Conference Presentation
Reference
Applying the ADKAR Model to Boost Web Accessibility in Higher Education Institutions
RODRIGUEZ VAZQUEZ, Silvia
Abstract
The ADKAR model (Hiatt 2006) is a change management instrument to measure Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement with regard to a given change at an individual and organisational level. This paper describes the rationale behind the use of ADKAR in the context of higher education institutions (HEIs), rather than in a business environment, for which the model was originally developed. We also present the ADKAR-oriented method used in a study aimed at identifying concrete gaps related to web accessibility compliance in a Swiss higher education institution.
RODRIGUEZ VAZQUEZ, Silvia. Applying the ADKAR Model to Boost Web Accessibility in Higher Education Institutions. In: 3rd Swiss Conference on Barrier-Free Communication (BFC 2020), Winterthur (Switzerland), 29th June - 4th July 2020, 2020
Available at:
http://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:141670
Disclaimer: layout of this document may differ from the published version.
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Applying the ADKAR Model to Boost Web Accessibility in
Higher Education Institutions
Silvia Rodríguez Vázquez
Department of Translation Technology (TIM)
Faculty of Translation and Interpreting (FTI) - University of Geneva, Switzerland 3rd Swiss Conference on Barrier-Free Communication (BFC 2020)
29thJune – 4thJuly 2020
Research Context (I)
SHARED RESPONSIBILITY:
“[E]nsure that persons with
disabilities can access general tertiary education, vocational training, adult
education and lifelong learning without discrimination and on an
equal basis with others.”
United Nations (2006)
REALITY:
The number of students with disabilities accessing higher education (HE) is considerably lower than the penetration rate of
their non-disabled peers
(Petz and Miesenberger 2012;
Rodríguez Vázquez et al. 2018).
The Web as a flexible and adaptable tool to serve the informative and educational needs of all the
university community
Research Context (II)
IT NEEDS TO BE ACCESSIBLE
Research Context (III)
MAIN CHALLENGES IN HEIs
• the variety of web content produced
• the wide array of authors that generate it
• the complex organizational structure of higher education
institutions (HEIs), which are often comprised of multiple centres, divisions and departments with a high degree of freedom
(Brajnik and Graca 2018)
Prior Work
• Accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.1) is LOW in university websites
(Kurt 2019; Seale et al. 2019)
• Existence of an Accessibility Policy is key to success
(Brajnik & Graca 2018)
Accessibility Policy:
An Example
(Brajnik & Graca 2018)
Motivation
• Need to focus on individual and organization-related factors, rather than only conducting WA audits and generating error reports
• Challenges acknowledged in relation to WCAG compliance go beyond lack of training, knowledge or technology
• The UNIGE does not have an official Accessibility Policy and WCAG compliance is not explicitly recommended
Study Goals
1. Identify concrete gaps related to web accessibility compliance at UNIGE
2. Create an Accessibility Policy for the UNIGE
3. Develop guidance materials and an Action Plan to implement
the Accessibility Policy in the long term
The ADKAR Model
Image source: © Prosci Inc.
ADKAR has been put forward as a model that can
be used for the transversal and harmonized application
of web accessibility best practices (Saleem 2018), but
no evidence exists yet of its actual implementation.
The ADKAR Model: Application for WA in HEIs
Advantages Implementation
• Flexibility and customisation
• Possibility of defining clear actionable steps
• Effectiveness scientifically tested
• Different possibilities: focus groups, interviews, questionnaires
• Different target audience
• Staff members generating web content
• Management
• Academic staff
The ADKAR Questionnaire (I)
Context
1. What is Web Accessibility?
2. What is the current situation regarding Web Accessibility compliance at a
national level?
3. In the context of this study, what do we understand by university websites?
4. What is the current
situation at the University of Geneva regarding Web Accessibility?
5. What is the proposed change?
• 18 statements on each element
• 5 general statements
5-point Likert scale Model adapted from van Der Linde-De Klerk (2010)
FIRST ELEMENT SCORING 3 OR LOWER PRIORITY ACTION
The ADKAR Questionnaire (II)
(Full questionnaire available in the paper, see conference proceedings)
What to do afterwards?
• Define key tactics and messages to tackle the issues observed
• Design a short-term and long-term action calendar, with WA milestones
• Identify change agents that could encourage their peers
• Launch the questionnaire periodically
Informed and realistic web
accessibility roadmap with different phases
for all relevant stakeholders in HEIs
Future Perspectives
• Complete the analysis of data gathered through first questionnaire
• Follow-up interviews
• Roll out the study to other community members
• Measure change readiness with regard to the accessibility of teaching and learning materials
• Submission of an Accessibility Policy proposal for the UNIGE
Thank you
Merci
Danke
Grazie
Silvia Rodríguez Vázquez
silvia.rodriguez@unige.ch
References (I)
• Brajnik, Giorgio, and Sanela Graca. 2018. ‘On Accessibility Policies for Higher
Education Institutions’. In W4A ’18: The Internet of Accessible Things. New York, NY, USA: Association for Computing Machinery.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3192714.3192833.
• Hiatt, Jeffrey M. 2006. ADKAR. A Model for Change in Business, Government and Our Community. Loveland, Colorado, US: Prosci Learning Centre Publications.
• Kurt, Serhat. 2019. ‘Moving toward a Universally Accessible Web: Web Accessibility and Education’. Assistive Technology 31 (4): 199–208.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10400435.2017.1414086.
References (II)
• Petz, Andrea, and Klaus Miesenberger. 2012. ‘Dealing with Changes in Supporting Students with Disabilities in Higher Education’. In Proceedings of the 13th
International Conference on Computers Helping People with Special Needs - Volume Part I, 25–32. ICCHP’12. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-31522-0_4.
• Prosci Inc. n.d. The Prosci ADKAR Model. A Goal-Oriented Change Management Model to Guide Individual and Organizational Change. Prosci Learning Centre Publications.
References (III)
• Rodríguez Vázquez, Silvia, Pierrette Bouillon, Irene Strasly, Christiane Hohenstein, Larysa Zavgorodnia, and Manuela Naf. 2018. ‘Roadblocks to Inclusive Education and Career
Development for People with Hearing Impairments in French and Italian Speaking
Switzerland’. In Proceedings of the 2nd Swiss Conference on Barrier-Free Communication:
Accessibility in Educational Settings, edited by Pierrette Bouillon, Silvia Rodríguez Vázquez, and Irene Strasly, 88–91. Geneva, Switzerland: UNIGE Archive Ouverte.
https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:114744
• Saleem, Muhammad. 2018. ‘Arabic Web Accessibility Guidelines: Understanding and Use by Web Developers in Kuwait’. In W4A ’18: The Internet of Accessible Things, 25:1–25:2.
New York, NY, USA: ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3192714.3196315.
References (IV)
• Seale, Jane, Sheryl Burgstahler, and Björn Fisseler. 2019. ‘Tackling the Inaccessibility of Websites in Postsecondary Education’. In Web Accessibility. A Foundation for Research., edited by Yeliz Yesilada and Simon Harper, Second Edition, 263–79. Human-Computer Interaction Series. London: Springer-Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-7440-0.
• United Nations. 2006. ‘Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’. Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/conventionfull.shtml.
• Van Der Linde-De Klerk, Marzanne. 2010. ‘The Development and Validation of a Change Agent Identification Framework’. PhD thesis, Pretoria: University of South Africa.
