|
Name of Student |
Matthew |
|
Degree Programme |
BSc Computer Science |
|
Year / Level of Study |
Year 4 (Final Year) |
|
Type of Institution |
Campus-based |
|
Disability |
Visual Conditions: Ocular Albinism & Nystagmus |
|
Case Study methodology |
Interviews with student and academic tutor. Observation of
student |
|
Learning & Teaching Contexts |
Various (including accessing online resources, lectures,
examinations, and work placement) |
|
Specific Issues / Key Terms |
Transition, graphical / visual material, visual
presentational methods, mathematical equations |
This Case Study focuses
on the experience of Matthew, a final year student in the Faculty Of Science at
a campus-based University. As well as detailing Matthew’s experiences the Case
Study incorporates the perspective provided by one of his academic tutors (AT),
and observation of the student during a tutorial session.
NOTE: Matthew has
consented to his name being used in this Case Study. To safeguard the anonymity
of his academic tutor, he is referred to as AT throughout this Case Study.
INTRODUCTION
Matthew
is a final year (Y4) BSc student studying ‘Computer Science’. Matthew has two
conditions that affect his sight: Ocular Albinism and Nystagmus. Ocular
Albinism makes Matthew sensitive to light, whilst Nystagmus makes it difficult
for Matthew to focus. Additionally, Matthew has great difficulty in reading LED
clocks and displays.
For
reading, Matthew needs to be very close to the source material. Matthew prefers
text in a large print format with the text in appropriate sans-serif fonts
(such as Arial, Verdana etc.). Matthew has reading glasses and also makes use
of a magnifier.
To
access text on a computer screen Matthew makes use of screen magnification
software. His preference is for Linux software and he finds that the Linux
operating system is more openly designed for users requiring similar
accessibility. Linux offers more options and the scope to set up visual
presentations to the users needs. To access the Internet, Matthew uses the
Mozilla Firefox web browser as this has many accessibility features and offers
options for resetting text to precise requirements thus enhancing navigation.
For
Matthew, the type of screen and monitor is also important. Matthew prefers
LCD/TFT (Liquid Crystal Display/Thin Film Transistor) screens, as they offer
him the least difficulty, mainly due to the quality of light they produce.
Matthew attended mainstream schools. At primary and secondary schools he did not see accessibility as an issue. Teachers were very supportive and a number of adjustments (e.g. the use of a sloping desk, provision of large print books, and photocopying of required text) were made. In addition, a note-taker was provided for ‘German’ as the typical text-style in this subject was not easily accessible to Matthew.
On progressing to Sixth-form College, Matthew became far more aware of the issues and the potential difficulties that he might experience in continuing his education. Here, a more ‘corporate’ approach was in place, with a designated unit to support disabled students. As a result, Matthew felt ‘categorised’, and the provision of specialist equipment (e.g. a bigger Computer screen) made Matthew feel more reliant upon support and consequently a little bit ‘segregated’. Matthew speaks highly of the learning experience and the support of teachers. He does, however, comment that the provision of a note taker (and the subsequent need to write up notes) created an issue regarding time, whilst exam arrangements (a separate room for Matthew) were far from ideal. As preparation for higher education, Matthew was encouraged to exercise greater independence and to know about his preferences regarding fonts etc.. This Matthew found very helpful.
When
Matthew applied to attend university, he was given some advice most notably on
subjects that because of their practical nature might provide issues of
accessibility. Matthew chose his degree subject, however, more on what subject
interested him most, and what subject he would be most competent in. Whilst
accessibility was a consideration for Matthew it was not an over-riding factor
in either his choice of subject or university.
Matthew’s
needs were assessed prior to entering university. The department concerned were
informed in advance of the hardware / software required and the nature of
support that Matthew would require. As a result Matthew did not expect to
experience major difficulties when starting his degree programme. Matthew soon
discovered, however, that the ‘system’ only just about worked for non-disabled
students. There was no ‘float time’ built into the system to accommodate
disabled students like himself. Notably, notes required for the first four
weeks were only provided in accessible format a few weeks later. Matthew
describes the academic side of the experience of his first year as “complete
misery and despair”. He feels fortunate that he was only required to pass his
year 1 examinations and the results of these do not count towards his overall
degree classification. Matthew cites the lack of awareness amongst his tutors
about the need for accessible material (and how to respond to this need) as the
critical element in his first-year experience.
Matthew
remarks that his experiences led to an opportunity for a meeting with the head
of department and the head of registry. Along with increased focus being given
to the SENDA regulations, bringing these issues to a head led to a marked
change of awareness amongst academic staff within his department and a
realisation that there were solutions to the difficulties that Matthew was
experiencing. Matthew himself was given the opportunity through discussion to
‘educate’ staff about his needs and the solutions available, and to inform
staff of which websites were more accessible and which were not, and the
reasons for this. As a result Matthew now feels that the academic staff within
the department are far more aware of accessibility issues and that his
experiences are consequently much more positive.
LEARNING & TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Matthew has
experienced a number of barriers in learning and teaching situations. The
following are some of the most relevant experiences and the strategies that
have been adopted to address potential barriers:
Matthew
experienced a number of difficulties during lectures, especially during the first
year of his course. During the first two years of the course Matthew had a
note-taker but has now decided to work without one. Matthew found that as the
note-taker was not a specialist in the subject area that critical information
might be missed as the note-taker would not know what was important and what
was not. In addition, the provision of a note-taker presented, for Matthew,
another layer of complexity. At the start of his final year Matthew decided
that a note-taker no longer provided added value to him and he decided to work
without one.
Matthew currently uses a lap-top during lectures. Matthew
downloads the lecture notes, which are posted on the departmental website, for
the lecture concerned onto his laptop. He then adds notes onto these during the
lecture. If information is conveyed by OHP, a copy of the transparency is
provided for Matthew. Observation of the student during a tutorial involving up
to forty students confirmed the value of this practice as Matthew was unable in
the time provided to take down the full text of answers given to previous
examination questions.
Matthew e-mails ‘new’ lecturers in advance to make his
accessibility needs known. Despite these arrangements Matthew still experiences
some difficulty. Notably he speaks of issues concerning the speed of delivery
(too fast) and explanation of processes (not always clear, though some
lecturers are purposefully, helpfully, verbose). Much of the content of
lectures is based on mathematical equations and processes. Once again,
observation confirmed the difficulty that Matthew experiences in assimilating
such information in real time as he has to rely on the tutor’s verbal
description of the mathematical process. Matthew finds that he needs time to digest
such information. Indeed, Matthew comments that mathematical content and
content presented in diagrams or graphical format carry a number of
accessibility issues for him.
Matthew requires
access to PCs set up with the appropriate software (see earlier section). His
department has bought under licence screen magnification software that can be
installed on the network though there are only a limited number of machines per
computer laboratory that provide for Matthew’s needs. This set-up provides
Matthew with the accessibility level that he requires to complete lab work
tasks.
Group work does not pose particular difficulties as tasks
within the group can be delegated to take account of individual strengths and
weaknesses. Class discussions (tutorials) typically involve about 30 students.
This tends not to be problematic except where diagrams are involved (and they
are not explained in full)
Matthew accesses
virtually all the information he needs online. This is critical as a screen
magnifier then enables him to read text much more easily than if he were using
paper-based resources. When accessing lengthy documents, Matthew might choose
to use a screen-reader. This is a piece of software that ‘reads’ the text to
him using a synthesised voice. This, however, is not practical if there is any
graphical representation or mathematical content.
Matthew spent
his third-year on work placement at BAE Systems (Warton, Lancashire). This
involved him in testing software and in designing and developing software.
Matthew’s main difficulty centred upon the length of time it took due to
bureaucratic structures for his PC to be set up with the appropriate software. Other than this, there were no notable
barriers to accessibility.
For assessment
(especially examinations) a number of adjustments are made. These include:
separate accommodation, modification of diagrams, greater tolerance in accepting
results if interpreting diagrammatical information, and the provision of
extra-time (25%). Matthew always uses the extra-time provided. For extended
project work, Matthew is offered extra time by means of an earlier start date.
On reflecting upon the impact of his disability upon learning and
academic progress, Matthew cites the difficulties he experienced during the
first year of his degree course. Only through changes to practice within his
department that made his course more accessible was he able to progress.
For Matthew, certain information can still be difficult to access. In
particular, he cannot readily follow lengthy mathematical equations, as he must
focus on the individual components of the equation thus not being able to view
the progression from one stage of the equation to another. Thus, it is
difficult to get an understanding of the way that the equation is built up.
This implies that Matthew must take extra time to review the material in
question.
Actions by tutors / lecturers that are or have proved to be particularly
helpful include:
·
The provision of lecture notes on the web well in advance of lectures
·
The provision of transparencies (that might include additional notes made
by the lecturer during the lecture) onto Matthew after the lecture
·
A clear verbal explanation by lecturers of what they are doing /
demonstrating as they are doing it
·
Speaking in a measured and structured manner
·
The provision of well structured notes, as opposed to textually dense
notes
Matthew believes that many of the problems he encountered during his
first year were the result of both a lack of awareness amongst teaching staff
and difficulties in the chain of communication between the university’s
disability support unit and his department. This led to Matthew taking a far
more proactive role. Now he would make new lecturers fully aware of his needs
in advance of lectures etc..
