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NADP VC2020 Week 7 Video 2 TranscriptionThomas Pocklington Trust Student Support ServiceThomas Pocklington TrustWednesday 5th August 2020Slide 1: Title SlideThomas Pocklington Trust Student Support ServiceSupporting students with vision impairment to enter into and get the most out of post-16 education.Hello. My name's Molly. I work for the Thomas Pocklington Trust and I would like to introduce you to our student support service.Slide 2: Who we areTPT is a national charity supporting blind and partially sighted people to live the life they want to leadWe have three focuses: EducationEmployment EngagementThomas Pockington Trust or TPP for short is a charity working to support blind and partially sighted people across the UK to live the life they want to lead. Our strategic priorities are to increase awareness and understanding of the needs and aspirations of people with vision impairments. We are committed to developing and implementing activities and services which meet these needs; increasing independence; and improving lives. There are three central focuses to our work. They are education, employment and engagement.Slide 3: What is the Student Support Service?Our service is there to support students with vision impairment aged 16+ who are in or looking to enter Further or Higher Education. It is for students, their families and professionals Our student support service is there for students with vision impairments either in or looking to enter further and higher education. We work to help students themselves and those working with them; providing the tools and guidance they need to get the most out of their time in education. Our work spans the entire student journey from applications and getting prepared for attending a new college or university; through identifying and overcoming challenges during the course; and getting ready for the next steps including the transition to employment.Everything we do centres around students. We learn through the experiences of our student members and share that knowledge to elevate the voices of students with vision impairments. Working not only with students directly, we can support their family networks and share best practice and offer advice to help providers or academic institutions learn about the best ways they can deliver for their students. Slide 4: Our OfferOnline resources (6 steps into HE, DSA information, budgeting)Advice, guidance and advocacy (support line, case work)Events (‘Get university ready', webinars on DSA)Networks (Facebook group)Policy and influencing (campaigning to improve access to HE and DSA)Sharing of best practice (covid-19 guides)We work with our service users in a variety of ways: our website forms an information and advice hub with guidance and resources on a whole host of topics including our six steps into higher education guide, funding and DSA information and budgeting tools. Our support line and dedicated email inbox facilitate direct communication with us to detail specific queries and ask for advice, guidance and advocacy. We hold a range of events, both virtually and soon in person across the country. These include webinars and Q&A sessions designed to bring together students and decision makers' providing a platform to voice concerns and ask questions directly to the organisations involved. We also have a growing online community in the form of a secure Facebook group where students, past and present, can ask for advice, share ideas or just have a conversation with other people in a similar situation. When core issues are identified, we elevate the voices of students with vision impairments, actioning campaigns to raise awareness and push for equal access to further and higher education and we facilitate shared learning by collating advice and experience to guide organisations to make the best choices for their vision impaired students. For example, the guide we produced to support HE providers to maintain their support during Covid-19. Slide 5: Supporting students through Covid-19Good practiceBarriers Case study SolutionsGet involved Every university and staff member will have a different level of experience working with vision impaired students. So, the NADP have asked us to share a little advice on addressing the current situation. The Coronavirus outbreak has caused many academic institutions to change the way they work; most significantly to accommodate distance learning which brings a whole new realm of challenges. We know everyone is working incredibly hard to make sure students can access education as they should in September with minimal disruption and we want to help make sure that vision impaired students also have equal access, despite the additional challenges and difficulties they may face. From our experience of working with students and providers at this time, we would like to highlight some good practice that's already been displayed by academic institutions; some of the key barriers for vision impaired students; a case study that we've been working on recently; and some advice for developing solutions. Slide 6: Good PracticeReading lists which state that books must be available in an electronic formatGood use of online learning Improved communicationRemote exams and assessmentsWe have been speaking with some universities who are already doing great things to support their students in distance learning. Many have been reviewing course reading lists and making sure that staff direct all students to texts they can find online easily. They have quickly adapted to online learning format: recreating and uploading teaching materials. There has been a notable increase in communication speed and frequency as staff prioritise sharing updates and answering incoming queries. Many institutions have put in place methods for students to complete all necessary exams and assessments from home, minimising the delay and disruption to their education. Slide 7: BarriersOnline portalsAccessible formatsOnline reading materialAssessment and additional learning needsAlthough distance learning presents a good substitute for more traditional face-to-face formats, there are a few key weaknesses that impact vision-impaired students' ability to engage.Online portals are widely used by academic institutions to distribute learning material and monitor work completed by students. However, these are often inaccessible for students using screen reading software, making it difficult to navigate and submit. One student member found she failed the whole term of university just because she uploaded her work incorrectly on the portal Blackboard and subsequently failed the year. Vision impaired students would really benefit from being offered personal support to ensure that this kind of unnecessary situation is prevented. Secondly, learning materials themselves must be provided in accessible