In week one we H810ers (a module on accessibility in e-learning for Open University postgrads in the Masters in Open and Distance Education) have been trying to get our collective heads around the meanings of ‘accessibility’ and ‘disability’ – courtesy of the Paralympics and the US Presidential Elections there is a wealth of contemporary opinion.

I don’t follow the US Presidential Election at all, but sometimes you catch something. This I believe gives us a political model for ‘accessibility’ and any interpretation and response to disability.

“When we vote in this election, we’ll be deciding what kind of country we want to live in. If you want a winner-take-all ‘you’re-on-your-own-society’ you should support the Republican ticket. If you want a country of shared opportunities and shared responsibility – a ‘we’re-in-it-together’ society – you should vote for Barrack Obama and Joe Biden’.

And what The OU means: