By Paul Smyth, Head of Digital Accessibility, Barclays

With under a month to go until TechShare Pro on Thursday 29th November, I’m getting really excited to learn more about tomorrow’s technology and the future for accessibility and inclusive design.

TechShare Pro is the UK's largest accessibility and inclusive design event, organised by AbilityNet and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

This year's theme is how we embed accessibility and inclusion in every digital project and I can’t wait to hear the latest from tech giants on their new gadgetry that re-defines what’s possible in empowering all users.

I’m also very keen to hear from people with disabilities sharing their perspective on how tech, designed for difference, is helping level the playing field.

There’s been a huge amount of change and challenge over 2018 since the last TechShare Pro.

And I’m personally proud that Barclays is hosting and supporting this year’s bigger, bolder and brighter event at Barclays HQ, Canary Wharf, London.

It fits nicely with one of our ambitions to burst the accessibility bubble and boost the reach and impact of accessible design to more people and tech organisations than ever before. 

In 2018, we’ve seen new legislation demanding accessibility, more consumers expecting accessibility and more organisations desiring it too. 

In short, more organisations are waking up to the multitude of benefits that an inclusive design mind-set brings and it’s never been a better time to get informed and involved.   

Many attendees will be keen to hear about the new built-in accessibility features within smartphones and smart speakers.

Or perhaps what’s coming with AI and robotics offering independent living or the freedom of self-driving cars.

For Barclays, we’ll be sharing some updates on our accessible bank services and how we embed accessibility at scale – think self-driving bank accounts!

We see a number of approaches to incorporating accessibility within an organisation and will be sharing some of the things we have learned, practical pointers and new resources from our journey to date.

This all helps to not only ‘mainstream’ accessibility settings into shiny new devices, but to democratise and mainstream accessibility know-how into the tech organisations building the shiny devices of tomorrow.

The future of accessibility and how it shapes people’s lives in tomorrow’s world is hugely exciting.

I look forward to exploring this with you at TechShare Pro 2018.

Visit the TechShare Pro website for more information, and book your tickets now before they sell-out.

2 in every 1,000 young people (under the age of 25) have vision impairment in the UK, according to the RNIB, and with future stats showing this number is likely to continue to rise with around 4.1 million people of all ages with sight loss in the UK by 2050, it’s important for us to invest thought and time in to alternative ways we can use technology to enhance education for students with visual impairment.

University life requires planning for all students and is often the first leap in to independent life. For students with sight loss this step may seem a little daunting, but it really shouldn’t be the reason not to make this jump into higher education. With the boom in technology there are some quite incredible apps which can help ignite that independence, from finding your seminar rooms without assistance to checking the sell by date on your milk required in coffee for that 8am lecture. There are apps that can positively impact your whole student experience.

Apps for students with sight loss

Seeing AI – This app is a fantastic piece of tech from Microsoft. It harnesses the power of AI to open up the visual world for those with visual impairments, it will describe nearby people, text and objects. Use the barcode and document reader to offer independence when opening confidential letters or cooking. Plus, it has some brilliant capabilities to recognise and describe faces: from gender, age, facial expression and other identifying characteristics. – We’ve had a lot of fun with this one in the office.

Google Keep - You can make simple text notes, tick lists; particularly good for shared shopping lists, take pictures and record short voice memos. Take a photo and you will have the option to 'grab image text' which will launch the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) engine that will place an editable copy of the text it finds under the original picture. You can either copy and paste this into an assignment or notes document or use it with the in-built text-to-speech available on most devices. Transcribe what is being said in real-time allowing short dictation and assistance with spelling. My favourite feature is the location-based reminders; you can set a note to notify you when you are in a specific location; your shopping list can ping you when you are in town, or the question you scribbled down to ask a lecturer will ping you when you are on-campus. 

Tile app – If like me you are known for misplacing items this could be the product for you. Tile is a key finder device which works with your phone. It allows users to locate lost items through Bluetooth or where they were last seen. The app can be easily added to key rings, bags or other items, once triggered on the app the tile beeps until you locate the item. It can also be used in reverse from the tile to find your phone – excellent

Blind Square – This is an accessible navigation app. It offers users the confidence to know where they are and where they’re going. It describes the environment, announces points of interest and street intersections as you travel. In conjunction with free, third-party navigation apps it is a powerful solution providing most of the information blind and visually impaired people need to travel independently.

Be My Eyes – This app is just brilliant, not only is it free but you can be a blind or sighted user. This app connects blind and low-vision people with sighted volunteers all over the world for visual assistance through a live video call. You could be checking the contents of a fridge or helping someone who may find themselves lost in a park. With over 1,765,788 volunteers and 102,204 blind or low vision users this app offers freedom in day to day tasks and also a great volunteering opportunity for others. A brilliant initiative.

Additional support

There is always additional support for students with sight loss at university, it’s important to talk to your student support services provided within your university, it may also be good to know AbilityNet has a free helpline for students with any queries about technology and disability. If you’d like to get in touch you can call 0800 269 545, email enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk or visit our student resources online.

Public transport such as trains, planes, buses and trams are vital for millions of people in the UK to get to work, to school or the shops every day. A good and reliable (cough) public transport system forms one of the essential elements of any vibrant economy. 

For people with disabilities, however, public transport is often the only option for getting from A to B. Having accessible buses and trains, then, is absolutely essential. Due to the very nature of 'public' transport, in an ideal world you would make every bus or train accessible as, sooner or later, someone with a disability or impairment will undoubtedly step (or roll) on board. We don't yet live in an ideal world, though, so the next best thing is to at least provide a sufficient number of accessible buses, say, in order that someone in a wheelchair isn't having to wait an unreasonable amount of time before being able to travel. As buses always come in threes, you may think that at least one in three buses made accessible is enough - and in some parts of the country it seems that the local bus provider agrees.

We all know that inclusive apps and websites are easier to use by everyone – and this definitely holds true for accessible buses and trains. If someone with a wheelchair can roll on board, then it’s also easier for people with a pram, trolley or heavy luggage too.

The government has recently published its Inclusive Transport Strategy which sets out the Government’s goal to create an equal access transport system by 2030. According to the strategy, autonomous vehicles, digital wayfinding systems and other technologies will play a key role in making transport more accessible for people with disabilities,

“Technology has huge potential to make transport much easier for disabled people and bring advantages to some people who will never otherwise get the benefits of the private car,” states the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) in the report. Nowhere could this be more marked than in the provision of driverless vehicles of all shapes and sizes offering choice to all travellers – each with their own particular needs.

A driverless car for you, and you, and you

By 2030 the concept of private car ownership will be as outdated as shoulderpads or feature phones. Every street in both inner cities and sleepy towns will have a number of quietly humming electric cars making their way to some unknown destimation, carrying one passenger or many. Each car will be as different from one another as animals in the zoo or fish in an aquarium – with one common factor being that they will never be still for more than 30 seconds or so as they pick up and drop off their passengers or payload.

The thought of cars just sitting inactive, taking up space and depreciating in value will be as alien to people then as the thought of us being ferried around by a car’s AI alone is to us today.

Even though car ownership will be rare in our transport vision of the future, there will still be a driverless car - perfect for your specific needs, whatever your needs are - mere minutes away. Want to travel alone? No problem. There’ll be the smallest pod possible ready to give you the greenest and most affordable ride arriving in 3 minutes. If you’re happy to share the cost of a ride, then larger vehicles that are going your way will intelligently pick up and drop off fellow travellers on the most efficient and cost-effective route for everyone involved. 

• Need a lift with a serious amount of luggage space to take your large family to the airport? There will be 4 to choose from, each under a mile away, regardless of the time of day.
• Want one with a bed? No problem – sleeping how many?
• What about an immersive VR experience on-board so that you can pretend you’re travelling across the streets of Mumbai or the surface of Mars? That might be 20 minutes away but nevertheless an option ready for the booking.

Accessible options for the booking

There will undoubtedly be an enormous choice available as companies compete to make their fleet of vehicles the most comfortable, competitive, feature-packed and versatile for the broadest possible range of customers. Moreover, unlike trains or buses, only one in every few vehicles need be accessible, for example, as the sheer availability and choice will ensure that a suitable car is only a few streets away. 

• Need a ride that accommodates your wheelchair or mobility scooter? No problem - it’ll be here in 6 minutes.
• Want a car big enough for your service dog? There’ll be dozens to choose from in your neighbourhood at any given time.

Alternatively, if you have allergies and need a vehicle that is a definite pet-free zone - done. The fleets on the streets and the options on your app will easily cover all eventualities.

Driverless cars – making private transport public

Why does such a vision of the future require autonomous vehicles? Why couldn’t it be realised today with actual humans at the wheel? There are many reasons, but the most significant relate to the economics and practicalities of private car ownership. Taxi drivers tend to drive their own vehicles and are reluctant to go long distances – or at least would charge an eye-watering amount to do so.