formats which may not have been fully considered in the rush to move teaching online. Pdf documents can be inaccessible again through screen reading software and unclear due to poor quality when magnified. Where possible information should be available in plain text format so that the contrast and font size can be adjusted. and screen reading software can interact with the text freely. The same can be said about published literature and other reading material. Students may require support to locate key textbooks as well as supplementary reading material in formats that they can comfortably use. There are services available to help with this. For example, RNIB's bookshare service which academic institutions can use to convert or transcribe material into the relevant formats. Lastly, the format of assessments may have changed completely from those conducted traditionally. These changes such as self-recorded presentations and remote exams may result in additional difficulties for students with vision impairments. Whatever the arrangements made, it is vitally important that students are involved in the process from the beginning so that they can detail their additional learning needs and have the opportunity to troubleshoot any adaptive measures suggested so they can be assured that they will not be disadvantaged in any way. Slide 8: Case StudyTwo students asked for helpRemote exam system not accessibleBoth students and the organisation struggled to find a suitable solutionWe facilitated a productive conversation for both parties to outline their needsAn acceptable solution has now been implemented, and we are now providing on-going support to assist with accessibilityA key case study we would like to highlight began with two students contacting our service asking for help. The regulatory body overseeing their exams had approved the use of a remote examination system to enable students to sit their assessments at home this summer.However, it was not accessible for vision impaired students using screen reading software. The students raised their concerns but were told that the organisation must uphold the integrity of the assessment so they would not consider the use of any different system. They stated the students instead must travel to a test centre in London in order to complete the exams in person. The students did not feel that this was a reasonable request. Travelling to the capital during Covid-19 would have added unnecessary risk and stress that their sighted peers simply did not have to face. After a lengthy stream of emails and little progress, the students turned to us for advice. We immediately got in contact with the senior leadership team of the organisation and facilitated a much more directed, productive conversation where the students explained their needs and the staff suggested more suitable solutions to accommodate them until both sides were content with the proposed arrangements. I am pleased to say that in just two weeks an acceptable solution was found, and the necessary arrangements were made; providing students the certainty they needed to focus on their revision and preparation. Not only that, the organisation in question has asked us to support them to ensure the accessibility of future assessments forming an ongoing piece of work that will prevent further instances of this kind. This case demonstrates how we as a service can support both students and organisations to address and overcome issues quickly and constructively. Slide 9: SolutionsGuide for HEPBe student ledStart early All literature must be available Bespoke support, based account needsAsk advice – Student Support Service and NADPTo summarise here are some key pointers for approaching challenges faced by vision impaired students while operating in this new way. Be student-led - nobody knows their condition and needs better than the students themselves so keep in regular contact with them to quickly identify issues and ask for their input when developing solutions. Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions. Collaborate with the students so that both sides fully understand what is needed and how each need might be met. Start early - think about upcoming tasks in the student calendar and approach students well in advance to understand any adaptions or support that may be needed. It can take a great deal of time for solutions to be designed, tested, approved and then implemented. All the while students are left nervous as they await answers and face disruption and additional stress when they are not provided the same certainty as their peers. All learning literature, including teaching materials and core reading texts, must be available in accessible formats. Ask students about any issues they may be having accessing the information and identify support services that may be able to help. Approach each student as an individual. Different conditions and levels of sight require different adjustments so don't make assumptions. Ask what would be suitable for them specifically.Ask for advice. We are here to support providers just as much as students and there are lots of other charities and organisations in the disability sector - such as the National Association for Disability Practitioners who are ready and waiting to help. If you are unsure of how best to address a situation, or anticipate challenges, talk to us. We can share issues and solutions from previous cases, signpost you to sector partners for specialist advice and help facilitate necessary conversations to help you find resolutions. Slide 10: Working GroupWe would like to work with Disability advisors, lecturers, support staff and QTVIs to update our guidance.Hold a virtual round table Tuesday 18th August Places still available Finally, I'd like to take this opportunity to invite you along to a working group meeting that we will be holding. It will be a virtual meeting on Tuesday the 18th of August It's so important for us to better understand the perspective of disability and specialist support staff and review guidance available so that we can update and identify any gaps to address. We would really appreciate your views so please do book a space to attend by emailing us at StudentSupport@pocklington-.uk Hope to see you there. Slide 11: Contact uspocklington-.uk/student-support StudentSupport@Pocklington-.uk 0203 757 8040 (Support line answer machine service)groups/687384152070270/ channel/UChEcHBANJwZoRBaEcD9LEjA/videosThis slide, which will be made available to download by the NADP, contains all the links that you need to get in contact with us as well as our website and Facebook group. If you have any questions at all, or would like to learn more about our service, we would love to hear from you. Please do give us an email at StudentSupport@Pocklington-.uk Thank you. ................
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