Enabling Technologies

Enabling technologies are an important part of accessibility and inclusion and a significant part of JISC Techdis activities involves giving advice and guidance on their use.

JISC Techdis kickstarted the process of building regional expertise by working with the 13 JISC funded Regional Support Centres with funding provided by JISC Organisational Support, to provide an assistive technology kit box and two days training on disability issues. A vital part of the training was to develop a holistic approach to supporting learners and to recognise the variety of ways a learner’s individual needs might be met. This involved recognising different assistive technology genres, an approach that focuses more on the learning issue than the tool or the disability. Since these original training days, different Regional Support Centres have developed different expertise, supplementing the original box with new technologies and resources.

In higher education, the Higher Education Assistive Technology Scheme (HEAT) was implemented with the help of the Higher Education Academy Subject Centres. With funding provided by JISC Innovation, the Higher Education Academy and JISC Techdis itself. Small grant funded projects have shown a disproportionately large impact in relation, generating a wealth of case study evidence that is available on the website. A fourth round of projects funded through the Higher Education Academy and the Business and Community Engagement programme of JISC has been focussed on Welsh universities only.

A similar approach in the Independent Specialist Colleges sector led to the Kickstart and Innovation Funds allowing colleges to bid in one of four areas: Infrastructure; College Platforms; Content Creation and Multimedia Equipment. A joint bid by four specialist colleges led to the development of an accessible and portable e-portfolio system – In-Folio.

JISC Techdis recognises all technologies as enabling technologies and does not confine itself to "specialist" disability tools. This open, creative approach has led to our active involvement in a range of mainstream technology projects such as the regional Learning and Skills Councils initiative, Learning for Living and Work and the MoleNet project managed by the Learning and Skills Network.