Accessible Resources

a) Tests

We have created a unique format for a test system, the Multi Accessible Test System (MATS). Aimed specifically at deaf candidates who are British Sign Language (BSL) users, it also addresses the needs of other major disability groups. It provides an integrated solution to their accessibility requirements.

Candidates are given the ECDL tests with a choice of text only or the support of either video clips showing British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation or a top quality audio output. The readability and layout of the text follows nationally recognised accessibility guidelines.

Distributed to Test Centres via a DVD, this format will meet the requirements of a wide range of disabled candidates taking ECDL tests. It will accommodate individuals with a visual impairment, deaf candidates who use BSL or have a low literacy level in English, candidates with a specific learning difficulty like dyslexia as well as foreign nationals working in the UK for whom English is a second or additional language.

The project has taken a familiar application, the PowerPoint presentation, installed on a stand-alone DVD. Each slide represents a discrete part of the test such as the introduction and individual questions. Candidates progress through the test using customised navigation buttons.

Approved Centres can order the DVD for candidates from the Alternative Format Papers link in the Orders section of the Approved Centre Forum. No charge is made for these test materials.