Towards the end of her second year studying psychology at Brunel University of London, Jasmine learnt about the support she could access via the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). “I went through DSA quite late as I didn’t know that I could get that support”. Through DSA Jasmine was recommended several pieces of assistive technology (AT) including literacy toolbar Read & Write, AI flashcard builder Luna and speech recognition software Dragon. Although these recommendations aimed to support Jasmine, this was her first experience of AT: “I didn’t even know there was this stuff out there.” Jasmine now found herself needing to learn how to use all this new software as well as studying for her degree.
One of the numerous pieces of AT Jasmine was recommended was Learning Labs, the original DSA e-Learning portal. Learning Labs aims to break down AT such as Read & Write, Luna and Dragon, into small bitesize tutorials to make learning how to use AT more manageable. As a digital learning platform, Learning Labs offered Jasmine access to all her AT learning support, on-demand.
Once users log in to Learning Labs they have access to tutorials, or Labs, as we call them, on over 40 pieces of AT as well as tutorials on 20 useful non-AT software such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom and accessibility features within programs such as Microsoft Office and
Windows 11. Having access to all these Labs helped to make the whole process of learning how to use AT less daunting for Jasmine.
Learning Labs was created as an accompaniment to AT training. When no AT trainer is available; maybe sessions are used up or it’s 3am and a quick answer is needed, users can log in and access the support they need to get the most out of their AT. It was this
access to AT Labs anytime, anywhere, Jasmine often leaned on: “Learning Labs has been really useful; if I needed to go back to learn about a particular assistive technology because I hadn’t used it for a while, I log in to Learning Labs to refresh my memory, and then can use that AT for my studies.”
Sometimes getting recommended AT can feel like a catch-22 situation. You’ve been recommended this AT to help you at university, yet you now need to learn how to use this AT, while at university. This is why Learning Labs is the handy digital support tool, available throughout a student’s time in higher education. For someone struggling with stress or anxiety this bitesize style of learning means they can take learning at their own pace, something Jasmine found particularly useful:
Jasmine’s journey highlights the difference that the right tools and support can make when introduced at the right time. Although she initially felt overwhelmed by the number of new technologies recommended through DSA, Learning Labs provided her with the confidence, flexibility, and reassurance she needed to engage with AT at her own pace. By having all the resources in one accessible platform, Jasmine was able to focus more on her studies and less on the stress of learning multiple new AT. Her experience shows how on-demand support like Learning Labs can turn a potentially daunting process into an empowering one, helping students not only use assistive technology but thrive with it.
This blog was written by Richard Keeling, eQS Disability Support Marketing Manager.
Richard is responsible for leading the development of marketing and communications content, internally and externally across our group of companies, including the management of marketing and communications campaigns, webinars and events.
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