Accessibility - University of Kent

Accessibility - University of Kent
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Accessibility at Kent
​
University of Kent.
Accessibility at Kent
Accessible Information Team
Supporting Kent students
The
Accessible Information team
are part of
Student Support
and Wellbeing
. We are here to assist students with disabilities,
neurodivergence or Specific Learning Differences (SpLDs) to access learning in
ways that work for them through assistive technology and by providing
alternative formats of teaching materials.
We also provide guidance and
resources for staff and students creating accessible content and can support
departments to ensure they are compliant with accessibility regulations and
sector best practice.
Want to discuss your assistive technology or alternative
format needs? Book a one-to-one with our team!
Book a student appointment
Contact us
Accessibility resources and information
Your learning your way
Find out more about using alternative formats and assistive technology to enhance your learning
Software finder
Free software and tools you can use to improve your digital learning experience and accessibility
Make your content accessible
Creating and checking accessible materials and digital content for staff or students
Why accessibility matters
The social model of disability and relevant legal requirements
Accessibility guides and resources
Please
contact us
if you need any of these resources in an alternative format.
Microsoft Teams: Accessibility features
Set up and use accessible meeting options including Sign Language Interpreter mode, customised live captions, and screen reader and voice commands
Accessible and inclusive content guide (PDF)
Guidance on key things to remember when creating content including social media and marketing, documents and webpages.
Accessible and sustainable events guide (PDF)
General tips on creating and hosting accessible and sustainable events for all staff.
Deaf friendly higher education (PDF)
Guide from National Deaf Children's Society.
Teaching a British Sign Language (BSL) user
Tips on teaching BSL users.
Working with BSL interpreters (PDF)
This external guide gives tips on working with BSL interpreters effectively.
Guidance for Kent staff
The
Accessibility Champions Network is comprised of staff from across the
University, regardless of function, department or campus. It is like-minded
people coming together to share best practice, hear about related news and
events, and get advice and tips for embedding accessible principles in your
area of work. You can get as involved as you like; come along to every event,
dip in when it’s something you fancy, or keep an eye on what we’re up to at a
distance – it’s up to you!
We meet on
Teams once a term and there’s no set agenda – just updates, sharing ideas and
showcasing accessible practices you can use in your work. All are welcome and you don’t need to
stay for the whole thing if you don’t want to.
There’s also
a mailing list and a Teams team so that staff can all share guidance, post
questions and generally chat about all things accessibility!
Contact us
to get access to these.
Please do
share this information with friends and colleagues that may be interested.
If you are the business owner of a digital platform or app used at Kent, you may need an Accessibility Statement, to help users use it in a way that works for them. Sometimes you can use the third party provider's statement, but you will need to write an additional one if you have changed the content or functionality. Accessibility statements need to be refreshed annually, or after any significant updates. See which Accessibility Statements we already hold on our
A-Z webpage
or
get in touch
if you think you might need to create/refresh one for your digital service - we can help!
We have a number of resources to help you make your teaching more inclusive and accessible, and we can provide bespoke training or awareness sessions.
Get in touch
to find out more.
We work closely with a local interpretation agency,
Interpreting Matters
. If you'd like help or advice about booking a BSL interpreter for your event/activity please
contact us
.
Want to enhance your team's disability/accessibility awareness? We can arrange bespoke internal or external training and/or consultancy to support your department.
Contact us
to find out more.
Inclusive design matters!
In the UK, at least 1 in 5 people have a long term illness, impairment or disability
Social model of disability
The social model of disability suggests that it is society or the environment that is disabling
×
Kent alumnus Professor Mike Oliver, the first Professor of Disability Studies in the UK, talks about his life and ground breaking work creating the social model of disability.
The OPERA project
OPERA
was a university-wide project to mainstream solutions for embedding accessibility, originally developed in partnership with the Joint Information Systems Committee (Jisc).
In 2018 OPERA won the Times Higher Education Award four Outstanding Support for Students.
Times Higher Education Awards Winner 2018
Further support
Accessibility at Kent
Kent Digital Accessibility Policy
Kent accessibility statements
Accessibility support for staff (EDI team)
Local accessibility support
Kent County Council Local Directory
B.S.L Community
Kent Association for the Blind
Mess Room: Inclusive arts company
Hi (hearing impaired) Kent
Get connected
Join our virtual community
on social media
Connect with us on twitter
Connect with us on instagram
Connect with us on youtube