1. Supporting Self advocacy Three Asks for an accessible education Alistair McNaught, Senior Advisor, JISC TechDis www.jisctechdis.ac.uk 19/05/20151

2. Ask 1 - tutors Teaching resources should be available any time and place and should include basic good practices. Handouts and presentations are centrally available in electronic format. Documents are structured using heading levels. Images are described. Alternative media are used. Resources are available in mobile friendly formats.

3. Why is it reasonable? All learning providers have a virtual learning environment of some sort Using heading levels can be taught in 10 minutes and benefits all learners.. Image descriptions and alternative media benefit a wide range of other learners. Mobile friendly resources can be created using free tools that are widely supported such as Xerte OnlineToolkits.

4. Ask 2 - library staff Libraries should be an accessible gateway to accessible resources. All library systems from catalogues to e-book platforms should be accessible. Textbooks in alternative formats should be proactively offered to those who need them. Libraries should point to more than books.

5. Why is it reasonable? Accessibility should be a part of all procurement activities because libraries are for ALL users. Some e-book platforms are more accessible than others. Don’t buy into exclusion. Use the PublisherLookup.uk website to get electronic versions of textbooks. A wide range of online resources from podcasts to subject websites offer a huge range of accessible alternatives. Signpost some of them.

6. Ask 3 - managers Ask MANAGERS to promote equality through proactive technology policies. Making the most of available technology services. Promoting site-wide assistive technology tools. Learning from others and checking own practices.

7. Why is it reasonable? Load2Learn is free. Windows has many inbuilt accessibility features are they enabled by IT? Word can “Speak selected text” if set up right. Many learning providers are entitled to free high quality text to speech voices. Many free tools can provide text to speech, screen colour or contrast tinting that would make technology a tool for all rather than prop for some. Check RNIB and Jisc TechDis websites for advice on supporting learners. Try the free online accessibility self evaluation service from TechDis.

8. Ask 4 – You - Be proactive Know what is reasonable to expect and expect it. See the joint guidance at http://tinyurl.com/reasonableexpectation http://tinyurl.com/reasonableexpectation