If you’re wondering where to start when talking with staff about disability and accessibility issues, can I recommend the following websites? One of the best I’ve ever seen is:

http://members.aol.com/srousell/sim-dis/index.htm

‘This site contains a collection of computer based artifacts that simulate aspects of disability. It is intended that the simulations will be used for training and awareness raising activities with staff and for teaching students in areas where an understanding of disability is required.’
Unfortunately, there’s no contact name of the site or I’d nominate him for an awareness raising award!

http://jarmin.com/demos/project/index.html

‘ The DEMOS project ran from 2000 to March 2003 and was funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England under strand three of the initiative 'Improving Provision for Students with Disabilities'.
The project developed an online learning package aimed specifically at academic staff and examined the issues faced by disabled students in higher education.’
This is an easy to use set of modules which looks at a range of disability issues in HE but is relevant for us all.

It’s always good to start at the beginning with http://www.techdis.ac.uk/

‘ The JISC TechDis service aims to improve provision for disabled staff and students in the further, higher and specialist education sectors through technology. Achieving this takes several routes. TechDis provides an advice and information resource via extensive web-based databases and an email helpdesk. These resources should be the first port of call for anyone in education who has a question relating to disability and technology.

The TechDis staff also pursue outreach into the community by delivering presentations and facilitating workshops at cross-institutional events. Staff development workshops are held monthly on a range of issues relating to disability and technology in education. TechDis are also developing standalone staff development resources on a range of themes to enable particular issues to be discussed in more detail within institutions and departments.’

We would like to know more about your use of Blackboard in relation to accessibility issues. Please get in touch via the Feedback link in BbMatters Active.