Accessibility in higher education

Advice on tackling accessibility challenges in higher education to ensure all students and staff can fully participate in their studies and work. These resources explore topics such as digital accessibility, remote and in-person working, course design, technology use and assessment practices through an accessibility lens, alongside insight on widening access to higher education for more diverse populations.

Student standing outside a campus building

How do we make it easier for refugees to be admitted to universities?

Many students struggle to join universities because their education has been disrupted. Here are ways to improve the inclusivity and accessibility of admissions processes

Georgia Cole, Martha Akello, Apollo Mulondo

The University of Edinburgh, Makerere University

Harness pedagogy and technology to engage students in auditing

Creating interactive auditing videos helped students contextualise a complex topic and provided feedback on their progress. Chu Mui Kim outlines how to do it

Chu Mui Kim

Singapore Institute of Technology

Creating inclusive spaces for inclusive events

Inclusivity efforts must go beyond physical accessibility to include how events are advertised and who is consulted and invited to speak, write Meredith Wilkinson and Leanne de Main. Here they offer eight practical ways to make shared spaces welcoming for all

Meredith Wilkinson, Leanne de Main

De Montfort University

A hand holds a smartphone, generating illustrated speech bubbles

Four ways to cultivate an engaged social media community

When it comes to social media, don’t forget the power of connection. Paul Shannon and Andrew Murray outline four ways to engage with your audience

Paul Shannon, Andrew Murray

University of the West of Scotland

Access and equity: the two most important aspects of applied learning

When designing applied learning experiences, remember to consider these two vital aspects. Muhammad Rahimi and Kenneth Keng Wee Ong offer their advice

Muhammad Rahimi, Kenneth Keng Wee Ong

Singapore Institute of Technology

An illustration of a group of people working together

Eight tips for hosting an enterprise hackathon

Want your students to learn outside the lecture block and tackle problems in innovative ways? Kat Mack and Shelini Surendran offer advice on hosting an enterprise hackathon

Shelini Surendran, Kat Mack

University of Surrey

Use artificial intelligence to get your students thinking critically

When crafting online courses, teaching critical thinking skills is crucial. Urbi Ghosh shows how generative AI can shape how educators can approach this

Urbi Ghosh

Colorado State University Global

A hand holds a paper cut out of a human brain

Let’s break down the barriers blocking neurodivergent people from higher education

How can we help neurodivergent students participate and thrive? Sourav Mukhopadhyay offers advice on making your classroom an inclusive environment for them

Sourav Mukhopadhyay

Nazarbayev University

How can we make the university experience more inclusive for neurodivergent students?

With an estimated one-fifth of the global population thought to be neurodivergent, more students than ever will need help to thrive at university. Gail Steptoe-Warren discusses how to make higher education more neurodivergent-friendly

Gail Steptoe-Warren

Arden University

A group of Gen Z students gaze at their phones

We need to empathise with the students of today to shape the minds of tomorrow

Are today’s students too disrespectful and aggressive to be taught? Azlan B. Ahmad offers his advice on dealing with Gen Z

Azlan B. Ahmad

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP)

A man holding a laptop top gazes at a screen displaying a graph

The what, why and how of data visualisation for higher education

Wondering how to get started with data visualisation? Andrew Moles lays out the basics and offers his advice

Andrew Moles

The London School of Economics and Political Science

A group of students smiling at eachother

Weaving gold from EDI straw: an intersectional approach

In this resource, the University of Manchester’s three academic leads for EDI explain how they work together and learn from each other

Dawn Edge, Rachel Cowen, Jackie Carter

The University of Manchester

Pile of gold coins with a tree growing out of it

The first step towards supporting students with finances is to encourage them to speak up

Institutions can help students confront and overcome obstacles to their academic success by breaking down societal taboos, providing counselling services and cultivating peer support networks

Rashmi Yogesh Pai

Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Three designers discussing ideas at a table in an office

Use design thinking principles to create a human-centred digital strategy

Creating a user-focused digital strategy requires the use of various channels, the adoption of design thinking principles and the involvement of students and staff from the outset

Joe Holland

The University of Exeter

How to attract students who think they cannot afford higher education

As people all over the world grapple with rising costs, what can universities do to ease the financial burden of higher education from the very start of the process? Brooke Wilson offers her advice

Brooke Wilson

Colorado State University Global

A group of students using smartphones with brightly coloured shells

Make ‘switch your phone on’ a requirement of your lessons

Students are more likely to carry smartphones than pens when they walk into your class, so make use of their potential. Fernando Rosell-Aguilar outlines how to involve your students’ favourite device in active learning experiences

