Accessibility
Accessibility means that all students who have the prerequisites must be able to participate/take part in their education. This means that we as teachers may need to adapt our teaching so that it is made accessible for students with disabilities. Those who have a disability have a certificate with recommendations regarding pedagogical support that gives teachers suggestions for possible adjustments.
Basically, however, accessibility is about how we, with small measures, can make our teaching accessible to students with different needs, regardless of their level of impairment. This may imply that our teaching must be adapted based on both laws and directives, but also that we during our teaching create an accessible place for learning.
Pedagogical support
Students with a medical certificate that establishes a permanent disability may be eligible to receive certain adjustments. The various recommended adjustments are documented in a notification that they can show you as a teacher. If the adjustments relate to the structure and implementation of the teaching, it is the examiner/teacher of the course who decides whether the proposed adjustment can be applied or not. The notifications are issued by the University's Coordinators for pedagogical support and if you have any questions as a teacher, please contact them directly.
MDU’s coordinators for pedagogical support are:
Support from the Library
The Library is responsible for Legimus which is a database for talking book literature. They can also help students download the University's accessibility tools Tor Talk, Stava Rex and SpellRight. Both teachers and students have access to these, and you can find them here
External link..
The University Library offers help to students who have a reading impairment.
Help in the event of a reading impairment.
Laws and directives
The Accessibility Directive (Tillgänglighetsdirektivet) means that all authorities have an obligation to make their material available through subtitles, legible PDFs, etc.
Tillgänglighetsdirektivet
External link, opens in new window.
Tips on how you as a teacher can make material available on Canvas, for example, can be found on the Funka page with tips for making material available.
Tips and advice at Funka External link.
Below links to laws, authorities and documents that in various ways concern accessibility.
- Högskolelagen External link.(Higher Education Act)
- Högskoleförordningen External link. (Higher Education Ordinance)
- Diskrimineringslagen External link. (Discrimination Act)
External link.🌐Funka focuses on accessibility External link.
🌐 Swedish Agency for Participation - MFD External link.
🌐 Making universities more accessible for students with disabilities - The Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR) External link.
Adapt teaching
An adjustment in teaching can take place in various ways. It is not necessary to just have students with a recommendation for adjustment for teachers to adapt their teaching, but on the contrary, an adjustment can benefit most students. Read more about common disabilities and common adjustments on KI´s website External link..
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
UDL is a framework to improve and optimise teaching and learning that focuses on accessibility and is based on the three didactic questions why, what and how. The Why of learning gives examples of different ways of working with engagement. The What of learning focuses on how teaching materials can be made accessible and representative. The How of learning shows the ways students can communicate their knowledge through action and expression.
UDL is a clear and comprehensive tool which through simple methods helps you as a teacher make your teaching more accessible.
Accessible teaching course
The Accessible Teaching higher education teaching and learning course is based on UDL and issues about widening participation. As an employee at Mälardalen University, you are welcome to apply for this course which focuses on how you as a teacher can adapt your teaching to your students.
Find out more on Lärum’s range of courses offered.