OU takes leading role in new accessibility promise

The Open University (OU) in Scotland is celebrating its early adoption of a new Language Accessibility Promise, becoming one of the first universities to sign on ahead of the official sector-wide launch.

The Language Accessibility Promise was formally unveiled on 25 March 2026 at Forth Valley College in Falkirk, where representatives from colleges and universities across Scotland gathered to support the student‑led initiative.

The Promise challenges institutions to rethink how key policies for students are written, ensuring they are genuinely understandable and centred around students.

The commitment focuses specifically on policies and documents that define the student experience; areas where clarity can significantly influence student understanding, confidence, and wellbeing.

Raising the standard for student‑facing policy

By signing the Language Accessibility Promise, institutions commit to:

• Communicate directly, clearly and honestly.

• Assume no prior knowledge; avoid acronyms, initialisms and abbreviations.

• Offer a range of communication formats.

• Use technical terms only when necessary.

• Show compassion, consideration and understanding of students' needs and experiences.

Signatories also pledge to review 20% of all student‑facing policies and documents within two years, and 50% within five years, applying the Promise as a benchmark for clarity and accessibility.

A sector coming together

The Promise project is part of the Scotland Tertiary Enhancement Programme (STEP) - of which the OU is a member - designed to enable Scotland’s colleges and universities to work together to improve and enhance learning, teaching, student experience, and staff development.

The programme is jointly managed by Scotland’s College Development Network (CDN) and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) Scotland.

Lindsay Wilson, Depute Director of Student Experience at the OU in Scotland, said:

“We’re delighted to celebrate the OU in Scotland signing the Language Accessibility Promise. This commitment is a natural extension of our mission to be open to all, ensuring that every student can understand, engage with and benefit from clear, compassionate and accessible communication.

“By taking a visible leadership role in this sector‑wide initiative, we are helping set a standard where openness and inclusivity are truly reflected in every student-facing policy.”

Helping to shape national change

By taking a visible leadership role in this sector‑wide initiative, we are helping set a standard where openness and inclusivity are truly reflected in every student-facing policy.”
Lindsay Wilson, Depute Director of Student Experience

The Open University in Scotland has been central to shaping this work nationally. Patty Watters, OU in Scotland’s Senior Manager for Learning, Curriculum and Quality, and Nichola Jones, our current STEP Student Representative (pictured at the launch event, bottom right), have contributed from the very beginning as part of the project team.

Nichola Jones, OU in Scotland student and STEP Student Representative, said:

“The Language Accessibility Promise is a shared commitment that unites those who learn and those who empower them, with the potential to reach far beyond education.”

A student speaker led the launch presentation and the Promise’s branding was also created by a student, reinforcing the project’s student-led ethos and commitment to inclusive design.

Commitment backed by strong internal practice

The OU signed up to the Language Accessibility Promise commitment a week before the national launch. Fellow early adopters were the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) Orkney, UHI Perth and UHI Inverness, with other institutions signing up following the official launch.

A key part of the OU in Scotland’s readiness to sign pre-launch comes from the work of the OU Student Policy and Compliance Team, who oversee the development and review of all student‑facing policies at The Open University. The team ensured the OU could commit to the Promise and will be responsible for putting its principles into practice.

With the Promise now formally launched, the coming years will see tangible changes to how student policies are communicated across Scotland and beyond, guided by student insight, institutional collaboration, and a shared goal of making information accessible to all.

17 April 2026