Accessibility in law schools: resources

UKCLE has put together this compilation of resources on accessibility, covering the key agencies, codes of practice, guidance and toolkits, case studies and staff development, to assist you in addressing the issues.

Agencies and advice

• Action on Access – national co-ordination team for widening participation in higher education. Its work on disability issues includes guidance on the legislation, a resource directory, and briefings and checklists on a range of issues.
• Skill: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities – Skill promotes opportunities for students in further and higher education. Its website includes a range of information sheets and publications, including Into Law, a guide offering information and advice for disabled people considering a career in law. Skill also contributed an article to Directions in Spring 2002 on the implications of SENDA for legal education .
• Disability Rights Commission – provides assistance for anyone with a disability. Its website includes detailed information on the relevant legislation.
• TechDis – set up by JISC to support all aspects of technology and disabilities. It provides advice and information on staff development issues, including tools and exercises, a resources database and a register of expertise.
• Law Society’s Group for Solicitors with Disabilities (GSD) – aims to achieve equality of opportunity for people with disabilities, and aims to address the barriers faced by students with disabilities sitting or studying for the professional examinations or seeking employment in the profession.

Codes of practice

There are two codes of practice which relate to further and higher education:

• Equality and Human Rights Commission – Code of practice (revised) for providers of post 16 education and related services
• Quality Assurance Agency – Code of practice: students with disabilities – 24 precepts covering all aspects of provision, including access to learning and teaching and ICT provision, supported by guidance

Guidance and toolkits

An article by Kim Marshall (University of Westminster) outlines the key provisions of the Act, highlighting the issues law schools need to address:

• Marshall K (2002) ‘The impact of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Act 2001 on higher education’ The Law Teacher 36(2) 208-212

The College of Law has developed a Policy on students with special needs, outlining the college position on admissions, special needs tutors, learning contracts, confidentiality and responsibilities.

The Higher Education Academy has produced a research report, Developing and embedding inclusive policy and practice in higher education, with recommendations to help higher education institutions become more inclusive.

Staffordshire University has a disability unit housed with Student Support Services. Like many other institutions they offer advice and support for students with disability and for teachers who support students with disabilities. The University Disability Statement outlines what the university can offer to students in terms of advice and academic support, and includes a section on examinations and assessment, sources of additional funding and details on accommodation and useful contacts. This is a useful document for students and provides a template for other universities or law schools to link to. (To access the statement click ‘disability’.)

The South West Academic Network for Disability Support (SWANDS) project produced a staff development document (2002) on SENDA compliance in higher education, including training materials and advice for tutors supporting students with disability, a checklist of policies and frameworks for curriculum development and a short article on the perspective of the Bar Council (see the section headed ‘professional bodies’). The document (540 KB, 126 pages) can be downloaded as a PDF file.

TechDis has produced two guides providing information and advice on how to make learning and teaching accessible to all students:

• Accessible curricula: good practice for all (PDF format; 804 KB, 88 pages)
• Access all areas: disability, technology and learning

Action on Access’ resource directory gives links to accessibility resources searchable by purpose, relevance and resource type, while the HEFCE-commissioned map of pedagogical resources is searchable by type of disability, activity, subject and target user.

A HEFCE-funded project, Academic standards and benchmark descriptors: developing strategies for inclusivity, has developed a framework for a review of the Quality Assurance Agency’s benchmark statements to assist in the development of a more inclusive approach to the design of higher education programmes – see the SCIPS website for details.

The ALERT project (Accessibility in Learning Environments and Related Technologies) has produced guidelines on the pedagogical, practical and strategic considerations of ensuring the accessibility of a virtual learning environment, covering topics such as the delivery of learning support materials, using discussion boards, assessment and group work.

Accessibility in law teaching

Making law teaching accessible and inclusive, Journal of Information, Law and Technology (3), explores the main legislative provisions and ways of ensuring learning and teaching comply for a range of specific needs.

Two projects funded by the JISC TechDis HEAT Scheme in 2008-09 have resulted in useful case studies:

• User testing of the SIMPLE VLE
• Using podcasts and vodcasts in assessment and feedback practices in Law and Economics

Action on Access’ learning and teaching case studies links to four examples of good practice taken from law:

• Into Law – booklet from Skill which includes eight case studies of disabled people training or working in law professions – purchase from Skill’s bookshop
• profile of a law student with a mental health difficulty
• profile of a solicitor who is a wheelchair user
• profile of a law student who is a wheelchair user

The ALERT project (2005) includes three case studies of the use of discussion boards by:

• a law student with cerebral palsy
• a law student with dyspraxia
• a law student with spinal problems

The case studies can be downloaded as Word or PDF files.

Staff development

A range of features must be addressed in developing an accessible curriculum – Brenda Smith (LTSN Generic Centre) has put together a presentation (2002) entitled Parity of learning experience: good practice for all which offers a framework for reflection.

What are the accessibility issues in relation to assessment? Kathy Wiles (LTSN Generic Centre) has put together a presentation (2002) on Accessibility in examinations and assessment which looks at the issues of equality or equivalence and puts forward some guidelines. The LTSN Generic Centre’s briefing paper (2001) on assessing disabled students, part of the LTSN assessment series, outlines some of the issues relating to disability and education generally, showing how these affect assessment of students with disabilities.

The following projects have produced comprehensive materials to assist in creating a staff development programme to widen access for disabled students:

• Making your teaching inclusive – Open University site with practical advice on meeting the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) and offering effective, inclusive teaching
• Teaching inclusively using technology – set of modules from TechDis on preparing, delivering and assessing learning

Last Modified: 30 June 2010