Establishing an Assistive Technology-Enabled Culture at the University of York

Abstract

This institutional case study outlines the journey that the University of York (United Kingdom) has been taking towards establishing an assistive technology-enabled culture across the university. A change management strategy is not the first thing that comes to mind when asked to think about how best to advance equality and inclusion in an organisation. However, the authors argue that digital inclusion is not about making quick technical fixes to systems, nor is it about focusing on improvements for disabled students only. Instead, it is about the slow and steady progress in creating and embedding an inclusive culture within an organisation that benefits all categories of students. They challenge the assumption that setting standards will bring about a level playing field. Instead, the authors report on how using a people-centred change management strategy has helped the University of York to promote equity and inclusion, and the impact that this has had in making sustainable changes to digital working practices, informed by policy, training, and guidance provision.