The University of Kent has achieved an ASPIRE gold rating for their accessibility statement and has therefore become the first UK university to achieve 100% compliance.

Led by the OPERA ((Opportunity, Productivity, Engagement, Reducing barriers, Achievement) project team in Student Support and Wellbeing, this is a great success for everyone involved. Particular credit must go to the web development and Requirements teams in Information Services and the Kent Digital Accessibility Working Group.

TextBOX Digital, the organisation behind the awards scheme has said:

‘The University of Kent have scored 98% in the ASPIREreview (FACTS) and 100% for the ASPIREreview (Compliance). There has clearly been a lot of time, thought and effort invested in the development and writing of your accessibility statement. The statement is clear and well -organised and avoids technical jargon. The accessibility tools section is a work of art and the accessibility roadmap is clear and informative. A 100% Compliance rating is a fantastic achievement on its own. To have a 98% FACTS ASPIREscore as well is inspiring. Very many congratulations on achieving gold ASPIREscores. Thoroughly deserved’.

Huw Alexander from TextBOX Digital explains what the organisation looks for and the  importance of accessibility in the Higher Education Sector:

‘ASPIREeducation has been designed to ensure that further and higher education institutions can measure the compliance of their accessibility statements with the new Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations. However, ASPIREeducation goes further and introduces the FACTS model to measure the quality of the accessibility statement in terms of the transparency, supportiveness and usefulness of the information provided to users.

‘The University of Kent have long been a pioneer in the provision of accessible content to their students, and in supporting faculty in the creation of content. The Kent accessibility statement is a wonderful reflection of the work and dedication of everyone at the University in creating an inclusive learning environment. Kent are the first university to undertake the ASPIREeducation review process and the first university to secure a 100% compliance score. Kent continues to be a pioneer and an inspiration across the education community, and their ASPIREeducation gold award is a testament to the expertise and thoughtfulness of everyone involved in their accessibility project’.

You can read TextBOX’s announcement on Kent’s achievement via their LinkedIn and Twitter pages.

For more information about accessibility at Kent please contact opera@kent.ac.uk