Sources of information

Findings of the previous Project

Findings and deliverables from the teaching development project entitled “Enhancing Learning Experience for Students with Visual Impairment in Higher Education” in 2019-2022 formed the foundation of this Toolkit.

Focus group interview findings
- Transcripts of the focus group interviews with 30 participants were reviewed to collect ideas of recommended practices of accessible virtual teaching and learning. The 30 participants included students, alumni, and staff members from various local universities in Hong Kong, namely:
- 8 current students with visual impairment; 10 alumni with visual impairment;
- 2 academic staff with experience in supporting students with visual impairment at universities;
- 3 non-academic staff with experience in supporting students with visual impairment at universities;
- 4 current students without visual impairment but having experience in supporting students with visual impairment at universities; and
- 3 current students without visual impairment or experience in supporting students with disabilities at universities.
Guideline on fostering practices for disability inclusion at higher education institutions (Trial Version, November 2021) (PDF; 3.12 MB)

A needs assessment survey was conducted among staff members and post-graduate students from the University of Hong Kong in June 2022. They were invited via mass mail to participate in the survey by completing a self-administered online survey using Qualtrics.
The survey items were mainly about the:
- experiences of supporting disabled students in their areas of work;
- personal experience and awareness regarding accessibility in virtual teaching and learning;
- perceptions towards the resources and support available in the university;
- perceptions of the content and delivery modes of the toolkit and training workshops; and
- intention to participate in the upcoming training workshops of this Project.
Respondents included 76 staff members and 36 post-graduate students from 9 Faculties (including Architecture, Arts, Business and Economics, Education, Engineering, Law, Science, Social Sciences, and Medicine) out of 10 Faculties of HKU and seven other units that are not affiliated under any specific Faculty. Among the respondents, 8.93% of them have disability experiences, including attention deficit and/or hyperactivity disorder, deaf or hard-of-hearing, intellectual disability, mobility disability, physical disability, psychosocial disability, specific learning disability, visual impairment, or other disabilities. About half of the respondents (50.5%) have experience of supporting disabled students in their areas of work or study.

User manuals of different software, programmes, operating systems, and/or gadgets.
Essential guidelines, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
Other useful information such as first-hand sharing by people with disabilities, websites of nongovernmental organizations serving people with disabilities, government papers, and research reports relevant to digital accessibility and accessible virtual teaching and learning.

The first draft of this Toolkit was reviewed by three reviewers. Reviewers shared valuable comments on the general perceptions, content coverage, anticipate usefulness, and presentation and promotion strategies of the Toolkit draft, and as well as further insightful feedback. We revised the first draft based on reviewers’ feedback to produce the current version.

The diverse background, university study and work experiences, and disability experiences of the Project team members further enriched the information collected. For example, the Co-investigator of the Project is user of power wheelchair who has mobility disability of congenital muscular dystrophy.