Digital Accessibility Regulations

Digital accessibility is the process of making digital products accessible to everyone, ensuring that all users can access the same information regardless of their learning needs. Digital accessibility is part of inclusion.

The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018, require that all our content, including that provided through Blackboard, is digitally accessible. This includes (but is not limited to):  

• Captions on all audio and video recordings;  
• Alt-text on all images;
• Structured documents and websites (using headings etc);
• Accessible/readable by screen readers or alternative technologies.  

For more information:  

• Visit The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 legislation. 
• Watch USW DEAL and the UK Accessibility Regulations.

Tips for achieving digitally accessible resources

The best way to support students is to produce content that is accessible by design. Here are 9 key things to consider:

Office 365

The following guidance is available to ensure that course or module content created in Office365 is accessible:

• Make your Word documents accessible to people with disabilities;
• Make your presentations accessible to people with disabilities;

Unilearn tools 

Many of our digital tools include features that can help with accessibility requirements. For example:

• Blackboard Ally will check the accessibility of your content and allows students to download course material in alternative formats to meet their needs;
• Automatic live captioning can be turned on in Microsoft Teams meetings;
• Panopto will auto-caption your audio and video recordings and provide students with the option to turn on closed captions. N.B. fully accurate (manual) captioning can be requested through your learning technologist.
• Blackboard Collaborate and Microsoft Teams can be used to provide simultaeneous translation for online sessions. 
• Note-takers and support workers can be enrolled onto modules by the Disability Service. 

The Disability Service