Tuesday, July 4, 2023

8:30 AM - 12:00 PM

P 413 (P Block, The Cube, QUT, Gardens Point Campus)

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Details

Facilitators Dr Veronica Zixi Jiang, University of New South Wales Mr Md Badiuzzaman, University of New South Wales (Maximum participants 50) Aim The aim of this workshop is to improve the understanding of and abilities in digital accessibility, for educators and administrators in universities. Overview In Australia, the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and Disability Standards for Education 2005 require that students with disability have a right to access and participate in education the same as students without disability. Specifically, the websites and ICT products of Australian education entities need to at least meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA standards. We assessed 44 Australian university websites using multiple accessibility checker tools. Most websites have inaccessible components and do not meet the WCAG2.0 AA standards. Aiming at educators and administrators in universities, this workshop strives to improve their understanding of and abilities in digital accessibility. Intended audience Higher Education academic and professional staff who are looking to improve learning equity and inclusion. Context Australia has 4.4 million people living with disability and around 11% of school students require inclusive education support. Learning and teaching increasingly rely on digital resources, and this reliance is deepened by the Covid pandemic. Many students use screen readers or voice recognition software to access learning resources due to visual impairment, hearing impairment, mobility disability, or neuro diversity. Learning resources must be accessible and meet the different ability needs of students. Learning outcomes for participants Learn various tools and methods to create accessible learning materials that meet the WCAG 2.0 AA standards; Improve their ability to advocate for digital accessibility in their universities. Workshop plan Identifying common accessibility issues and understanding how they influence student learning; A step-by-step demonstration and practice on how to create accessible Word, PowerPoint, and PDF documents; Identifying inaccessible components in learning management system and practice ways to improve them; Discuss how to advocate for accessibility changes at the university level.