staff development materials that would be of interest to Marketing Managers. We are wanting to ascertain the effectiveness of the dissemination process and evaluate whether particular briefings have had particular currency. This could inform follow up approaches.

    The following JISC TechDis resources have come into your institution and are directly relevant to your role. Please tick the appropriate boxes to indicate whether you are unaware of it, aware of it, have read it or have acted on it

     Unaware of this resourceAware but have not read itAware and have read itAware and have acted on it
    JISC TechDis Senior Management Briefing 4 - Accessible Marketing and Admissions (FE only),
    JISC TechDis Accessibility Essentials 4: Making the Most of PDFs
    Technology Change for Inclusion: 12 Steps Towards Embedding Inclusive use of Technology as a Whole Institution Culture

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    4. The JISC TechDis Senior Management Briefing Series and a range of other published papers and guidance documents have made several recommendations about institution websites. One of the most telling measures of an institution's culture with regard to accessibility is how it utilises its website with regard to supporting or promoting access. As a 'shop window' the accessibility of your website gives an impression of the inclusiveness of your institution, and much good practice can be overshadowed by an inaccessible website.

    Please open the front page of your institution’s (or department's if appropriate) website in a new window.

    Please check whether the following information is available within 3 clicks or less from the home page. The JISC TechDis guidance relating to this is mainly in SMT briefing 4 on accessible marketing. On your website, is the following information obviously accessible in 3 clicks or less from the main homepage? (If you take longer than 30 seconds to find it, the answer is 'no'!)

     YesNo
    Information about how to change the appearance of the webpages (e.g. font sizes/colour).
    A named contact for information on support for disabled learners.
    Information about the technologies available to support learning (VLE, Interactive Whiteboards etc)
    Information about the assistive technologies available for learners.
    An electronic version of the prospectus (e.g. available as web pages or as downloadable PDF document).
    Information about either alternative formats available or how to personalise the electronic copy.
    A copy of the institution’s Disability Equality Statement.
    An online application form.

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    5. If you have an online application form, has it been tested for accessibility?

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    6. Resources in electronic format are the most flexible and easily personalised of all resources.

    Prospectuses are often the first serious contact a learner has with an institution so it is very important that not only has accessibility been considered in the prospectus design, but also that an accessible ethos pervades the organisation's public facing documentation.

    A range of guidance exists on providing accessible documentation, including Accessibility Essentials and WebAIM , so we want to check how far this kind of information has permeated to the right people.

    Is your prospectus designed and produced by an inhouse team or is it outsourced to commercial graphic designers?

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    7. Was accessibility specified in the commissioning document?

    8. If yes, how?

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    9. Is your prospectus available online?

    10. If yes, in which format(s) is it available?

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    11. PDFs can have a high degree of accessibility if appropriately produced - for details see Accessibility Essentials 4: Making The Most of PDFs.

    Please indicate which of the following accessibility opportunities you build into the commissioning / contract for external facing documentation such as the prospectus:

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    12. Is your application form available online?

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    13. Is there a contact form online for potential students to ask for information?

    14. If you answered yes to either of the above questions, have either of the online forms above been tested for accessibility?

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    15. Does the website give information on how to obtain the prospectus or application and contact forms in alternative formats?

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    16. Assistive technologies are often regarded as expensive and specialist packages for identified learners. In practice many learners can benefit from using these tools and free / open source tools can provide useful tasters for organisations to inform their procurement strategies. Some of these are outlined in the JISC TechDis list of free and Open Source software and AccessApps free enabling technologies.

    Furthermore, effective use of online resources is in itself an accessibility benefit and one of the most powerful cultural drivers for elearning is the recognition that it can support Disability Discrimination Act obligations.

    Online resources, virtual learning environments, e-portfolios, mobile learning and assistive technologies can support all learners - especially those with disabilities.

    How do you market your organisation’s investment in technologies?

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    17. If assistive technology support were to be marketed more effectively who would you need to work with (please specify role rather than person’s name).

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    18. JISC TechDis has produced a wide range of training resources to support institutions (for example, the JISC TechDis Staff Packs and JISC TechDis Accessibility Essentials Series, and these have gone into all UK colleges and universities. However, the right people are not always aware of them, or have moved on, taking the resources or knowledge with them. This question helps us identify both gaps in staff awareness and gaps in our provision.

    What sort of training is available for marketing staff in the following areas?

     Not availableAvailable on request with sufficient notice.Available 24/7 via the institutional network or learning platform.Available through internal courseAvailable through external courses.
    Training in awareness of different disabilities.
    Training in creating accessible word processed documents.
    Training in creating accessible PDF documents.

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    19. Given what you have learned about the JISC TechDis Service previously or during this evaluation process, please suggest up to 3 ways in which the JISC TechDis Service could support you, bearing in mind the terms of our remit (use of technology to support disabled staff and learners) and the need for sustainability (i.e. we cannot support single institution consultations).

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    20. Next steps/actions:
    As a result of undertaking this self evaluation:
    What will you do next?
    Who will it involve?
    How will you advertise it?
    How will you measure success?

    21. Please enter any further comments you wish to make below.