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Dr
Tim
Phillips
Dept of Archaeology
University of Reading
Whiteknights
PO Box 218
Reading
RG6 6AA
England
Inclusive, Accessible, Archaeology was a HEFCE FDTL5 project being run in collaboration between the Departments of Archaeology at the Universities of Reading and Bournemouth and the Research Group for Inclusive Environments (RGIE) at Reading. The project worked closely with a number of stakeholders including the Institute of Field Archaeologists (IFA), the Council for British Archaeology (CBA), Oxford Archaeology and English Heritage, as well as with the Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for History, Classics and Archaeology.
This project addresses the dual issues of disability and transferable skills in the teaching of archaeological fieldwork. It will increase awareness of disability issues in Archaeology and improve the integration of disability in fieldwork teaching. The emphasis is on the development of a self-assessment tool kit for physical and psychological abilities in fieldwork. This tool will increase students' awareness of their acquisition of transferable skills and promote careers management skills.
The project involves archaeologists working closely with specialists in Inclusive Environments to characterise the skills needed in archaeological fieldwork. In addition to engaging with teachers of undergraduate archaeology nationally, the project actively involves the CBA, the IFA, English Heritage and Oxford Archaeology. The project has the potential to widen participation by challenging the stereotype of archaeology as a field discipline that may exclude disabled participants. It aims to effect a change of emphasis from 'disability' to ability: rather than excluding or categorising individuals, students will be engaged actively in assessing their own skills.