The Project

Framework

The strength of our society lies in education and research in Higher Education Institutes. However, too many Students with Disabilities (SwD) (i.e., visual, hearing, physical/mobility/ impairments and learning difficulties) are denied this right due to numerous barriers and obstacles to accessible digital education (i.e., accessible digital material and Distance Education/e-learning). Teaching SwD in Higher Education presents unique challenges for SwD and their educators, caused by the lack of accessible digital resources based on the type of disability (visual, hearing, mobility/physical impairments and learning difficulties) and the lack of digital competence of academic personnel in order to cope with the SwD’s needs. Teaching staff and accessibility advisors often don’t know how to support SwD. Indisputably there is a gap of transnational research on the specific needs of SwD on accessible educational material and on the needs revealed by Distance Education (DE) for them, as well as on the knowledge and experience that teaching staff and accessibility advisors in HEIs have, in relation to various forms of accessible materials and provision of accessible DE courses for their SwD.