When car manufacturers are freed from having to satisfy the needs of drivers (to work only when they want to, go only where they wish to and use their car ‘out of hours’ for all the usual things that cars are used for), then they will be able to radically diversify and not be constrained to design them all around today’s standard theme. If it wasn't for the wheels we may not even recognise many of the autonomous vehicles of the future

So I believe we’re in for quite a ride - and it seems that Government is seeing the bigger picture too. In the report it confirms that Government is “committed to going a great deal further” than just the current measures covered in the strategy, and will be sure to “set a clear direction to the transport technology sector on the importance of inclusive design”; this includes working directly with older people and people with disabilities, and “challenging technology developers and designers on the extent to which they have considered the needs of disabled and older people in the design of a product or service.”

Let’s hope that that clear direction embraces the potential of personalised experiences that truly bridge the gap between public and private transport.

Related articles

• Could Microsoft’s in-car AI for driverless vehicles make us all safer and more equal? 
• How Accessible Smart Cities Will Help Disabled People 
• Why driverless Tesla has me excited about the future of autonomous cars for disabled people

Jennifer Harley is the University of Law’s teacher of the year 2018. As the University’s disability support service manager, she is responsible for ensuring that the students needing additional help feel welcome and supported at the university’s campuses.

As she prepares to receive her award for excellence in teaching and support for student learning, Jennifer shares some best practice on inclusivity for those working in the higher education sector.

Making enrolment and induction easier

University induction and enrolment can be quite a complicated, daunting and busy process, so we offer an early induction for anyone who, for example, might have mental health conditions, anxiety, autism, mobility or physical disabilities. It means the student gets more one-to-one time and it helps the transition into university life. Student Support Services, who are ultimately responsible for ensuring inclusion for disabled students, give a talk at every induction session in our London Campuses and a video is of the talk is shown at non-London Campuses.

Designing courses with inclusivity in mind

When courses are at design stage, we are clear that they should be created with inclusive principles. For example, consideration is given to the profile of our students with Disability Support Agreements to anticipate their needs, along with the needs of all students studying at the University of Law, to create an equitable learning environment. A practical example of this would be designing coursework tasks with enough time for most of the students to incorporate varying adjustments. We ask what activities and learning outcomes are being proposed and whether these consider a wide range of people with a range of abilities and needs. We follow the universal design for learning approach.

More options to learn and help with learning

We offer materials in a variety of different ways. We use online videos, feedback quizzes and interactive demonstrations. In house study skills videos are available which help to tackle the process of organising and taking in new information, retaining information, or dealing with assessments in a number of different ways. They include mnemonics, which helps with memory, effective reading and concentration techniques and VARK learning styles.

Attention to detail can make a lot of difference

We are conscious of the little things. For example, we have lecture capture for all our courses (this records the slides and the lecturer’s voice, plus optionally, a video of them speaking). We alter the colour of these documents/ videos from automatically having a gold colour background and black text, which is a difficult colour contrast for various groups of people - including those who are colour-blind and suffer with visual stress. Ultimately everyone is able to see the page more clearly with adjusted colours.

More flexibility in assessment methods

Law has traditionally involved exams, which don’t suit everyone. There have been some coursework tasks brought in instead, where possible, and we give everyone enough time to complete this work while meeting the learning outcomes set by our professional regulatory bodies.

Supporting staff to support students with disabilities

We’ve developed a lot of online resources for academic staff, particularly with regard to supporting students with specific learning difficulties or those who are blind or have anxiety - many of those who require additional support are in these categories. We offer guides on how difficulties might manifest for these students and what staff can do to help and be more inclusive. We follow pedagogy best practice (pedaogy = interactions between teachers, students, and the learning environment and the learning tasks) and have also trained staff in best practice on inclusivity.

Student feedback

We have a student feedback survey at the end of year and have an annual conference where there is a student voice, looking at what has and hasn’t been helpful. We also have disability liaison officers at each campus and this helps staff understand more, particularly about hidden disabilities.

Working with professional bodies and employers

I sometimes meet with law firms if a disabled graduate is due to start work there. We try to help with the transition into work, which can be harder for disabled students. Promisingly, we are starting to see more diversity and inclusion in the law industry. Managers at law firms want a diverse work force and we look for disability confident employers. We run a Disability Mentoring Scheme where we pair lawyers with students to help them navigate their journey into law. And, many law firms are actively recruiting Diversity and Inclusion Managers, demonstrating a commitment to a diverse future in law.

