Enhancing learning environments for All

Cláudia Martins

Instituto Politécnico de Bragança

CLLC-UA & CEAUL-GI6

Who am I?

• Professor at the IPB since 2001
• PhD in Translation by the University of Aveiro
• Interested in Audiovisual Translation and specially in Media Accessibility
• I’m a member of CEAUL since 2020

Medical vs. Social models

Initial concepts: disability vs. impairment

• International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health
• Impairment: an injury, illness, or congenital condition that causes or is likely to cause a loss or difference of physiological or psychological function
• Disability: the loss or limitation of opportunities to take part in society on an equal level with others due to social and environmental barriers – Mark Priestley (Leeds) states disability is another form of discrimination

Medical-clinical model

• Until the 15th c. the demonological model prevailed
• People with impairments are reduced to their clinical condition that justifies their physical or intellectual traits, disregarding their social and financial background
• Disability is regarded an individual tragedy that demands a personal adjustment within an institution guided by professionals

Medical-clinical model

• People with impairments should enjoy treatment and services to allow them to surpass their disability, always within the institution
• They are a burden, a non-productive group
• After the II WW people with impairments started demanding that they be desinstitutionalised and integrated into society

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(Biopsycho)�Social model

• Disability is a restriction in people’s activity caused by social organisation that does not predict the needs of people with impariments and excludes them from social participation
• Disability is a social disadvantage that stems from society’s inability to acknowledge and provide for people’s diverse needs
• A model that integrates various human dimensions: biological, individual and social

Espécie rara sobre rodas

Accessibility

What are accessible environments for All?

• Places that cater for diverse users – people in wheelchairs, people with visual impairment, people with hearing impairment, people with cognitive/ intellectual impairment, people in the autism spectrum (autistic), neurodivergents, … – functional diversity
• People first vs. Identity first – people are not defined by their impairments
• However, there are groups who prefer being addressed by their identity – e.g. autistic people

What are accessible environments for All?

• Accessibility covers various dimensions
• Dodd & Sandell (1998) mention barriers in museums, i.e. physical, information, cultural, emotional, financial, intellectual and sensory access, and access to decision-making
• Sassaki (2005) approaches accessibility in terms of architectural, communicational, methodological, instrumental, programmatic and attitudinal access

What are accessible environments for All?

• architectural and physical access are both concerned with attempting to make the buildings physically accessible to people with reduced mobility, such as people on wheelchairs, families with children, pregnant women, the elderly or obese people
• communicational access equates to access to information, whether institutions reach their audiences and communicate with them, be it in written or interpersonal communication or digitally

What are accessible environments for All?

• cultural access coincides with Sassaki’s concept of instrumental access which means the elimination of barriers in a wide range of cultural and leisure activities, from school to daily routines, cultural venues or sports
• emotional and attitudinal access is related to changing people’s attitudes towards disability, sensitising them to diversity and tolerance, and turning the spaces into welcoming venues with open-minded staff

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What are accessible environments for All?

Dodd & Sandell (1998):

• sensory access is directed to people with visual and hearing impairments
• intellectual access for people with learning difficulties, people with lower literacy or limited background knowledge
• financial access is related to the affordability of the entrances, the cafeteria and the shop for families or people on low incomes
• access to the decision-making process consists of whether institutions consult people and appreciate their feedback and input

What are accessible environments for All?

Sassaki (2005):

• methodological access aims at eliminating the obstacles found in the learning and teaching process (particularly in the methodologies and strategies used) that is carried out at school, in communities or families
• programmatic access refers to the suppression of invisible hurdles in public policies, rules and regulations and legislation in general

What are accessible environments for All?

One last aspect:

• Digital accessibility – encompasses sensory, information, methodological and programatic access
• Public websites are expected to be accessible digitally speaking and information-wise – AMA
• 21st c. HE institutions are expected to deal with diversity
• There is very clear European legislation

What should we expect from a higher education institution?

Let’s brainstorm

1. Basic physical access:
1. Ramps, lifts, adapted restrooms
2. Counters that are shorter
3. …
2. Information/ communication access
1. Various info formats
2. Audiodescription, subtitling, sign language interpreting, simple(r) language, easy language, pictograms
3. …

Let’s brainstorm

3. Emotional/ attitudinal access
1. People who are open to diversity
2. People who are trained
3. People who fight ableism
4. Access to decision-making
1. Do institutions hear people? Ask them what they need? Provide quick answers?
5. Methodological and programatic
1. Are professors and staff knowledgeable of people’s needs and how to deal/ solve them?

Let’s analyse

• Think of FLUL
• What are its main advantages and pitfalls as far as accessibility is concerned?
• What is the second place you attend the most after FLUL?
• What about this one?

What would be your recommendations to FLUL?

Recommendations for people with visual impairment

What to bear in mind if you have a colleague with impairments?

• Every one is different
• Treat them as you would any other colleague – they are the exactly the same
• Always talk directly to your colleague – if they have a personal assistant or are accompanied by someone else, speak directly to the person
• Beware of ableist attitudes – be open to deconstructing your systemic prejudices

RNIB’s campaign

What if it’s a colleague with visual impairment?

• Always describe yourself
• Ask your colleagues if they need you to describe your surroundings
• Don’t grab them without making sure they actually need help – ask them!
• If they ask for your help in moving around, offer them your elbow – make sure to confirm whether it’s the right or the left elbow they prefer
• If you arrive or leave some place, let them know
• In doubt just ask them!

