Disability, Technology and Inclusive Education
4 December 2025 · Online
UCL’s Centre for the Pedagogy of Politics (CPP) hosted this one-hour online panel on disability, technology and inclusive education.
The event focused on how technology can facilitate the inclusion of disabled and neurodivergent students, including the extent to which changes introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic improved accessibility and whether these improvements have been maintained. The panel also considered the current state of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in this area, particularly within Politics and related disciplines.
The discussion addressed both the practical possibilities of digital accessibility and the wider institutional factors that shape inclusive teaching. Topics included the use of digital tools and artificial intelligence, the accessibility benefits of flexible teaching, and the role of institutional expectations and cultures in sustaining or reversing improvements made during the pandemic.
Panellists
Martin Compton, College Lead for AI and Innovation in Education, King’s College London. Martin reflected on the potential of digital tools, including generative AI, to support disabled and marginalised learners, while emphasising the importance of listening to students and retaining the accessibility gains made during the pandemic.
Dr Miranda Melcher, Educational Technologist, Learning Enhancement and Development (LEaD), City, University of London. Miranda addressed the loss of some accessibility gains since the early stages of the pandemic, highlighting how institutional expectations, norms and cultures, rather than technical limitations alone, can prevent inclusive practices from being maintained.
Ben Watson, Head of Digital Accessibility, UCL. Ben shared examples of digital accessibility measures introduced at UCL, including how accessible materials, such as machine-readable text, can benefit all students, not only those with disabilities.
Related reflections
Following the event, panellist Martin Compton contributed an article to the Active Learning in Political Science (ALPS) blog, titled “Disability, Technology, and Inclusive Education” (19 December 2025), expanding on his reflections about technology and inclusive education.
John Wilesmith subsequently published “Reflecting on recent UCL CPP events, Part 3: ‘Disability, Technology, and Inclusive Education’” (26 August 2026), reflecting on the panellists' contributions and the scope for further research on inclusive pedagogy within Politics.