• Find out more about how AbilityNet works with disabled students at universities
• What can students expect from an inclusive higher education environment: A view from Brighton University
• Can tech help improve the experience of international students

Around 11% of students are registered disabled, meaning that eleven in every one hundred can expect to be allocated a disability advisor by their university plus funding to support their studies, and extra provision. There might also be support available for those with learning needs who aren’t registered disabled, ie because of an accident, temporary condition or anxiety for example.

So, how can disabled students know if their university is trying to create an inclusive learning environment? And what should they expect from a good university? Ian Carter (pictured), manager of student services at Brighton University, home to 24,000 students, has helped us put together some advice. In his role Ian is responsible for inclusive practice at the university and supporting provision for disabled students. He is also vice chair of the NADP - the professional association for disability and inclusivity practitioners.

What can a disabled student expect from their university?
 

1 Disabled Student Allowance

If you are registered as disabled in the UK then you can expect to be allocated a disability support advisor and an assessment around your learning needs. This is called a DSA (Disabled Student Allowance) assessment. These are often carried out by outside organisations such as AbilityNet (a charity). You can fill in the DSA HE Support Checker here. If you are not registered as having a disability, but are experiencing issues that mean you need extra time or support with learning, including a temporary condition or an accident or anxiety, there might still be support available - ask at student services.

2 Understanding of the way you learn

What do you need to learn in the best way possible? A good university will pay attention to this. You are right to expect support from your university for your needs and for adaptions to be made which help with your learning. For example, if you have anxiety, perhaps you can provide video recorded presentations rather than speaking in front of a group. If you’re dyslexic, you can ask not to be assessed on grammar and spelling. What else would help you? Discuss this with student services.

3 Consideration of the best way to do assessments

It doesn’t work for everyone to do just one three hour exam for a whole course. As much as possible, a forward-thinking university will try to offer alternatives. On a practical level, some students will need support from an assistant, or to use speech-to-text methods, which might not work in a room full of people and so will need separate space. Ideally there should be a variety of types of assessment to cover different learning styles and different exam rooms if needed, or perhaps an online exam option if it is appropriate and workable.

4 Adjustment and updating of courses to fit your abilities

For many years, newspaper journalism students were expected to pass a shorthand exam. It’s now recognised that this isn’t doable or suitable for some students because of a disability and other note taking methods are available. Thanks to universities' conversations with the National Council for Training of Journalists, it is no longer essential for journalism students to pass this exam if they have a disability which makes it difficult or impossible. Courses are often set by professional bodies but can change over time and with feedback, so don’t think there is no room for adjustment.

5 Availability of resources online

Do the rooms you use have lecture capture options so that more students can have easy access to lectures and lecture notes? This is useful for a whole range of students, not just those who are dyslexic or who have a cognitive disability or difficulties. Can you use mobiles to record and to take photos, assuming the subject matter is not confidential? Are presentations put up on the student intranet before lectures? What do your friends get at other universities that is helpful and could you ask for the same? The university website should be fully inclusive and accessible too otherwise this it breaches the UK Equality Act 2010.

6 Extra circular support for disabled students or those with additional needs

What else is on offer outside of lectures to support you and make you feel comfortable and as happy as possible? Five years ago Brighton University started offering students on the autism spectrum the opportunity to come and stay at the university with friends or family for a residential, ahead of beginning university. Students can take part in a gaming night and normally start to make good friends and swap numbers by the end of the evening. The uni also supports a self-managed social group for students on the autism spectrum called the ‘A’ Team, which helps fund different social events chosen by members.

Find out more about how disabled students and those with additional learning needs can get support, here. 

• 7 apps to help reduce anxiety at university
• How DSA helped students Maddie and James achieve their goals
• Mind-mapping software helps Bristol Uni student with dyslexia, after AbilityNet DSA assesment

For more about AbilityNet's services, click here or call 0800 269 545 in office hours. 

Over 20% of the world’s population has a disability and in the UK the combined spending power of people with disabilities and their families, also called the Purple Pound, is £249 billion a year. For this reason, ensuring your products and services are accessible and able to be used by people with disabilities makes good business sense.

Whether you're a small company just starting up or a larger corporation that's been in operation for a long time, we know there may be challenges in sourcing information that will allow you to make your products and services fully accessible. As an Accessibility and Usability Consultant at AbilityNet I've worked with our Digital Accessibility Services team to produce this seven-step guide to making your digital product accessible to all users, including those with disabilities.

