Teachers/facilitators

Susanne Dirks (TU Dortmund University), Lukas Baumann (TU Dortmund University) & Sergio Marin Zapata (European Blind Union)

Description/abstract

The Web Accessibility Directive (WAD) requires public sector bodies’ websites and mobile apps to be accessible to all users and to document and monitor their accessibility. This includes a feedback mechanism to report barriers and request accessible information on content that has been published in a non-accessible format. Reports from EU member states show that there is almost no feedback on still existing barriers. The UPowerWAD project funded by the Erasmus+ Programme aims to bridge that gap by raising awareness for accessibility issues and empowering and training people with disabilities to take active participation in the implementation of the WAD.
In this workshop, we will discuss and adopt a model curriculum on how to train people with disabilities to provide relevant and actionable feedback on web accessibility issues across Europe. This session is particularly focused on integrating national requirements and resources into the developed model curriculum.
The session will give an overview of goals of the UPowerWAD project, focusing on the presentation of the developed model curriculum. From there, we will discuss the adaptation of the curriculum to the needs of the different member states, and develop an idea on how to successfully implement a scaling up process.
The session will use a methodological combination of short presentations, round table talks and group discussions.

Expected learning outcomes

At the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. understand the feedback mechanism of the WAD
2. understand the importance of the adaption of the model curriculum to the national requirements of the different member states
3. know strategies on how to scale up the model curriculum to their respective national requirements