Pick these low hanging fruits to make your education more inclusive

Student Onbeperkt organised their first Onbeperkt Studeren week between 15-19 March. Together with students and lecturers, different topics on studying with a disability were discussed. As a result of this week some low hanging fruits were defined for lecturers to pick to make their education more inclusive of students with a disability. A disability refers to conditions of a chronic or permanent nature, which consistently hinder you in participating in education and/or taking examinations. This includes all motor, sensory or physical disabilities, as well as conditions such as dyslexia, RSI, chronic fatigue, depression, chronic illnesses, etc. If you want to learn more about the range of disabilities and understand what students with some of these disabilities may need in your education, click here. 

Here are 5 low hanging fruits you can pick to make a difference for your students with a disability:

1. Set the tone on inclusivity
   First and foremost, actively set the tone on inclusivity at the beginning of your course. One of the highest thresholds for students with a disability is to come forward and ask for help. By explicitly mentioning in your first lecture that students are welcome to contact you in case they have certain needs you lower this threshold. You can also ask students anonymously (through polling or short questionnaire) to share their impairment and/or special needs. 
2. Show flexibility
   Be flexible on changing assignments or ways of assessment. Contact a student counsellor of your faculty for information on customisation and on when to contact the Board of Examiners. Additionally, you can assign student assistants to support students with a disability or couple students with and without a disability to collaborate. 
3. Quality, readability, and availability of multimedia
   Record your lectures as much as possible, so students can watch it at their own pace. Make sure to use the right tools to offer a transcription of your lectures next to the video. Use images with a high resolution so students can zoom in when necessary and still have a proper quality. Make your slides available before or during the lecture so students can process the information that is on the slides. Pay attention to the colour scheme for students who are colour blind. A simple test: 1) are your slides still readable if they were in greyscale and 2) are your slides still readable if you squeeze your eyes and zoom in?
4. Regular breaks
   We all have an attention span. According to the Pomodoro principle a break every 25 minutes can make a huge difference in focus. Make sure to alternate your lectures with regular short breaks and a long one. It is difficult to focus for a long time, especially when studying online.
5. Clear instructions and expectation management
   Offer clear instructions on assignments and set clear deadlines. You can do this by sharing a timetable with information on when what should be done. Include a rubric that students can use to assess their work and understand the expectations of the assessment. Share example reports so students can understand what you consider a good report and share enough practice exams so they know what to expect when they do the actual exam. 

Central point for students with a disabilty
The Education of Student Affairs (ESA) is currently creating a central point for support for students with a disability and lecturers who need support on inclusivity. Until this service is finished, contact a student counsellor of your faculty if you have questions or need support. If you need support on tooling, contact BrightSpace Support. If you want to learn about the student perspective contact Student Onbeperkt.