Business Spotlight 08.2019

(Nancy Kaufman) #1
TECHNOLOGY 63

Fotos: Cecilie_Arcurs, kokouu/iStock.com


6/2019 Business Spotlight

R


ustling crisp packets, shuf-
fling feet and the general
buzz of conversation made
lectures a problem for Gem-
ma Long during her first de-
gree. She suffers from senso-
ry overload connected to her
autism, which was only diag-
nosed after she graduated.
But when she started a
teacher-training course at the
University of Huddersfield, she received
access to software to help her deal with
dyslexia and found it transformative. It
allowed her to listen to lectures quietly at
home, which dramatically improved her
marks. She went on to take
an MA at the Open Univer-
sity and is now studying for
a PhD at Sheffield Hallam
University.
“I struggled to under-
stand the point of lectures
until I got that software,”
recalls Long. “I didn’t re-
alize how much useful
information was in them. As someone
who is hypersensitive to noise, I spend
most of my time in lectures trying to
filter out the background noise, which
means I miss much of what the lectur-
er is saying. Being able to audio-record
the lectures and listen back to them in
a silent room meant I was finally able to
digest the content.”

Overcoming obstacles
Technology is breaking down barriers
faced by students with disabilities. This
matters, because a lower percentage of
disabled students go to university than
the percentage of their non-disabled
peers who attend university. Online jour-
nal articles or reading lists now enable
those with visual impairments to zoom
in and read printed text or convert it to
easier-to-read formats such as Braille.
Universities are also increasingly re-
cording lectures that students can replay
at their own pace, which benefits students
with dyslexia or attention deficit hyperac-
tivity disorder (ADHD). Often, all of this
can be done through laptops at home, giv-
ing students greater independence.

According to Alistair McNaught, a dig-
ital learning consultant, more and more
universities are tracking how students
learn, and then directing them to the ac-
cessible resources most suited to their
personal needs. Staff can also receive au-
tomated feedback on the accessibility of
material they upload to the virtual learn-
ing environment.
McNaught appreciates the way as-
sistive technologies can help all students,
whether they have a disability or not, but
stresses that it’s important for universi-
ties to get the basics right first. “Many
higher and further institutions have in-
accessible websites or inaccessible digi-
tal content. If the content
is inaccessible, investments
in assistive technology can
be undermined at a stroke,”
he comments.
This is something that
new European regulations
aim to deal with. After
September this year, new
material published on uni-
versity websites and virtual learning en-
vironments will need to meet standards
on accessibility.

Technological innovations
This effort is complemented by other
technological innovations. There are new
mobile apps to guide students through
difficult periods or situations. For exam-
ple, Brain in Hand is designed specifical-
ly for people with autism, mental health
conditions, brain injuries or specific
learning difficulties. It suggests person-
alized coping strategies to students in
distress, offers reminders about tasks, and
allows users to monitor anxiety levels and
access help swiftly when needed.
Some universities are taking a wider
approach. At De Montfort University in
Leicester, around 200 students can record
their moods via a traffic light system —
green when all is OK, amber when they
are feeling uncomfortable and red when
they need help. Specialist mentors track
these notifications and step in when
needed, as well as observe what activi-
ties seem to cause each student particular
stress. For example, many students seem

Fewer disabled
students go
to university
than their non-
disabled peers

amber [ˈæmbə] UK
, bernsteinfarben;
hier: gelb (Ampelfarbe)
anxiety [æNˈzaɪəti]
, Angst, Beklemmung
appreciate sth.
[əˈpriːʃieɪt]
, etw. schätzen, begrüßen
at a stroke
[)Ät E (strəʊk]
, schlagartig
attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD) [əˈtenʃ&n
)defɪsɪt )haIpErÄk(tIvEti
dɪs)ɔːdə]
, Aufmerksamkeits-
defizit-/Hyperaktivi-
tätsstörung (ADHS)
Braille [breI&l]
, [wg. Aussprache]
buzz [bʌz] , Summen;
hier: Stimmengewirr
coping strategy
[(kəʊpɪŋ )strætEdʒi]
, Bewältigungsstrategie
crisp [ˈkrɪsp] UK
, Chip
digest sth. [daɪˈdʒest]
, etw. verarbeiten
disability [ˌdɪsəˈbɪləti]
, Behinderung
distress [dɪˈstres]
, Not, Schwierigkeit
dyslexia [dɪsˈleksiə]
, Legasthenie

graduate [(grÄdZueIt]
, seinen Abschluss
machen
impairment
[ɪmˈpeəmənt]
, Beeinträchtigung;
hier: Behinderung
lecture [ˈlektSE]
, Vortrag; Vorlesung
mental health condition
[)ment&l (helθ
kən)dɪʃ&n]
, psychische Erkrankung
obstacle [ˈɒbstək&l]
, Hürde
PhD (Doctor of
Philosophy)
[)piː eɪtʃ (diː]
, Doktortitel
rustle [ˈrʌs&l]
, knistern
sensory overload
[)sensəri (əʊvələʊd]
, sensorische Über-
lastung; hier auch: Hoch-
sensibilität
shuffle [ˈʃʌf&l]
, schlurfen
stress sth. [stres]
, etw. betonen
take an MA
[)teɪk ən )em (eɪ]
, einen Master-
Studiengang aufnehmen
track sth. [træk]
, etw. (rück)verfolgen

Text by touch: Braille is the traditional
reading system for the blind
Free download pdf