Digital services can provide a level of independence to people with disabilities that they've never experienced before. A person who may not be able to walk to their local bank due to a physical disability can complete financial transactions using a banking app. A person who is blind can shop online rather than in-store using their computer and a screenreader, which is a piece of assistive technology that describes the visual information displayed on a computer screen. In both examples the digital service on offer allows greater ease of access for the customer compared to navigating to a shop in-person and then requiring assistance from someone in-shop. If you don’t design your websites and apps in an accessible way you are not only losing customers - you are denying people with disabilities their independence.

1. accessibility shouldn’t be an after-thought

Make sure you consider accessibility throughout each part of a project and don’t leave it until the last moment. It will save you a lot of time and money if different access needs are considered throughout research, design, development and testing phases. Retro-fitting accessibility can be stressful, painful and extremely challenging. An inclusive approach which is well-planned will ensure you have a more usable product/service which can be enjoyed by a greater number of your customers.

2. use personas

Using personas of people with situational, temporary and permanent disabilities will help you to understand the diverse needs of your customers. Conduct user testing on your website or app using people with disabilities when possible. Barclays' free Diverse Personas guide is available online and can be used to help people designing products and services to understand the needs of customers with different disabilities.

3. simplify language

Try to ensure you simplify language as much as possible so your content is accessible to as many people as possible. At the Government Digital Service (GDS) they try to ensure their content has an average reading age of nine. People with low literacy levels filling in passport forms, as an example, then have a much better chance of completing their tasks. There are a lot of great tips on language from the GDS. 

4. colour contrast

Ensuring you have good colour contrast makes content easier to read for people with low vision and also for any users accessing your website or app when out in the sunshine. You can check your colours using Check My Colours which analyses the colour contrast of web pages.

5. provide descriptions

You can provide descriptions to every image using alt text. Decorative images should have empty alt so they can be ignored by screenreaders. This includes adding captions for images on social media. You can review our articles on adding alt text to Facebook images and how to make your Tweets accessible. A quick web search should produce some great advice for web pages too. 

6. provide subtitles for video

With people increasingly using their smartphones on the move there has been a large increase in stats of video views without sound. Recently it was shared that around 85% of Facebook video views are with sound muted. This statistic makes a great case for subtitling your content. You should provide subtitles and transcripts for video content as this helps people who are hard-of-hearing, who may not have English as their first language and the 4 million non-disabled users whose preference is to use subtitles according to the ODI. 

Transcripts for videos particularly help people who are deaf and blind as they can convert the text to braille. YouTube offers a great free service with closed captions which can now be edited, but for embedding captions we recommend adopting others services to assist with captioning video content.

Quick and easy test: turn off the sound and watch your video. Does it make sense if not provided with subtitles and a transcript?

7. use native html

When possible ensure you use native html elements such as buttons, links and select boxes, as they are inherently accessible with assistive technologies such as screenreaders. If you need to develop custom elements ensure they have the appropriate ARIA support which will ensure they are accessible by assistive technology. HTML is a preferred format to PDF but if you need to use PDF ensure you tag correctly for accessibility. For more information on understanding how semantic HTLM can be used to enhance accessibility see the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1

Quick test: unplug your mouse and ensure you can fully navigate and interact with buttons, links and forms on your website just by using the keyboard. This will dramatically improve the accessibility of your website for people who cannot use a mouse and for screenreader users.

AbilityNet can help

At AbilityNet our aim is to make the digital world a more accessible place. We offer a range of free and expert paid-for services for people at home, at work and in education. AbilityNet has a range of resources and expert knowledge we share with our clients and on our website. If you'd like to know more about our services you can contact us by calling 0800 269 545, email enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk or visit the Digital Accessibility Services section of our website.

AbilityNet’s accessibility and disability consultant Raphael Clegg-Vinell challenged delegates at the London Chapter of World Interaction Design Day last month to think about inclusive design differently.

Often apps and websites - even those run by large companies - do not adhere to inclusive design principles and end up excluding many thousands of potential customers. “I wanted to get across that inclusive design is a different concept to accessibility,” said Raphael. “Often clients come to us late in the development of a site or app and we can make small tweaks to make sure they adhere to accessibility guidelines. We will look at how they can make things technically accessible for people who are blind or deaf for example. "

It's impossible to design for everyone

“But with inclusive design, from very early on, you’re looking at how you can design for as many people as possible. Inclusive design is about accepting you can’t design something which works for absolutely everyone, but looking at your audience and designing for as many people as possible. We don’t mean just for apps and websites, but for services too such as checkouts, for example.

