The Thomas Pocklington Trust (TPT) has published guidance for higher education providers to support blind and partially sighted students in taking online exams.
It comes with a call from the charity, which supports people with sight problems, for the providers to urgently review their exam practices.
It claimed that many of the new digital platforms used for exams during the Covid-19 lockdown block assistive technology and screen adjustments on which blind and partially sighted people rely.
The guidance on its website provides potential solutions for inaccessibility, including time based adjustments, exam assistants and alternative assessments. It also looks at other considerations around ensuring a sufficient working set-up in the home and accessing remote support.
Tara Chattaway, student support manager at TPT, said that many platforms used for remote exams have been difficult to navigate, with proctoring systems cause most issues, which has affected students working on professional qualifications such as law. For some students this has pushed exams back to the next period.
Sharing learning
She commented: “We have supported a number of cases and want to share our learning to help higher education providers working with blind and partially sighted students.
“Professionals from across the education and sight loss sectors were consulted to produce the guide. The aim is to raise awareness of common challenges and suggest ways universities can be proactive and creative with a selection of realistic solutions.
“This is ultimately to ensure students are informed and empowered to have an equal exam experience.”
Image from TPT
