09-69

=**e-Abilities**= toc

**RTO**
OTEN

**Contacts**
Sandra Mackay or Matthew Sellers Sandra.mackay@tafensw.edu.au matthew.sellers@tafensw.edu.au

**Category**
Empowering learners

Executive summary
The primary focus of the e-Abilities project is the innovative use of e-learning technologies to empower students with a disability studying through flexible delivery. 

Technological developments in recent years have provided students with disabilities with a range of assistive and adaptive technologies that enable greater access to and participation in e-learning.

Our experience working with students with disabilities (SWD) studying through the Open Training and Education Network (OTEN) has highlighted the critical need to support students in improving their competence in the use of these assistive and adaptive technologies. SWD need such support to access the full range of learning experiences available to distance learners, and to maximise their achievements in vocational education and training.

This project has involved students with a range of disabilities and the learning solutions and support provided has been designed to be appropriate to the needs of the diverse members of the e-learning community.

The project revolves around a Wikispace which has been used as the interface to provide access to learning tools such as pre-recorded Adobe Connect tutorials on how to use software, tutorials and trouble shooting advice for commonly experienced problems with software. The Wiki also importantly contains discussion pages in which SWD have collaborated to discuss their learning experiences as users of adaptive and assistive technology. This collaboration with other learners with disabilities negotiating the same assistive technologies continues to build a new learning community.

SWD were involved in the development of the Wiki resource from the earliest stages of the project and the Wiki was structured to reflect the needs expressed by these students.

The material archived on the Wikispace will be available for future learners to use. Students and Teacher Consultants Disability will be able to continually update and add to the Wikispace. This will mean that this e-Abilities learning community will be fully sustainable.

**Final report**
Click on the links below to see the [|final project report] and an [|archived copy of the e-Abilities wiki]