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