Transcript Accessibility Strategies Guidance

Accessibility Strategies Guidance
Planning improvements for disabled pupils’ access to
education
Guidance for education authorities, independent and
grant-aided schools
Consultation
Policy
• Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000
• Education (Disability Strategies and Pupils‘
Educational Records) (Scotland) Act 2002
• The Education (Additional Support for
Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (as amended)
(the ASL Act)
• Children and Young People (Scotland) Act
2014
• The Equality Act 2010
Purpose of guidance
• Advice to responsible bodies
– Content of accessibility strategies
– Form of strategies
– People to consult when producing the guidance
• Why update the guidance?
– Since 2002 guidance, developments in policy and
legislation e.g. Equality Act 2010, C&YP (Scotland)
Act 2014
– Reflect Curriculum for Excellence
Definition of disability
• Physical or mental impairment, and
• Impairment has substantial and long-term effect on
ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities
• Covers:
– Physical impairment including sensory impairment
– Mental impairment – learning difficulties and mental
illness
– Cancer, HIV infection , MS, MD, severe disfigurement
• Also covers ‘hidden’ disabilities
– Dyslexia
– Autism
– Speech and language impairment
• Term ‘significant’ – more than minor or trivial
• Equality Act includes a duty to make reasonable
adjustments, of three types:
– Change the practice (for example, providing a pupil
with dyslexia with a note of any homework required
rather than requiring him to copy it down);
– Change the built environment (for example, providing
access to a building) where it is reasonable to do so;
and see Equality Act S20(4)
– Provide auxiliary aids and services (for example,
providing special computer software or support from
a classroom assistant).
– Also, if first or third relates to information to provide it
in an accessible format.
The three planning duties
• Increase disabled pupils’ access or participation
in the curriculum.
• Improve access to the physical environment of
the school to give better access to education and
to associated services provided.
• Improve communication with disabled pupils, in
particular regarding provision of information in
alternative formats.
• Duties apply to school age and children under 3;
also if educated on Gypsy / Traveller sites
Coverage
• Schools
• Pre-school centres for which they are
responsible i.e. nurseries and day care facilities
• Out-of-school care taking place on school
premises even if run by other organisation
• Does not include partnership nurseries – left to
negotiation in contracts with them
Improving access to the curriculum
(2) An accessibility strategy is a strategy for, over a period
prescribed by regulations —
– (a) increasing the extent to which pupils with a disability can participate in
the school‘s curriculum or, as the case may be, the schools' curriculums;
Examples:
• Reflect CfE curriculum entitlement
- coherent 3 to 18 curriculum
- a broad general education, from early years through to S3
- a senior phase after S3 s
- develop skills for learning, skills for life and skills for work with a
continuous focus on literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing
- support in moving into positive and sustained destinations beyond school.
•
•
Describe CPD arrangements e.g. so that staff can receive
specialist advice on using accessibility software
Cover accessibility requirements in contracts with suppliers
Examples of items covered
 Source: real disabled pupils who have had these difficulties
reported, often on numerous occasion.
 The examples are Outcomes focuses – what should be the
experience of the disabled pupil.
 How this is achieved is up to the responsible body.
Change OS accessibility options
Add specialised keyboards etc. easily
Install specialist software
Improving access to the curriculum 2
• Accessibility strategies could also describe
– How websites or other digital materials will be accessed
– How assistive technology will be used
– How managed network providers will allow for changes
to be made to devices at no extra cost
– How files used by disabled pupils are not deleted during
refresh periods e.g. lost of MP3 files containing audio
books.
– How device refresh arrangements will take account of
existing assistive technology and associated files
Resources within Guidance
Appendix D Checklist for use in planning ICT
- refers to specific paragraphs in Guidance
Appendix E Checklist – more detailed
- also refers to specific paragraphs
How might you use these Appendices?
• To understand features that disabled pupils might
need in order to access the curriculum.
• ICT managers, commissioning staff involved in
procurement functions and schools can use
Appendix D to review whether certain reasonable
adjustments are in place – can they take these
steps quickly and easily? If not, why not?
• Appendix E can be used to inform procurement
decisions; as a school questionnaire; to phase in
improvements; to find out how quickly and easily
adaptations can be made.
Respondent Information Form
• Available from
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/12/8118/d
ownloads (for both guidance and respondent form)
• Five straightforward questions
1. Is the draft guidance clear and does it contain enough detail?
2. Is the structure of the guidance appropriate?
3. Are there any areas which you feel need clarification?
4. Is there information missing? Or is the guidance
comprehensive enough?
5. Any other comments?
Send response to [email protected]