Enhancing Accessibility for Disabled Teachers at Oak

The Challenge

Oak National Academy is a leading provider of free, high-quality digital teaching resources, supporting educators across England. With thousands of teachers relying on their platform, Oak recognised the importance of ensuring that their resources are genuinely accessible to all—including disabled teachers.

To address this, Oak sought to understand the unique usability challenges faced by teachers with disabilities when navigating, adapting, and implementing digital resources in the classroom.

Oak commissioned User Vision to conduct a comprehensive accessibility research study, aiming to capture the lived experiences of disabled teachers and to identify actionable opportunities for improvement.

Our Approach

User Vision designed and delivered a robust, three-phase accessibility research project, combining in-depth interviews, usability testing, and real-world classroom feedback.

We recruited a diverse group of participants, including teachers with visual impairments, dyslexia, autism, hearing impairments, and motor disabilities. This ensured a wide spectrum of accessibility perspectives were represented throughout the study. Our usability testing examined critical aspects of the Oak platform, focusing on navigation, search functionality, content readability, and customisation options.

To deepen our understanding, we asked participants to integrate Oak’s platform into their daily teaching routines. This real-world usage provided invaluable insights into practical barriers, creative workarounds, and additional support needs that might not surface in a controlled environment.

The Result

Through rigorous analysis of interviews, usability sessions, and classroom feedback, User Vision delivered a set of clear, evidence-based recommendations to Oak National Academy. Our findings empowered Oak to enhance both the accessibility and usability of their digital platform, ensuring a more inclusive experience for disabled teachers.

Key recommendations included:

• Enhancing search functionality for faster, more intuitive resource discovery
• Introducing alternative colour schemes to reduce visual strain and support teachers with visual impairments or neurodiverse conditions
• Expanding subject coverage to better meet the needs of all educators

By addressing these areas, Oak is making significant strides towards a platform that is truly adaptable and accessible for every teacher, regardless of ability.

Our collaborative approach and actionable insights were highly valued by Oak National Academy. As our client reflected:

“I was very impressed by the smooth delivery of the project, the collaborative method used to define the research scope and the comprehensive and insightful final report that will enable us to make beneficial changes to our website and resources.”

User Vision’s expertise in accessibility and inclusive design helps leading organisations like Oak National Academy create digital experiences that empower every user. If you’re looking to optimise your platform for accessibility and usability, contact us(this will open in a new window) to discover how we can help.