Supporting students with disabilities

1. Supporting students with disabilities Deborah Popham University of Oxford Disability Officer Monday 2 October 2006

2. Current Legal Position • The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 • Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Act SENDA) 2001

3. Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 • Part I – Summarises the meaning of the Act. • Part II – Relates to discrimination in Employment. • Part III – Discrimination in relation to public access to goods, facilities, services, and premises • .

4. Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Act (SENDA) 2001 Part IV • Relates to education including HE. • 1st September 2003 – responsible for making reasonable adjustments that involve the provision of auxiliary aids. • 1st September 2005 – education providers have had to make reasonable adjustments to their premises where there are physical features that are placing the disabled person at a substantial disadvantage.

5. Pending Legal Position Disability Equality Duty (DED) 2006 • 4th December 2006 – new duty on HE Institutions to promote disability equality. • The legislation introduces general and specific duties to promote disability equality across all of the University functions. • This will require the University to be even more proactive about how we mainstream disability equality. • The University will need to take account of disabled people when making decisions and developing policy. • A key requirement will be to publish a Disability Equality Scheme (DES) every three years.

6. The University Disability Office • We work with academic, and administrative staff throughout the University and Colleges to enhance the support given to disabled students. • Our role is to: • liaise with prospective, and existing students • advise on disability related funding • organise study needs assessments • co-ordinate the support services within the University • work with external agencies to deliver support • provide awareness training for staff • dyslexia workshops for students

7. Definition of disability The Act defines a disability as: “…a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.” • The DRC estimates that around 10% of young people aged 16-24 are disabled.

8. Disclosure • Encourage Disclosure • The DDA says that you are not unlawfully discriminating against someone if you treat them less favourably for a reason related to their disability if you did not know, and could not reasonably have known, that he or she was disabled. • However ignorance is not the same as innocence. The institution needs to have taken reasonable steps to find out if someone is disabled.

9. Confidentiality The individual has the right not to tell us. • A confidentiality request relates specifically to the duty to make reasonable adjustments. Under a confidentiality request a disabled person may ask for the nature or the existence of their disability to be kept confidential. In such circumstances the University must comply with the student’s request. or • A student may have requested that the nature of his disability be kept completely confidential from all but the disability adviser. In such a case adjustments could still be made, but the staff making them may not be told the full reasons for the adjustment.

10. Health and safety issues and the Data Protection Act (DPA). • The Disability Discrimination Act does not override the duties that an institution must fulfil under the Data Protection Act, or Health and Safety legislation. • Under the Data Protection Act, any written or electronically stored information about a person’s disability is what is called ‘sensitive personal’ data and may not be passed on without the explicit permission of the student. • If there is a genuine overriding health and safety risk, or there are issues about duty of care to the student or other students or staff, then it may be appropriate to break a confidence or even a confidentiality request. In such cases, the duty of care, and health and safety come first.

11. Making a referral? • If a student or applicant mentions, even in passing, that they have a disability, this might be disclosure. • Ask the student if he or she has provided this information in confidence or whether the intention is for the information to be passed on. • Refer the student to the Disability Office or Disability Contact within the College or Department. • Ensuring that, even if the student has said he or she will self-refer, the information is passed on by the staff member to the Disability Office or Disability Contact. • If a student is not performing academically then raise concerns with Departmental Disability Contact in the first instance.

12. Physics students • 2006 entry - declaring a disability on the UCAS form:5 Types of disabilities/conditions: • Dyslexia, dyspraxia, aspergers, hearing impairment, visual impairment.

13. The needs of physics students • Practicals: Give explicit instructions and make intentions clear. If broken into small steps, show how these come together as a whole. Be patient, encouraging and supportive. Guide gently and respectfully back on task if necessary. If praising, say exactly what is right or appreciated and why. Provide clear information (oral and written) about structure of practical arrangements.

14. The needs of physics students • Tutorials: Get to know your student’s particular needs in advance. Provide clear, detailed information (oral and written) about tutorial arrangements, assessment requirements and deadlines. Reading lists given in good time indicating priority reading Set concrete, realistic goals to assist motivation • e.g. “If you want to become a physicist you must complete all parts of the course, even the practicals/essays?”

15. The needs of physics students • Lectures: Be consistent in approach and keep variations to a minimum. If a change (e.g. in timetable, room, lecturer) is inevitable give clear, specific information as far ahead as possible. Present material in a structured way. Use clear, unambiguous language (spoken and written). Avoid or explain metaphors, irony etc and interpret what others say. Provide subject word lists, glossaries of terms and acronyms. Be prepared to provide electronic notes (prior to lecture where possible). recording of lectures, note takers, using a radio aid.

16. University Resources Disability Office: • Note takers, general support workers, library assistants. • Mentors. • Equipment loan – height adjustable tables, chairs, writing slopes, digital records, radio aids, mobility scooter. • Access to funding – Disabled Students Allowances, Southern Trust Fund, SpLD Fund. University specialist: • ARACU – braille embosser, audio/digital recordings, enlarged copies. • OUCS – keyboards, mice, software • Student Counselling Services • OUSU

17. External Resources • Dyslexia Support Tutors. • Educational Psychologists. • The Dyslexia Research Trust • Autism Family Support. • IT specialists. • Orientation trainer. • Sign language interpreters. • Transcription service. • Awareness trainers – mental health, aspergers, hearing impairment, visual impairment, SpLD. • Ergonomic assessments.

18. Getting advice • For advice on admitting and supporting disabled students, staff are welcome to contact the Disability office. • telephone no. 01865 280459 • Pete Quinn, Deborah Popham, Ann Poulter, Sara Scott • Email: disability@admin.ox.ac.uk • We have a website: www.admin.ox.ac.uk/eop/disab/ • Fact sheets and guides.