ACADEMIC
TUTOR’S PERSPECTIVE
AT
has been Matthew’s personal tutor during the first three years of his course,
as well as one of his academic tutors. AT is also the departmental disabilities
co-ordinator.
AT
states that prior to Matthew’s arrival the Department (of Computer Science)
tended to respond reactively to the needs of disabled students, dealing with
issues on a case by case basis. This had proved adequate with previous
visually-impaired students. However, as a result of difficulties experienced
during Matthew’s first year and a recognition that SENDA requirements would
need a more positive response, the department decided to take a more proactive
stance. AT feels that in retrospect many tutors did not at that time have much
understanding of accessibility issues.
At
the time of Matthew beginning his course (2001) the Department had just
undergone a review of the accessibility of its web material. This had brought
to light specific difficulties:
·
The Department had already developed a departmental website that offered
module information. However, much of this information (lecture notes etc.) – as
it had been produced in a non Windows environment - was not in an easily
accessible format.
·
Many tutors had also developed websites and materials that made full use
of web-based technologies and interactive capabilities (i.e. websites that
would offer non-disabled students an interesting and varied experience). As
such these did not easily conform with accessibility requirements.
AT
also states that the use of complex (often colour-based) diagrams – sometimes
through the medium of PowerPoint - continues to present difficulties for
visually-impaired students. He states that there are no ‘off-the-shelf’
solutions. Software to create 3-D models are limited in both availability and
practical use. The drawing of diagrams is seen as an essential part of Computer
Science courses both to transmit information to the student and also to act as
a means of communication that students can use to demonstrate understanding. It
remains an issue if disabled students are unable to fully use diagrams in this
way.
AT
warns that the nature of computer technology will not stay stable and as a
result accessibility will always remain an issue. Progress is likely to be driven
by the technology. Accessibility is likely to follow technology in terms of
development.
In
responding to Matthew’s needs the Department initiated a process of
consultation between Matthew and his tutors prior to each semester. This led to
the creation of a bespoke Semester Plan for Matthew. This clarified Matthew’s
needs in relation to each module and detailed what each module leader would do
or provide to meet those needs. In addition all notes are now provided on the
departmental website in accessible format. Moreover, if required, notes are
produced in large print for Matthew.
AT
reflects that meeting Matthew’s needs has accelerated tutors’ awareness of
accessibility issues. Indeed he states that it would be fair to say that
Matthew has ‘educated’ academic staff in this respect. AT feels that whereas
Matthew was not confident that his needs would be met at the outset of his
course that he is now much more comfortable with the Department. AT notes that
the required adjustments have taken relatively little time to implement and
have been amply rewarded by Matthew’s academic progress.
CONCLUSIONS
/ RECOMMENDATIONS
This
Case Study highlights a number of issues. Matthew’s experiences shed
considerable light upon the factors that affect accessibility for
visually-impaired students.
In
responding to the needs of visually-impaired students, academic tutors might
consider the following:
·
Detailed communication with the student and the University’s Disability
Officers prior to the student commencing his/her course is vital if the
student’s needs are to be addressed from the start
·
The need to ensure availability of IT hardware and software that meet the
requirements of disabled students. (Note: academics should be aware that such
software may still have limitations in regard of accessibility. In particular,
information presented by graphical and mathematical means are not readily
translated by screen-reading software)
·
The recognition that accessibility should be considered when developing
departmental and personal websites that students may be expected to use
·
That all teaching staff are made aware of accessibility issues and
potential solutions to such issues
·
The value of highlighting accessibility issues for each disabled student
(following discussion with the student) on a module to module basis, and if
appropriate devising a semester plan detailing required action by tutors for
each student.
In
terms of more specific learning and teaching issues, academic tutors might
consider the following actions:
·
The provision of lecture notes on the web well in advance of lectures
·
The provision of transparencies (that might include additional notes made
by the lecturer during the lecture) to the student following the lecture. (The
value of this has been confirmed through observation of the student during a
tutorial).
·
A clear verbal explanation by lecturers of what they are doing /
demonstrating as they are doing it
·
Speaking in a measured and structured manner
·
The provision of well structured notes, as opposed to textually dense
notes
In the final analysis, this Case
Study highlights the value of encouraging the disabled student to actively
advise academic staff on accessibility issues and good practice. By doing so
academics’ awareness of accessibility issues will be enhanced to the potential
benefit of future students.