Learning design

Equality, diversity and inclusion

The Open University is committed to equality in line with the guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission and in compliance with the Equality Act 2010. There are nine protected characteristics under this legislation:

• age
• gender reassignment
• being married or in a civil partnership
• being pregnant or on maternity leave
• disability
• race including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin
• religion or belief
• sex
• sexual orientation.

As you write your course we encourage you to consider the following points:

• Be aware of the protected characteristics listed above.
• Be sensitive to the risk of offending, patronising or excluding. Use plain English, avoiding jargon and figurative (non-literal) language. 
• Avoid instructions with visual or physical connotations/descriptions such as ‘Tick’ or ‘You can see below ...’. Instead use a more generic term such as ‘Select’ and ‘Below there is ...’. 
• Avoid instructions that refer to colour or sounds alone.
• Avoid condescending language (such as inappropriate use of the word ‘victim’). 
• Avoid Eurocentric or Anglocentric viewpoints. 
• Reflect the diversity of contemporary society and ensure accurate representation of cultures. 
• Avoid bias and assumptions. 
• Don’t assume that everyone belongs to the same family structure. 
• Use gender-neutral terms. 
• Avoid stereotypical images (such as depicting old people as frail). 
• Embed links under meaningful text, avoiding embedding links under phrases such as 'Click here’.