Rosemary's blog posts for 2010

Diff-ability, new posting

Jan

26

'Skill', is the national bureau for  students with disabilities.The organisation which supports 'non-traditional', i.e.'dis'abled students, 'Skill' believes that for many disabled people education is the key to leading a fulfilling and independent life.

N.B. On the 25/03/ 2009 ministers issued guidance that students 'should not be expected to pay for a diagnosis to help with an application for DSA.'

It is also worth looking up the 'Civil Service toolkit,' 2 Mar 2009 ... The aim of the toolkit is to promote awareness and understanding of dyslexia and dyspraxia across a whole organisation, see www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/.../toolkits/dyslexia-toolkit.aspx

Also worth a look. The  hull.ac.uk/pedds/documents/Disability Handbook 2002. This is the html version of the file http://is.gd/76Tu5.

Just remember that even though the challenges set  for disabled students by higher education institutions can sometimes seem overwhelming, you are not alone.One in four of the uk population has some form of 'diff-ability', making disabled students not that different, after all.

diff-ability...borrowing the conceptof 'the pencil',

Jan

16

The story of the pencil by Paulo Coelho  February 17, 2007, from the Paulo Coelho Fanclub! (abridged).

A grandmother said to her grandson:‘ I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.’Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn’t seem very special.

‘But it’s just like any other pencil I’ve ever seen!’

‘That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.’

 ‘First quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps...'

 ‘Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpner. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person.

 ‘Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.’

 ‘Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.’

 ‘Finally, the pencil’s fifth quality: it always leaves a mark. in just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action’

 Diff-ability....' recognising ability ...and  also the social forces that seek to limit the potential of students who are different.'

 

Diff-ability facebook group

Jan

06

Common Interest - Beliefs & Causes
if you have any form of disability ( one in three of the UK population is disabled or has a close relative with a disability) or you are a 'non-traditional' student, this group is for you. It will (eventually)have comprehensive coverage of sites of interest, helpful advice and where to go if things go wrong.
For a start:
HEFCE:has published its review'Outcomes of HEFCE review of its policy as it relates to disabled students.' http://is.gd/5O9Mq. Worth a look as to the legal position, what HEIs SHOULD be doing and the legal obligatons that higher education institutions have to meet to comply with the changes in the law enshrined in the DDA, and the Disability Equality Duty.
I am part of a HEFCE disability consultation group, sat on the National Student Forum, participated in 'The One and Other' installation, and am setting up this facebook group to change the way students who are 'non traditional' are treated. So that higher education recognises  our abilities and supports us to reach our potential.
N.B.
A report by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, dated 17th August 2009, [news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/8204999.stm] Reports that a number of Higher Education Institutions are failing to provide accessible accommodation or facilities to disabled students.

University sites 'fail disabled'
Disabled student
Disabled students need better information online, the report says

Some UK universities are failing to provide accessible accommodation or facilities to disabled students, an investigation has found.

A report by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign suggests one in 10 disabled students were not be able to live or eat on university sites.

About 40% of the 78 institutions surveyed did not have rooms for carers, resulting in students living at home.

Universities UK says disabled students benefit from a wide range of support.

The report, by the charity's Trailblazers nationwide network of 16-30 year olds, questioned universities across the UK.

Almost all said they could provide support in lectures or seminars for students with mobility difficulties.

But only four universities said that every one of their buildings had a fully accessible toilet for disabled students.

Some 40% of universities said they did not provide a particular prospectus aimed at students with disabilities

Most, but not all, universities, said they ran a disability equality scheme.

Clearing 'difficulties'

Universities were asked to answer 15 questions on whether they provided certain facilities which disabled students might reasonably require.
The Social Model of disability.
The social model of disability sees the issue of "disability" as a socially created problem and a matter of the full integration of individuals into society  In this model, disability is not an attribute of an individual, but rather a complex collection of conditions, many of which are created by the social environment. Hence, the management of the problem requires social action and is the collective responsibility of society at large to make the environmental modifications necessary for the full participation of people with disabilities in all areas of social life. The issue is both cultural and ideological, requiring individual, community, and large-scale social change. From this perspective, equal access for someone with an impairment/disability is a human rights issue of major concern.