Launching in June, the Education 4 All campaign aims to break down barriers in education due to poor digital accessibility that is stripping students of an equal access to learning.
Education 4 All Campaign
In this technological age, schools and higher educational establishments rely on digital resources to enhance the learning experience. Sadly, a magnitude of accessibility issues in education prevent a large number of students from being provided with an inclusive learning experience, resulting in many getting left behind in society. The Education 4 All campaign aims to change this.
The need for the Education 4 All campaign
In England alone, there are 1.5 million pupils who require Special Educational Needs (SEN). A figure which increased by 87,000 from 2022 and is set to rise further. So, it’s time to ensure that every student has equal access to education.
From watching engaging videos in class, to filling in homework through online learning environments, or searching and applying for a course; the majority of information relies on digital technology being accessible. Unfortunately, this is often not the case, resulting in many young people missing out on their education.
The Education 4 All campaign aims to raise awareness on these digital obstacles. The campaign’s primary objective is to bring a deeper understanding about the problems that students face due to inaccessible websites and learning resources, along with providing best practice tips on how institutions can create an inclusive learning environment.
What is creating barriers in education and who is most impacted?
Issues with funding in education to get the right technology in place for students who rely on assistive technology can sometimes be the reason behind barriers in education. However, more often, obstacles occur because of a lack of understanding about what is needed to be inclusive.
Sadly, people with disabilities are the ones most impacted by poor digital accessibility. Disabled people face difficulties due to:
- The hardware or software that they are using is not compatible with assistive technologies, such as screen readers or screen magnifiers.
- Because of a lack of available accessibility features on websites due to its coding.
- Inaccessible documents not being structured correctly or written in a user-friendly way.
- How content is presented, such as a lack of captions on videos and providing presentations or learning resources which aren’t created to be inclusive of all needs.
Education is a fundamental human right and everyone should have an equal opportunity to learn. The good news is there are many ways that educational establishments can remove digital obstacles to ensure that they are providing an inclusive learning experience. This is what the Education 4 All campaign strives to achieve, by raising awareness and sharing best digital accessibility practices to give institutions the knowledge and skills needed, so that every student has access to education.
What to expect during the campaign
The campaign wants to reach out to:
- Senior Leadership teams.
- Educational professionals such as teachers, lectures, and support staff.
- In-house professionals, such as web developers and marketing teams.
- Students that are facing challenges in education.
- Governing bodies.
During the campaign you will get the chance to:
- Gain a deeper understanding of the barriers that students face due to inaccessible websites and learning resources.
- Find out how to test the accessibility and user experience of your website.
- Learn how to create inclusive educational resources through best practice tips.
- Have an understanding about web standards and what is required legally for public sector organisations.
- See what accessibility features are available on websites that can enhance the learning experience and the difference they make.
- Ask us questions, we want to share our inclusive knowledge with you.
The campaign launch date and how you can get involved
The campaign will be running between 10-16 June 2024.
To spread this message far and wide, we need your help to do so. We want schools, colleges, universities, organisations, and people who have been impacted by poor digital accessibility, to join us in raising awareness on the crucial need to remove barriers in education.
There are many ways that you can get involved, such as:
Using our social media graphics and messaging in our social media campaign toolkit.
Sharing your experiences about how poor digital accessibility has impacted upon your learning.
Sharing how your educational establishment have worked to overcome accessibility obstacles.
Along with sharing our resources and accessibility best practices with your colleagues and social media followers. If you also think any educational tools could also help fellow educators, share those too!
Remember to tag us @HeX_Productions and use the hashtag #Education4All in any of your posts.
Together, we can break down barriers and ensure that there is education for all.