Fernando Rosell-Aguilar

Arden University

The left hand side of a woman's face with her hand held up against her ear

How to create effective listening environments for neurodiverse, international and deaf students

It’s important to consider the influence of your learning environment on listening effort, cognitive load and cognitive fatigue. Here are some tips

Lindsey Jones

The University of Manchester

The double-edged sword of open access publishing

Inclusivity is seen as a benefit of open access publishing, but is this an illusion? Here, William E. Donald asks questions about who pays and what counts, and offers scenarios for a fairer journal model

William E. Donald

University of Southampton

A teacher gestures to a computer while three students listen

Transition from expert to guide by embracing generative AI

In the process of learning how to use generative AI, Kyrin Liong rekindled her inner student

Kyrin Liong

Singapore Institute of Technology

People at an event chat together in small groups

Four ways universities can enhance their community impact

Go beyond the campus walls to enrich the surrounding community educationally, socially and economically. Xiuli Guo outlines how

Xiuli Guo

University of the West of Scotland

How to support individuals with hearing loss at your institution

Many people with hearing impairments do not think they need support. Here are some ways to provide it

Simon Hayhoe

The University of Exeter

A road extends into the distance through a desert landscape

It’s about the journey: navigate the real-world landscape from within the classroom

Embark on a pedagogical road trip, exploring strategies to combine academia with industry dynamics. John Sinclair fastens his seatbelt and starts the engine

John Sinclair

Colorado State University Global

A guide dog waits with its owner on a pavement

How to create an inclusive learning environment for visually impaired students

Educators can make all the difference to their visually impaired students’ university experience. Kate Armond explains how

Kate Armond

Senior lecturer

A small figure kicks over the first in a line of towering stone dominoes

How small universities can make big digital changes

Even tiny institutions can punch above their weight when implementing changes. Chris Porter shares the lessons learned from overhauling library digital services at Birmingham Newman University

Chris Porter

Birmingham Newman University

How to support and attract disabled students

What can universities do to attract and support students with disabilities?

How can we effectively support and recruit more students with disabilities into higher education institutions? Husnul Fitri discusses outreach and accessibility

Husnul Fitri

The University of Indonesia

Make universities disability-inclusive, part two: co-creation, workloads and promotion processes

Institutions can become more accessible by co-creating or consulting on their university strategies and strategic changes. Other ways include managing student and staff workloads and making promotion processes more equitable

Meredith Wilkinson

De Montfort University

A teacher in her 20s holding a laptop smiling at the camera while her students work at desks behind her

Make universities disability-inclusive, part one: feedback, access and language

Meredith Wilkinson offers advice on how to promote inclusivity for disabled students and staff at universities

Meredith Wilkinson

De Montfort University

Female vision-impaired student using laptop

How do we write alternative text for images in education?

Descriptions of images in online documents help all readers – not just those with vision impairment – to fully understand the photograph, chart or graph and make the information accessible

Matthew Deeprose

University of Southampton

Open educational resources to make lifelong learning accessible to all

How open educational resources can be created and managed to ensure courses and materials that support lifelong learning are accessible to all aspiring students at little or no cost

Fiona Buckland

The University of Edinburgh

How to make access to doctoral study more equitable

A three-pronged look at how to make access to doctoral study more equitable and remove barriers to entry that disproportionately impact students from ethnic minority backgrounds, based on findings of the Equator Project

Benjamin Fernando, Sam Giles, Natasha Dowey

University of Oxford, University of Birmingham, Sheffield Hallam University

A man with a prosthetic leg sitting in a forest with his laptop

Ten steps to equity: making fieldwork accessible

Fieldwork can be isolating for disabled students and academics when it is not designed with inclusivity in mind. Becky Alexis-Martin shares 10 strategies to ensure disabled students and academics are included by field-based disciplines

Becky Alexis-Martin

University of Bradford

Digital accessibility is real and tangible

A workshop using real-life examples and first-hand experience of how assistive technology works can result in a deeper understanding of accessibility needs

Tharindu Liyanagunawardena

University of Reading

Grow your own accessibility allies

The steps to making learning content accessible include identifying areas that need attention, overcoming barriers and recruiting allies to get the job done, writes Luke Searle

Luke Searle

University of Southampton

Making an inclusive ‘unconference’

