Engaging ignored stakeholders of higher education accessibility practice: analysing the experiences of an international network of practitioners and researchers

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine and critique current approaches of higher education (HE) community concerning stakeholder engagement in the development of information and communications technology (ICT) related accessibility practice. Design/methodology/approach The approach taken to this examination is to draw on presentations, panel discussions and World Café reflections from an international symposium held in Montreal where researchers and practitioners debated two key questions as follows: have all the relevant stakeholders really been identified? Are there some stakeholders that the HE community has ignored? And what factors influence successfully distributed ownership of the accessibility mission within HE institutions? Findings A number of “new” internal and external stakeholders are identified and it is argued that if they are to be successfully engaged, effort needs to be invested in addressing power imbalances and developing opportunities for successful strategic silo-crossing. Originality/value The value of this paper is in critiquing the argument that all stakeholders in the development of accessible ICT in HE need to be involved, identifying a gap in the argument with respect to whether all relevant stakeholders have actually been engaged and offering insights into this omission might be rectified.

accesibilidad en los estudios de traducción e interpretación

“…Por último, en el grupo focal se abordó una cuestión recurrente en la bibliografía (Seale et al 2020): la necesidad de que los propios estudiantes sean quienes informen a las unidades de inclusión sobre su situación de discapacidad. Este paso es necesario en todas las instituciones de las participantes para que se activen los circuitos de comunicación que mencionábamos al comienzo de este apartado.…”

Information and communication technology use by students with disabilities in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…However, Seale et al [ 24 ] argue that while students with disabilities can undoubtedly benefit from ICTs, they may also be disadvantaged in various aspects. To illustrate this, it has been pointed out that visually impaired students who use screen readers need particular operation practice when using the web conferencing system and Learning Management System (LMS).…”