What does this mean?
The UCL E-Learning Baseline 2019 (section 7.2) has been updated to include the requirement for a course-level digital accessibility statement (in other words, one for each space on Moodle).
In keeping with the Equality Act 2010 and more recent legislation regarding the accessibility of public sector websites and apps, accessibility statements should be provided in order to guide site users on known issues, options for alternative access to resources or information, and support available if required.
These course-level statements should focus on the resources provided within the course and are not required to comment on the accessibility of the UCL Moodle platform itself which will be covered separately (link).
How should this be added?
The relevant section of the Baseline states:
7.2. Provide a brief, course-level accessibility statement containing any additional guidance and indicating who to contact (e.g., module leader, administrator) to request an alternative format for any resource.
We suggest adding a label or page to the area of the course which gives a general overview of its contents and titling this 'Digital Accessibility Statement'.
Example text follows:
UCL is committed to equity of opportunity for all students, including those with disabilities and specific learning difficulties. We are working to improve the digital accessibility of our learning resources and platforms, but recognise that some resources provided may not currently be accessible to all students.
[Here, if possible, state what resources are accessible and which are thought to present possible accessibility issues – example follows.]
· In this course we provide a range of resources in Word, PowerPoint and PDF format which are keyboard navigable accessible to students using a screen reader [if applicable, include: except in the case of scanned readings, which will need to be converted to an accessible text-based format].
· In [Weeks X, Y] we include links to videos which currently do not have captions or transcripts.
If you require an accessible version (e.g. an alternative format) of any of the resources used in this module, please contact XXX@ucl.ac.uk.
