The digital learning and assessment specialist, eCom Scotland, has helped the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to significantly improve the career prospects of the 11,000 people with sight loss in the UK who are currently actively seeking work.
It has done this by working with the RNIB to produce three self-directed, online-delivered programmes: one for job seekers with sight loss to help them find new opportunities; one for employment advisors, and one to help organisations become more inclusive employers for anyone with sight loss. Furthermore, while developing the online programme for organisations, the RNIB has created Visibly Better – a quality standard for employers that helps put in place practices that will enable the organisation to become an inclusive employer for any potential or existing employee with sight loss.
“Since social and technological exclusion significantly affect people with sight loss, the RNIB wanted to provide training and support to job seekers with sight loss to help them find new opportunities,” explained Wendy Edie, eCom’s Managing Director. “Accessibility was a key requirement of the programme, as was the requirement to support learners with varying levels of digital literacy, using different types of assistive technology.
“We’re proud of the positive working relationship eCom has established with the RNIB and we look forward to working with them on future projects,” she added.
In producing the programme for job seekers with sight loss, eCom drew on its research for a previous eLearning project with the RNIB on how to structure eLearning content to make it accessible for screen reader software as well as making it accessible via most devices. The resulting programme complies with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards and regulations.
Soon after launching the online programme for employment advisors, over 2,000 employment advisors had completed the programme. Comments from learners include, “I think the training was very in-depth and valuable; also very easy to navigate and understand. I now feel more confident to support people with sight loss to look for paid employment.”
All of these online programmes are available through the RNIB and are housed on eCom’s eNetLearn learning management system (LMS).