"Some obvious points might be to not have lots of buttons very near to each other on a screen. If someone struggles with dexterity for whatever reason - they could have a disability, less mobility with old age, but perhaps even long fingernails could be an issue. It makes sense to put more space between buttons and therefore design for a much wider number of people.”  

Raphael was joined by Dr Madeleine Pritchard, a research fellow and speech and language therapist at City, University of London. Together they challenged participants at the event co-run by Adobe and the London chapter of the Interaction Design Association ( IxDA) to redesign an app using inclusive design principles. 

Cognitive disabilities and accessibility

They presented some of the key differences between accessibility and inclusive design and progressed to look more specifically at cognitive disabilities and accessibility. “Cognitive disabilities and accessibility is something that’s often overlooked,” said Raphael. “We explored the subject and participants were given exercises to demonstrate what happens when each of us comes into contact with interfaces, particularly when they’re complex and busy.  

“Workshop attendees were then given a design challenge focusing on re-designing an app to benefit people in a range of environments and with different access needs.”

The IxDA, which leads the day, has over 200 local groups globally and over 100,000 individuals. It brings together interaction designers and people interested in the discipline from all sorts of different job roles.

Raphael said: “The day was a great success. Positively, inclusion and diversity in design has been gaining lots of traction recently and many companies are starting to realise the benefits it brings to their business and brand. Personally, myself and Madeleine were pleased with the workshop we ran and we received lots of kind feedback afterwards. We look forward to the next Interaction Design Day.”

More information

• The inaugural World Interaction Design Day (#IxDD) took place on 25th September with more than 70 events in over 30 different countries. The theme for this year was ‘Diversity and Inclusion in Design’ - checkout the trailer for the event. 
• Adobe streamed many of the presentations, panels, showcases and workshops. You can find a selection here.
• For more help with inclusive design, click here.

The Students' Union at the University of Manchester recently voted to drop clapping, whooping and cheering in favour of "jazz hands" to help reduce anxiety amongst people for whom social situations can be very stressful. We've seen a big increase in stress and mental health issues in the work we do supporting students so we recognise what an impact this can have on a person's studies.

We also know that many people don't realise how technology can help reduce stress and help them feel more in control of their studies.

Change brings stress

According to the Guardian up to a third of the population will experience an anxiety disorder or panic attacks at some point in their life. Levels of stress and anxiety can change when we least expect it - but most people report an increase when they’re in a new environment, such as starting university.

It's understandable that students may feel overwhelmed with deadlines, a change of location, managing finances and the pressures of maintaining a good work/life balance. But, there are ways to help minimise the stress. 

Useful apps and advice for anxiety

1. Exercise

Exercise is a great way to reduce stress and the Nike+ training app is a comprehensive and stylish app. It offers workouts of varying endurance, mobility and strength, from short, 15-minute workouts to longer endurance sessions, so you can constantly change up your workout and keep it exciting.

2. Take time out

The Calm app can help teach the skill of meditation, help encourage restful sleep, provides information on mindful movement and offers music to help you focus and relax. 

Adult colouring books are all the rage, and Colorfy puts a digital twist on this calming technique, choose from a range of images from flowers to cute animals, just tap the section and colour away.  

3. Planning and organising

Google Keep is an electronic post-it notes app that can make simple text notes and checklists - you can take pictures, use the touchscreen for handwriting/sketch input and record short voice memos. It has a nice, visual, tile-based interface and synchronises between app and the web. It also has location-based reminders, so you can set a note to notify you when you are in a specific location; your shopping list can ping you when you are in town, or the question you scribbled down to ask a lecturer will ping you when you are on campus.

4. Mental health support

Your Students Union will be loaded with plenty of useful help, advice and knowledge of local groups where you can talk with like-minded people. You can also contact Student Minds the UK's student mental health charity, they aim to 'transform the state of student mental health so that all in higher education can thrive'.

5. Finance management

Monzo is a new way of managing your banking. A few friends have tried this and are very happy about the positive money management it gives them. You can set spending targets as monthly targets for spending on things like groceries and going out.

You'll be able to see an overview of your account any time, sorted by what you spend on, with notifications if you’re spending too fast. It also appears to be great for travels, if you're lucky enough to have a break away during your studies, you can use the card all around the world. 

