Accessible Text: Guidelines for Good Practice A teacher’s guide to creating accessible learning resources . Fran Ranaldi and Paul Nisbet

Overview Educational policies – CfE, GIRFEC HMIe –HIGIOS Educational legislation Equality legislation All promote Improved achievement and attainment for all Scotland’s children and young people.

Accessibility to and within the curriculum is an important factor in for all our children and young people.

Educational Legislation. All children including those with ASN and disabilities are covered by: Education (Scotland) Act 1980 SEN Framework Children (Scotland) Act 1995. Standards in Scotland’s Schools, etc. Act 2000 Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2009 as amended. In addition to the above, pupils with disabilities are also covered by: Disability Discrimination Act 1995 & 2005. (Rights not to be discriminated against). SENDA 2001. Education (Disability Strategies and Pupils' Educational Records) (Scotland) Act 2002 – (Accessibility Strategy). Part IV, DDA 1995 amended Code of Practice (Schools), DRC 2002. Disability Equality Duty 2006. Equality Act 2009.

Difficulties with acquisition of literacy and numeracy. Pupils who may require additional support for learning - ASfL Act Severe and complex learning difficulties Have a motor or sensory impairment Difficulties with acquisition of literacy and numeracy. Are Looked after and accommodated Are particularly able or talented Have experienced bereavement Parental mental health problems Parental substance abuse English as an additional language Are not attending school regularly Have emotional or social difficulties Are young carers Are being bullied Illness – hospital, homecare Gypsies and Travellers Pregnancy Children who are parents Homelessness/temporary accommodation Children who move school frequently Difficulties in controlling behaviour Gifted and talented Or for any other reason Pupils who may meet definition of disability under the DDA according to the requirements and who then must be covered under education DES and accessibility strategies. Physical Impairment Mental Impairment Autistim Spectrum Disorder Dyslexia Diabetes Eating disorder (diagnosed) Short stature Gross obesity Disfigurement Non-verbal ADHD Incontinence Epilepsy Learning difficulties Hearing impaired Some progressive conditions are automatically deemed to be disabilities e.g. Heart conditions Sickle cell anaemia Rheumatoid arthritis Pupils who automatically meet DDA requirements. Cancer, HIV, Multiple Sclerosis, Certified/registered visual impaired Severe long-term disfigurement There may be overlapping areas of the two acts. e.g. a child covered by the DDA act may also have Additional Support Needs under the ASfL Act These are not exhaustive lists. The purpose is simply intended to highlight the areas where discrimination and disadvantage may/can occur.

Some examples of discrimination Unable to participate in the whole school curriculum. Learn the same way the majority of pupils do. Copy several paragraphs/pages from a text book. To read several paragraphs/pages from a text book as class work or revision purposes. Set the same time scale for the above as other pupils. Sit the same assessments. Carry out exactly the same task as the other pupils. Present the task it in the same way Sit still for 45 minutes.

What is an accessible resource? An accessible resource is one that can be used effectively and with ease by a wide range of pupils. The resource can be adapted with the minimum of work for pupils who have a range of additional support needs. Accessible resources could refer to almost anything used in class or at home to support learning; this workshop has a focus on textual resources.

The overlapping spectrum of learners. Focusing on accessible recourses will benefit all of the other learners. High ability learners Low ability learners Attention Disorders Shared Characteristics Cognitive Emotional Environmental Metacognitive Dyscalculia Dyslexia (DCD) Developmental Co – ordination Difficulties The Autistic Spectrum SLI Speech & language impaired 8

The use of ICT to create resources

Accessible textual resources may be required for pupils who have difficulty with standard printed materials as a result of, for example: • difficulties in accessing the skills of literacy & numeracy; • motor impairment; • sensory impairment; • dyslexia; • English as an additional language; • learning difficulties. This list is not exhaustive.

Benefits of accessible textual resources Accessible text resources offer a number of advantages. • Accessible resources meet the needs of learners and practitioners more effectively. • Producing and using accessible resources across the curriculum helps teachers, educational establishments and authorities meet their legal duties and responsibilities on accessibility. • Accessible resources can also meet the needs of learners in schools who may not have additional support needs but can also learn more effectively from appropriate resources. • Well thought out accessible digital resources, created using a word processor or desktop-publishing program, can be easily converted into different print, audio and digital formats, saving time and cost

Strategies Match the text to the pupil’s reading age Present information accessibly Sentence construction Typeface Layout of text Easy to follow flow of text and images Appropriate use of text boxes Clear and appropriate images Use of colour Development of an appropriate layout for resources Creating an accessible resource using Microsoft Word Page margins

Typeface The choice of typeface and font style chosen in a worksheet or leaflet is extremely important. For example, pupils with visual impairments or sight loss may require larger fonts while dyslexic pupils and those with visual-perceptual difficulties may find some fonts far easier to read than others.

Influence from typeface.

Guidance on appropriate typefaces Be aware of the different font sizes associated with each typeface – Times New Roman 12pt is similar in size to Comic Sans 11pt. Left are examples of different typefaces all printed originally at font size 14: note that they are not all the same size.

Size of font and line spacing For pupils with visual-perceptual reading difficulties, most researchers and educationalists recommend; • 12 point text; • line spacing of 1.5 or 2 lines; • left-aligned, non-justified text; • a san serif font; • short paragraphs or blocks of text; • use of non-bleached white or pale pastel coloured paper.

WordArt – Microsoft word Avoid word Art Avoid word Art

Example of an accessible resource.