E-learning opens doors for disabled people

The CIPD is warning that unless developers, suppliers and buyers of e-learning take greater action to ensure their products are accessible to learners with disabilities, a great deal of money will be wasted on e-learning that doesn't meet the needs of the vast majority of users, and employers could also potentially find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

The CIPD also highlight the contribution that the effective use of e-learning can make to including people with disabilities in the labour market, tackling issues such as skills shortages, the growing number of people in the UK unable to work and the impact of future legislation on employing people with disabilities.

Many of the people who participated in the research felt the Government needed to do more to drive better accessibility in e-learning, particularly if there is a genuine desire to deliver on commitments to reduce inequality and get more people off long-term sick benefits and back to work. The CIPD recommends that the Government should:

• Do more to raise awareness of the issue of access for people with disabilities to learning opportunities, and e-learning in particular.
  Provide more support for employers, in terms of advice and financial incentives, to make e-learning content more accessible
  Lead the way by using its position as a major commissioner of e-learning to set higher standards for best practice.

Research shows that where e-learning is adapted to meet the needs of learners with disabilities, the changes are likely to benefit all learners. But the research shows that employers are not exploiting more accessible and usable methods of e-learning to the full, despite a clear understanding of the potential that exists.

Members of the Work Place Learning Centre team are available to provide journalists and media organisations with expert comment on all aspects of learning at work.

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