Step 5: Invest in Training

Delivering an accessible college experience requires upskilling all staff. Colleges should invest in training to support staff to learn basic accessibility principles and what adjustments can be made to content to improve accessibility.

For example, supporting learning resource creators (such as teaching staff) in understanding how to make fully accessible documents, provide high quality text descriptions for complex images and diagrams, or how to make accessible formulae in Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine (STEMM) subjects.

Get started by taking a look at the beginner training resources available on LexDis including an introduction to accessibility e-learning resource.

To improve your staff’s ability to make learning accessible at your college, consider training in the following subjects:

• Introduction to digital accessibility and users with diverse needs.
• Understanding regulation compliance and what colleges must do by law.
• How to test for accessibility issues.
• How to create accessible documents.
• Accessible social media and comms.
• Different types of assistive technology and productivity tools.

Investing in training will not only create an accessible learning experience for every student at your college, but it will also help to reduce the reliance on specialist disability support and third party accessibility testing and auditing.

This guidance has been created in response to research from All Able Ltd and Thomas Pocklington Trust that looked at blind and partially sighted students’ access to information and assistive technology in mainstream FE. This showed a lack of inclusive practice creating a barrier to accessibility.  Read about this research.