Accessibility of OERs for Diverse Learners and Guidelines for Dyslexia in Modern Language Learning Join us for this webinar discussion on issues relating to accessibility of OERs for learners with diverse abilities. The discussion will focus on a number of questions such as: Is accessibility support in OERs ‘required’ or just ‘nice to have’? How can we achieve full inclusion of OERs without stifling openness and innovation? This will be set in the wider environment such as legal context, pedagogic agendas, and technical issues. Results from the Dyslexia in Modern Language Distance Learning staff development project will also be shared. Highlights include publishing the Guide to Good Practice as an OER and the project’s impact on tutor’s engagement with open educational practices and online collaboration. Presenters: Dr. Chetz Colwell, Learning & Teaching Development Manager for Accessibility, The Open University Una Daly, MA, Community College Outreach Director, OpenCourseWare Consortium Dr. Mathilde Gallardo, Staff Tutor Languages, The Open University Dr. Andy Lane, Professor of Environmental Systems, The Open University

1. Chetz Colwell, Open University, UK
Matilde Gallardo, Open University UK
Andy Lane, Open University UK
Una Daly, OCW Consortium
Considering OER &
Accessibility for Diverse
Learners
March 11, 2014 1

2. Collaborate Window Overview
Audio & Video
Participants
Chat

3. Today’s Agenda
• Introductions
• Accessibility Needs and Goals
• OER & Accessibility Considerations
• Case Study: Dyslexia in Modern
Language Learning Staff Development
• Resource Links
• Discussion
3

4. Welcome
Please introduce yourself in the chat
window
4
Una Daly,
Community College
Outreach Director
OCW Consortium
Chetz Colwell,
Manager Accessibility
Teaching and Learning
Open University
Mathilde Gallardo
SL/Staff Tutor
Modern Languages
Open University
Andy Lane
Environmental
Systems Professor
Open University

5. Open Education
Accessibility Needs & Goals
5
Una Daly, Community College Outreach Director
OCW Consortium

6. Sources: UNESCO, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
6
Open Educational Resources
Teaching, learning or
research materials that are
in the public domain or
released with an intellectual
property license that allows
for free use, adaptation, and
distribution. OER Logo 2012, J. Mello CC-BY

7. What is an Open License?
• Free: Free to access online, free to print
• Open: Reuse, Revise, Remix, Redistribute
• Creative Commons: less restrictions than standard
copyright but author retains full rights.

8. Examples
Includes –
• Course materials
• Lesson Plans
• Modules or lessons
• OpenCourseWare (OCW)
• Open textbooks
• Videos
• Images
• Tests
• Software
• Any other tools, materials, or techniques used
to support ready access to knowledge
8adapted from Judy Baker’s ELI 2011 OER Workshop cc-by license

9. Characteristics of OER
• Digital
– Easy to customize
– Free distribution
• Open License
– Reuse, Revise, Remix,
• No/Low cost
– Expands access to education
Labeled for reuse by MrKCoolsPhotostream

10. DIGITAL
+ ACCESSIBLE
OPEN LICENSE
OER Conundrum
10

11. Need for Accessibility
• ~1 billion worldwide have form of disability
World Report on Disability, 2011
• Disproportionate affect on health, education,
employment, and poverty World Report on
Disability, 2011
• 11% U.S. postsecondary students report
disability AIM Commission Report, 2011
• Many experience accessibility barriersAIM
Commission Report, 2011
11

12. • United Nations Convention on Rights
of Persons with Disabilities (2006)
– Ratified by 141 countries
• United Kingdom Equality Act (2010)
• Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)
• Canadian Human Rights Act (1985)
Treaties and Laws

13. Diverse Learner Challenges
• Cognitive learning disabilities
• Sensory or motor impairments
• Language deficits
• Lack of engagement
Kersti Nebelsiek CC-BY
Source: http://cast.org

14. OCWC Accessibility Goals
• Improve learning for all
– Universal, inclusive design
• Help curriculum developers
– Design OER to be accessible
• Empower faculty adopters
– Evaluate OER and adapt for accessibility
• Build a Community of Practice
– Open Univ, MERLOT, Inclusive Design Centre, NFB,.
Used with permission from Virtual Ability, Inc

15. Design & Guidelines
• Universal Design for Learning
– Providing multiple means of expression,
representation, & engagement
• Web Content Access Guidelines
(WCAG) 2.0
• Perceivable
• Operable
• Understandable
• Robust
http://www.cast.org/udl/ 15

16. Open Textbook Accessibility Reviews
Textbook: Collaborative Statistics
Accessibility reviewed by: Virtual Ability, Inc.
collegeopentextbooks.org
merlot.org

17. OER,
Accessibility & Strategic Alliances
http://oeraccess.merlot.org

18. Considering accessibility of OERs
for diverse learners
Chetz Colwell
Institute of Educational Technology
Open University, UK