6. Advice for accessible events

Events like a Students Union meeting can be a minefield for all sorts of reasons. Most people would understand the need to make rooms wheelchair accessible, but there are many other issues to consider. From removing physical barriers to avoiding loud music, we've pulled together our best top tips for accessible events 

7. Extra help for students in Higher Education

Don't forget that students with anxiety may be eligible for the Disabled Student Allowances (DSAs) these are grants to help meet the extra course costs students face because of a disability or learning difference. DSAs are paid on top of the standard student finance package, or on their own. 

You don't have to pay DSAs back and they're not counted as income when working out whether you get benefits or Tax Credits.

Use our free HE support checker to see whether you could be eligible for DSAs or other support.

How can AbilityNet help?

• Whether you are a student, student adviser, parent or guardian we can help
• Review our expert resources for mental health
• Call our free helpline 0800 269 545
• Email us on enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk
• Sign up for our student services monthly newsletter
• Take a look at our range of expert resources for students and advisors

As a student services manager at Brighton University, Ian Carter’s (pictured) role includes responsibility for inclusive practice and disability, ensuring that disabled students can learn in the best possible environment across the university’s five campuses.

At least 11% of the UK University’s 24,000 students are registered disabled, meaning that 11 in every 100 could have a disability advisor and funding to support their studies and extra provision. But with government cutting back on disabled student funds, universities are having to make their environments more inclusive for disabled students in order to keep up or improve their reputation and maintain / increase student satisfaction.

Below, Ian offers his tips and advice for universities and staff looking to become more inclusive, from moving some module assessments online to allow students to take exams in their own time and by their own methods, and offering pre-term gaming nights for students on the autism spectrum to feel more at ease.

1. Check whether the learning environment is inclusive 

Where possible we try to follow the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which means providing as many different options as possible for students with their learning, eg allowing students with anxiety to provide video recorded presentations or not assessing grammar and spelling for students with dyslexia.

We identify problems inherent in the curriculum. I.e., if there is only one assessment style for a course, for example - one three hour exam - this could provide complexities for large numbers of the cohort.

Some students might require a room by themselves because they need to use speech-to-text to give their answers. Other students might have an assistant with them to help read questions. And we might need a separate hall for students with dyslexia to have extra time. The UDL model instead looks at removing barriers to make things inclusive for everyone. 

2. Look at whether online assessments would be more appropriate 

Our MBA attracts a very diverse mix of students in terms of age, background and disabilities and some modules now use an online assessment instead of a three-hour open book exam. We feel this suits the needs of a larger number of the students.

The assessment is open online for a whole weekend to give students in different time zones, some of who are working full time, the space to complete. It means those who need a reader or to use speech-to-text, or more time, can have it without us making extra provision.

Tutors also know the students and their abilities, so can use their own judgement on whether a student is capable of the work that’s been submitted. We’ve had brilliant feedback with doing this the last three years, and are now considering how appropriate this method might be for other open book exams. 

3. Professional bodies might be more flexible about courses than you realise

A lot of courses are set by the professional standards bodies in those sectors, i.e. the National Council for the Training of Journalists sets the course outline for journalism courses. Departments often believe that these courses are unchangeable, but we’ve found that lots of professional bodies are very willing to have conversations about how the learning environment can be made inclusive.

For example, it used to be the case that all newspaper journalism students had to pass a shorthand exam. The Equalities Act has helped open things up and promoted conversations about what is suitable for different students. It’s still the case that 80% of journalism students will pass their shorthand, but everyone recognises that there are other methods of note taking if the student struggles with shorthand because of a disability. 

4. The National Association of Disability Practitioners (NADP) has a lot of learning to share

I’m one of thirteen directors of the NADP, which has around 1300 members. We use a JISC mail group for members where a lot of great advice and best practise is shared about how to support disabled students. We’ll share case studies and situations to glean knowledge of what’s working. 

5. Make sure any new facilities are created with inclusivity in mind

Often we are tinkering around the edges with changing things within the current structure, but with new and refurbished teaching rooms we can consider various lecture capture options so that more students have easy access to lectures and lecture notes.

We still have more than 300 rooms that are not new and where possible we allow students to use their mobile devices to record and to take photos. Most PowerPoint presentations are put up on the student intranet before lectures.

We say that lecturers should allow students to record lectures if they want to, but they don’t have to if there are concerns around DPR or confidentiality. There are 2000 academics at the university and everyone has different ways of working. It’s difficult to enforce the same rules with everyone. 