Many people in minority communities within our universities do not have enough opportunities to be platformed or validated, or to share their lived expertise within our institutions. An ‘unconference’ could cultivate these voices for positive impact

Brooke Szücs, Joanne Walmsley

The University of Queensland

“Feedback” appears in white text with a yellow background, with a contrast ratio of 1.7:1. The image has a reflection of an open window on it, making the text much harder to read. In some places the contrast of the text is as low as 1.0001:1

A colour matrix to make visual content more accessible

Accessible content is better content. One way to boost accessibility in visual materials is paying attention to colour contrast during the design process. Here’s a tool to make that simpler

Matthew Deeprose

University of Southampton

College to university student journey co-branding

Co-branding the student journey from further to higher education

Facilitating an early link with higher education through campus visits and support with applications can improve progression to and success at university

Melanie Pitcher

Canterbury Christ Church University

Woman's hands holding a fan colour palette

A simple way to improve navigation in online learning

Five simple steps to use colour to design an engaging menu and navigation system that enhances digital learning environments and platforms

Joskaudė Pakalkaitė

The University of Exeter

A group of young researchers talking, one of them is in a wheelchair.

Listening, learning and responding to disabled students

Lessons from a group of disabled postgraduate researchers on steps that every university and tutor can take to better support disabled students

Jackie Carter, Laura Howard

The University of Manchester

Those of us with dyspraxia are frequently affected by academic ableism

The actions, inertia and discretion of individual academics can be a key driver of ableism – here’s what you and your institution can do to help, says John Macklin

John Macklin

University of East London

A young man in a wheelchair heading towards a university building

Ten steps to recruitment equity for disabled academics

Disabled academics are under-represented across university departments. Becky Alexis-Martin and Jennifer Leigh share 10 strategies to enhance disability inclusion throughout the academic recruitment process

Becky Alexis-Martin, Jennifer Leigh

University of Kent

10 ways your university can reject ableism

10 ways universities can reject ableism

William E. Donald and Larisa Yarovaya outline 10 clear ways universities can tackle ableism to create a sense of belonging for disabled students and staff

William E. Donald, Larisa Yarovaya

Ronin Institute, University of Southampton

Students sitting outside on campus chatting

Campus design for access and inclusion

Advice for institutions to develop more accessible and inclusive campuses for students and staff with disabilities, by Jon Roylance

Jon Roylance

ADP Architecture

How to help disabled students applying to your university

I’m a disabled student – this is what I worry about when applying to your university

Phoebe Allen, an A-level student with cerebral palsy and full-time wheelchair user, outlines how universities can better accommodate disabled students

Phoebe Allen

Student

Black male student happy looking at laptop

How university leaders can use an ‘innovation for’ mindset to drive enrolment

For US colleges and universities, the key to turning around falling enrolment is to directly respond to concerns about affordability, accessibility and return on investment, writes Nivine Megahed

Nivine Megahed

National Louis University

Improving admissions: how to evaluate the whole student

Brooke Wilson and Karin-Jill Magaziner Schneider discuss admissions criteria and how best to ensure the process considers the whole student

Brooke Wilson, Karin-Jill Magaziner Schneider

Colorado State University Global

Young woman holding digital impression of globe

Virtual mobility: a first step to creating global graduates

If universities are serious about creating global graduates, they must explore virtual opportunities to build confidence and enthusiasm for international travel, says Alex Regan

Alex Regan

Coventry University

Medical students challenge elitism in medical education

Challenging elitism in medicine

Early and ongoing support, inclusive selection processes and gateway programmes can help address the inequalities in access to medical training

Clare Austin, Paola Dey

Edge Hill University

A man standing browsing papers in a university library

Tips on providing free public access to your university library

A university library should provide a gateway into the institution for surrounding communities, explains Andrew Barker, as he shares advice on creating a ‘library community card’ that provides free and open access to the public

Andrew Barker

Lancaster University

Image showing different individuals with different ways of perceiving the world

What universities can do to support their autistic employees

Institutions can take simple steps to ensure autistic staff are properly supported to succeed, as Jennifer Rudd explains

Jennifer Rudd

Swansea University

Female student reading a book in the university library

If you want students to read more, consider asking them to read less

Students can feel overwhelmed when faced with lengthy academic reading lists so how can educators help them develop their reading skills? Will Mason and Meesha Warmington share five actions to support students in tackling, even enjoying, their course literature

Will Mason , Meesha A Warmington

University of Sheffield

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