Recording Audio and Accessibilty

Sometimes when we start on a new project, accessibility issues are approached with the attitude "How can we make this accessible?".

While this is still important with what we are doing, recording the audio from lectures and making the audio available online is actually making the lecture itself more accessible to students with certain Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD).

I've had a short talk with Sue Williams, who manages the Edge Ahead Centre, and it seems that the SENDA working group were pleased to hear about the Audio Development Project. Some of the students supported by the Edge Ahead Centre are suplied with MiniDisk players anyway to record lectures. If recording lectures became standard, then these students would be catered for, especially those who do not want to disclose their SpLD to others.

Perhaps the accessibility and inclusivity angle will encourage the uptake of the technology by an increasing number of Lecturers. It is certainly another reason in favour of it.