19. Introduction
• The Open University (OU) has approx 200,000
students who are mainly studying at a distance
• Approx 20,000 students have declared a disability
• OU provides OERs as part of its charter to provide
education to the public
• OU has range of Open activities:
OpenLearn, iTunes U, OER Research Hub, Open
Research Online, FutureLearn (MOOCs and
platform).
• OU has long history of supporting disabled
students. Has programme of work to embed
inclusion in its curriculum

20. OER accessibility policy
• OU working towards a policy to address
questions such as:
– Is accessibility support in OERs ‘required’ or just
‘nice to have’?
– To what extent should OERs conform to the Web
Content Accessibility Guidelines?
– How can we achieve full inclusion of OERs without
stifling openness and innovation?
• Need to consider these in legal and pedagogic
contexts

21. UK legal context
• UK Equality Act requires Universities to avoid
discrimination against disabled people by making
'reasonable adjustments'
• Covers both formal and informal teaching &
learning
• How do we define what is ‘reasonable’?
– No test cases (as yet!)
– Some technical guidance on weighing up costs and
benefits, e.g. whether it is a core service and whether
it affects educational outcomes

22. Pedagogic context
• Regardless of legal context, the moral position to
enable disabled people to participate in formal
and informal learning
• Still need to resolve issues around access to
subject areas, such as STEM, Arts, Languages,
– These exist in formal teaching, but there may be less
resource available for making adjustments in OERs
• Floe Inclusive Learning Design Handbook
provides useful guidance and techniques but
does not help prioritise adjustments or navigate
legal contexts

23. Technical context
• WCAG gives us technical guidance, with
priorities, but lacks learning or legal context
• Authoring tools are
beginning to support
accessibility, such as
OERPub

24. In an ideal world
• Authors would fully understand the needs of diverse learners
– And know how to address them
– And not feel accessibility stifled their openness or innovation
• Institutions would have policies to guide authors and technical
developers
• Authoring tools would support authors in considering accessibility
– E.g. would create / prompt for accessibility-related metadata
• Delivery platforms would be fully accessible, e.g. MOOC platforms
• Further recommendations are made in Anna Gruszczynska's report:
– Creators would be supported with policies and guidance, and
strategies for simple fixes
– OER projects would address accessibility, etc.

25. Questions
• If accessibility for diverse learners is required
and not just nice to have, what steps are we
taking towards that ideal world?
• Acknowledgments:
– Tony O’Shea Poon, Head of Equality, Diversity and
Information Rights, OU
– Megan Beckett, Siyavula Education (Pty) Ltd.

26. Developing inclusive practice
through OEP and OER: the
Dyslexia and Modern Languages
project
Matilde Gallardo
The Open University, UK
m.gallardo@open.ac.uk)

27. Overview
 A Staff Development project at the Department of
Languages (OU) in 2013.
 Aimed to:
-raise awareness of SpLD and dyslexia in ML
learning
-share knowledge and good practice among tutors
-work collaboratively to design inclusive ML OER
-develop confident practitioners and, by extension,
support dyslexic students in their learning goals.

28. The context
 Second Language Acquisition, SLA, research and
dyslexia; concepts of learning and transferable skills.
 Adult language learners with dyslexia in Higher
Education.
 Areas of possible difficulties (students and teachers)
 Identified gaps:
 Lack of subject-specific resources for teachers
 Need for greater awareness of the challenges faced by
dyslexic adult language learners
 Guidelines for course writers, advisers and teachers

29. The work

30. Attention
deficit
disorder
Dysphasia
Autistic
spectrum
disorder
Dyspraxia
Dyslexia
Labels and definitions

31. Aspects of collaboration in the groups
• Roles and responsibilities
• Communication: timing, setting out work, choice of tools
• Differences between individuals:
- expectations, personal goals
- amount of time
- knowledge of subject matter
- level of engagement
• Sharing work – OER and OEP
• Commenting and peer review
• Sharing and developing expertise on an area of common
interest

32. Presentations in Elluminate

33. Staff Development

34. LORO
http://open.ac.uk

35. Resources on the LORO home page
http://loro.open.ac.uk/3353

36. http://loro.open.ac.uk/3340

37. http://loro.open.ac.uk/3353/

38. http://loro.open.ac.uk/3912/

39. Resource Links
• OER and Accessibility MERLOT Community
– http://oeraccess.merlot.org/
• FLOE Project Handbook
– http://handbook.floeproject.org/index.php/
• Open University OER
– http://www.open.ac.uk/about/open-educational-resources/
• OER Research Hub http://www.oerrhub.org
• A Guide to Good Practice: Supporting Students with
Dyslexia in Modern Languages http://loro.open.ac.uk/3912/
• CCCOER-OCW Open Textbook Reviews
– http://www.collegeopentextbooks.org/opentextbookcontent/acces
sibility-reviews-
• OCW Toolkit Accessibility Issues
– http://www.ocwconsortium.org/resources/toolkits/accessibility/ 39

40. Questions for Panelists
Contact Info:
Chetz Colwell, Chetz.Colwell@open.ac.uk
Una Daly, unatdaly@ocwconsortium.org
Matilde Gallardo m.gallardo@open.ac.uk
Andy Lane, Andy.Lane@open.ac.uk
http://openeducationweek.org