We caught up with Martyn Reed, Learner Services Manager at Adult Learning Wales to discuss inclusion at Adult Learning Wales and the importance of providing a barrier-free learning experience.
1. Could you please introduce yourself, what is your name and your job role at Adult Learning Wales?
Martyn Reed, Learner Services Manager
2. What type of services does Adult Learning Wales provide?
We are the national adult community learning organisation for Wales. We provide access to education from Pre-entry Level learning to Level four qualifications.
3. Why is inclusion important to Adult Learning Wales?
We strive to put the learner at the centre of everything that we do. We believe that no one should be denied the opportunity to learn, due to a learning difficulty or disability.
4. How do you provide an inclusive learning experience?
We start by talking to the learner to see what works and doesn’t work for them. We aim to remove as many barriers as possible, so that a learner can work independently. We train our delivery and support staff, to be able to create inclusive learning environments.
5. Why is it important for you to provide language and accessibility tools on your website?
We work with a diverse range of learners who each present with their own range of learning and support needs. Having an accessibility tool on our website opens up a greater possibility for people to read, explore and enroll on a course independently.
6. How is the translation feature of the Assistive Toolbar beneficial to Adult Learning Wales?
A large percentage of our learners are learning English as a second language (ESOL). Having the translation feature has proven essential in allowing them to access and read guidance information in a format they understand. This also means we can work more sustainably and avoid the need to print guidance documents in multiple languages.
Learn more about Welsh website translation in our recent blog Welsh-Friendly Websites: Embracing Language Diversity for Business Success.
7. Do you have any real life examples of the toolbar being used?
It’s not just our learners who benefit from using the accessibility software. A number of colleagues have told me how useful the Recite Me toolbar has been in helping them with their dyslexia.
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