6. Talk to your IT advisors for help on accessibility and inclusivity

You can make use of IT in classroom to increase inclusivity. Our academics talk to our IT advisors about how they can adapt the environment and use technology in the best possible way for all students. 

7 Make use of outside resources and experts

Adam Tweed, disability support advisor at AbilityNet came in to talk to us about apps and tech we could use to support student’s mental health and other disabilities. Thirteen staff including a number from our IT department came to this and it proved very useful. 

8. Going the extra mile with supporting disabled students

Five years ago we started offering students on the autism spectrum the opportunity to come and stay with friends or family for a residential, ahead of beginning university. At the time we only had about 10 students identifying as being on the spectrum, but numbers have increased.

We hold a gaming night and by the end of the night the students have usually made friends and set up a WhatsApp or Facebook group. We also support a self-managed social group for students on the autism spectrum called the ‘A’ Team which helps fund different social events chosen by members.

Further reading

• Find out more about AbilityNet's inclusive tech days for education.
• Use our HE Support Checker to see whether you may be eligible for Disabled Students Allowances. 
• AbilityNet runs DSA assessment centres around the country - learn more about disability support for students.
• We have lots of great content for students with a disability, check them out here

There are some fantastic support resources available for students with dyslexia; support that is likely to be equally useful to students without dyslexia. World Dyslexia Awareness Week 2018 is taking place from October 1st - 7th and this year's theme being #21stCenturyDyslexia.

In support of World Dyslexia Awareness Week we’ve pulled together some apps, advice and support we think is most valuable to students with dyslexia. Ten percent of the population are dyslexic; four percent severely so, according to the British Dyslexia Association. That is around one in every 10 people and estimated to be approximately six million people in the UK.

Like other learning differences such as dyspraxia and dyscalculia, dyslexia is linked with brain wiring, it does not affect intelligence. Dyslexia causes a change in abilities with learning, reading and writing. But, we believe dyslexia should not be the reason to stop anyone from going to university.

Dyslexia's known characteristics

Dyslexia has been linked to some exceptional positive characteristics including advanced creativity, great problem-solving skills, a lively imagination and a holistic approach to projects, all fantastically employable skills. There are many great leaders too who speak openly about their dyslexia and are brilliant role models for us all, these include Richard Branson, Stephen Spielberg and Bill Gates, all people who embraced their skills and have made fundamental impacts within their industries.

It is important to emphasise that every student's needs will be unique to them and no two students with dyslexia will require the same initial support, it's good to try a range of apps and see which ones work for each individual.

It's certainly understandable that on top of the anxiety we all experience from new environments that students with dyslexia would be apprehensive about putting themselves in a new academic environment. But, this really needn't be a barrier for furthering education.

Three popular apps for Dyslexia

1. Microsoft to do: Still in it's early-days on this but it appears to be potentially very powerful. It can be used as a simple to-do list with items added and ticked off when complete, but it will also integrate with Outlook to recognise when you write something like “I’ll get that to you Thursday” and will ask you if you would like this added to your list for completion on Thursday. It also reports to intelligently suggest priorities
2. Study ambiance: This app is available on Android only but has a selection of background noise tracks ranging from the crackle of a fireplace to the sound of light rain. There are six tracks available o ffline and many more online ranging from ‘thunderstorm’ to ‘library’. You can listen to the tracks on their own or combine each of them with a choice of piano, guitar, music box or Alpha waves. Alternatively you can try Noisili, a free online alternative. 
3. Office Lens: This free app from Microsoft turns your phone into a ‘smart’ scanner correcting perspective in a capture so as to crop a picture to fill the screen; this is useful for handwritten notes but also captures of information from whiteboards for example. You are then able to save as a picture, as a pdf, save to online storage (OneDrive) or into the free notetaking OneNote. The iOS version is also able to access the Immersive Reader feature of the Microsoft Learning Tools and will therefore read out text in close to realtime.

Don't forget that students with dyslexia may be eligible for the Disabled Student Allowances (DSA) these are grants to help meet the extra course costs students face because of a disability. DSAs are paid on top of the standard student finance package, or on their own. You don't have to pay DSAs back and they're not counted as income when working out whether you get benefits or Tax Credits. You can see if you’re eligible for DSA’s with our free HE support checker.

AbilityNet can help

Whether you are a student, student adviser, parent or guardian we can help:

• Download our Dyslexia factsheet
• Call our free helpline 0800 269 545
• Email us on enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk
• Or sign up for our student services monthly newsletter.