Any comments/views would be welcome on the following scenario
A student in receipt of a Disabled Students' Allowance received
some equipment to help with their studies. Not long after the
student decided that because of their disability they would suspend
their studies and resume in January 2002.
The LEA has written to the student to say that the equipment must
be returned and describing the student as behaving in a way that
was 'tantamount to fraud'. The letter to the student has been
copied to the Academic Registrar here, a named person in the
computer supply firm and to the University of Westminster Access
Centre where the student was advised about equipment. In the
case of the Access Centre the letter had no addressee on it -
simply addressed to the Access Centre.
The Welfare Office here is wondering whether there is a data
protection issue here with the student's letter being copied to 3rd
parties without notification or consent. I wasnt sure - no details
were given eg of the medical condition/disability and the student
would have had contact with each body in arranging the equipment
so they probably already had the student's address which would
have been on the letter - there may be issues of defamation/libel
etc but data protection?
Alison Barty
Alison Barty
Senior Student Counsellor
SOAS
Thornhaugh Street
Russell Square
London WC1H 0XG
Tel: 020 7898 4944
Fax: 020 7898 4049
Email [log in to unmask]
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