Don’t make assumptions about visual impairment:

• Visual impairment is a vast spectrum
• Don’t assume you can identify their impairment
• Just because people have a visual impairment, this does not mean they have something in their eyes that distinguishes them
• Just because they are blind, this not mean their eyes are in someway flawed

They are not your inspiration!

More assumptions

• Just because they are blind, don’t assume they can’t move around independently – they have white canes or guide dogs
• If they have guide dogs, don’t touch them without asking for permission – they are at work and any distraction can be fateful for the blind people
• There is a wide number of medical issues that may affect people with visual impairment

Diabetic retinitis

Retinitis pigmentosa

Macular degeneration

Amblyopia

Catarats

Source: Centro especializado em Baixa Visão, 2010

What if you make a presentation?

• Use an accessible ppt – plain and allowing a good contrast between background and font colour
• Enlarge the font size to enable people with low vision to read
• If you choose to include images, prepare their description beforehand so you can inform your colleagues – e.g. only use images for separating parts in your presentation
• At the start describe yourself and eventually the room you are in and the number of people attending

Audiodescription basics

• Audiodescription is a technique that provides a description and/or narration of a film, play, concert, event, usually directed to people with visual impairment
• It focuses on people’s appearance and clothes, their actions and movements, surroundings, colours, …
• It should use concise, vivid and imaginative words (Snyder, 2007)

Audiodescription basics

• AD should create a mental image strong enough to equal vision, to enable to see with your ears
• You should try to answer these questions: Who? What? Where and when? How? Voice talents? Medium?
• There are various AD styles: shorter (standard) or longer (extended); more objective or more creative; neutral or subjective
• There is no one correct style – people have different tastes and thus enjoy different styles

Audiodescription basics

When you describe yourself:

• Make sure you choose the features you are comfortable with – height, weight, age
• If you believe that it is a crucial feature, identify your gender or gender identity and your ethnic background
• Mention physical traits such as hair colour and length, face, eyes and mouth, clothes you are wearing, because these can convey your personal style and personality

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Accessible resources in society

Accessible resources in society

What should we expect from society?

• Public services should be accessible:
• Health services
• Civil services – finances, social security, …
• Educational institutions

Accessible resources in society

• The screen: cinema houses, film festivals, streaming platforms, live streaming (Youtube, Facebook, …)
• Performing arts: plays, musicals, concerts, dance, street performances, …
• Cultural venues: museums and galleries, archeological/ religious/ historical sites, palaces
• Leisure venues: sports events, …
• Life: weddings, funerals, births, …

Accessible resources in society

What should they offer?

• Audiodescription, Portuguese Sign Language interpreting/translation, SDH, hearing aids, induction loops, easy and simple language, pictograms, large print, braille, replicas, models/maquetes, tactile plans, speaking objects, …

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• Can you think of any museum, cinema or theatre nearby with accessible offer?

Some accessible projects

Contemporary Art Centre Graça Morais

The first experience started in 2018, within a Translation master’s project, with the creation of audiodescribed visits for people with visual impairment

• (Metamorphosis of) Humanity and Blue eyes of the sea

Later, during Covid, Painting and drawing donations by Graça Morais and An hour I saw by Túlia Saldanha

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MAB & Mogadouro

• Museum of the Abbott of Baçal – project of wall texts in simple language project – translated into English and LGP and revoiced
• Municipality of Mogadouro – project of simple language for the monument texts – the same outcome

Museum of Miranda do Douro

On hold because of remodelling project.

Macedo de Cavaleiros

• Accessibility diagnosis of the 3 museums that make up the Museum network of Macedo:
• Sacred Art Museum
• Archeological Museum
• Museum of Martim Gonçalves de Macedo

IPBike & Valor Natural

• AD and SDH of their videos in Portuguese and English

Centro Português de Fotografia

• Project started during a bachelor’s degree’s internship
• Accessibility diagnosis of the building and translation of a video about the museum collection of old cameras (Núcleo Museológico):
• SDH in PT and ENG
• AD in PT and ENG
• LGP

Cultura para Todos Bragança

• A project from the Municipality of Bragança with European Social Fund support that the IPB carried out (August 2021-July 2023)
• It included 5 cultural venues – 2 museums, 2 centres and the theatre

Cultura para Todos Bragança

It encompassed:

• 8 performances in the theatre (among plays, concerts and dance) with live AD, subtitling and Portuguese Sign Language
• and over 20 exhibitions that offered texts with AD, in simple and in easy language in 3 languages and in audio and video formats

IPB & IPB for @ll

• AD and SDH of selected videos produced by the IPB’s Communication Office
• “IPB for @ll” an in-project of the IPB – proposal that got the first prize:
• Accessibility diagnosis of 3 schools and central services within the campus
• Production of tactile plans for these 4 buildings
• Creation of mediation texts in various formats

Accessible Film Festival

• It started in 2019 with 6 films with AD/AS and SDH – 5 English-speaking and one Portuguese (Avanca’s production)
• In 2020 it went totally online – launched the national competition
• In 2021 we had pre-festival workshop with Pablo Romero-Fresco (Vigo)

Accessible Film Festival

In 2022:

• we launched the international and the open competitions, started the silent film screenings and showed the first film with LGP

In 2023:

• we screened all our films with LGP and another 2 silent films with accessibility

Over 30 films with AD, SDH and LGP

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Some resources

Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning (Uni Bloomington)

Universal Design for Learning Guidelines

ACAPO

RNIB

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Many thanks for your attention.�Be free to contact me.