1. Accessibility Service Student Handbook
A great one to pass on to your students, this handbook contains answers to lots of questions. Access the handbook here.
2. The UTS Accessibility Resource Guide
There’s plenty of information in this guide, including appropriate language to use for accessibility related topics and how to improve digital environments. Access the guide here.
3. Comfort in the environment: accessibility and mental health
This post by Sarah Houbolt explains how mental health is part of accessibility.
Through learning how to talk about our needs and access requirements, rather than medical conditions, we not only support each other to find solutions and levels of comfort within learning, study and work, but we also acknowledge the realness of accessibility and barriers.
4. Don’t make assumptions, ask questions: understanding accessibility requirements
From Venetia Vecellio, learn how to approach accessibility in the right way.
Avoiding assumptions from preconceived ideas about accessibility is a great place to start. You can do this by taking the time to speak to those with accessibility requirements and ask what would best assist them. If someone you know has accessibility requirements, before making assumptions about their requirements, it’s always best to ask them to find out if they need support and how they would like to be supported.
5. How Bernard Saliba teaches his students about mindfulness
As mentioned in Sarah’s post above, mental health is part of accessibility and Bernard provides a great example on embedding positive mental health practices into your subjects.
A lot of people think that when you say mindfulness you’re referring to meditation, or something spiritual or religious. For me, it’s not that at all. For me it is simply where the word comes from – being mindful, being still. I find that with me, and with most people who stress (which seems to be everybody these days) people tend to either be living with their thoughts about the past, or their anxieties about the future and the unknown, I think what mindfulness does is it reminds us to be still, to be in the present because that’s really all that we have.
Don’t forget to contact the UTS Accessibility Service if you have any accessibility related questions, for yourself or your students.
Feature image by Jeremy Thomas.