Institutional change for improving accessibility in the design and delivery of distance learning – the role of faculty accessibility specialists at The Open University

The Open University has an established infrastructure for supporting disabled. Historically the thrust of this has focused on providing accessible post-production. In 2012 the OU implemented Securing Greater (SeGA) to raise awareness and bring about an institutional change to design so that the needs of all students, including disabled students, are into account from the outset of module design and production. A core of SeGA is the introduction of faculty accessibility specialists (AS). This study discusses the successes and challenges for AS in motivating and production teams in the adoption of inclusive anticipatory practices to new curriculum accessible. It also outlines the process of reasonable during presentation. It shows how collaborative working between AS has standardise design and production processes for accessibility, principles with relevance for supporting disabled students in other Higher Education (HEIs).