The following copy of the article which was requested by Mr. Revell today is
provided below since it is perceived that it may be of interest to other
list members too due to its coverage.
____________________________________________________________
Utley, A. (2001). " Bill Demands Extra Support For Disabled" The Times
Higher Education Supplement March 23, 2001 No.1479; Pg.6
"Students who suffer discrimination on the grounds of disability will
benefit from the disability bill passing through Parliament.
At present there is no legal protection for disabled students and according
to Skill, the national bureau for students with disabilities, lecturers have
no legal obligation to provide special support for students who are, for
example, dyslexic or who suffer from a visual impairment.
Barbara Waters, Skill's chief executive, said the disability bill will
introduce the right to non-discrimination, which means disabled people would
be entitled to the same level of education that others take for granted.
"Students need this legislation to ensure fair treatment," she said.
The legislation should prevent universities from turning away students with
dyslexia. But the term "fair" is open to interpretation, according to
Barbara Lloyd-Smith, director of the National Disability Team. "The
legislation should be a wake-up call to universities to look at what they
offer to disabled students and to look at their complaints procedures," she
said.
"Hidden" disabilities often present the trickiest problems for students.
Lecturers can legally refuse to provide notes in large print for students
with visual impairment. Or they can bar personal assistants from field trips
because the bus is provided for the use of students only. Such decisions may
not be commonplace but, according to Ms Lloyd-Smith, the prejudices of some
academics cannot be changed overnight.
"If we can persuade lecturers that more careful thinking about the delivery
of programmes would help all learners, not just those with a disability,
we'll have cracked it," Ms Lloyd-Smith said.
There are more students with learning difficulties in higher education than
ever, but academics can find it difficult to engage with their problems
without confusing them with debates over academic standards, Ms Lloyd-Smith
added. "If people do not read or write or spell well, is it because they
have been taught badly in the past or is it because they have a learning
difficulty?" When Colin Revell enrolled on a diploma in community and youth
work ten years ago, he did not know he suffered from a learning disability.
Five years later he was diagnosed with dyslexia. He also suffers from
dyspraxia, a learning and motor disorder, Asperger's syndrome and attention
deficit disorder.
Mr Revell's case highlights the difficulty of interpreting what is
reasonable educational support. He suffered two mental breakdowns while an
undergraduate at the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside. "I have been
fighting the system ever since," he said. Social services, the health
authorities and now the university have let him down, he claims.
He has yet to complete his degree and has suspended his studies until the
university provides him with the support he says he is entitled to. This
includes videotapes of all his lectures plus audio transcripts of all books
and other textual information. Some academics, he says, do not like him
taping their lectures and this has led to conflict.
A ULH spokesman said the university positively welcomed applications from
people with disabilities and these were considered strictly on academic
merit. "We provide a range of services to support students with specific
learning disabilities, including assessments of educational support needs,
guidance on study skills and, where possible, adjustments in course delivery
and academic assessment."
_________________________________________________________________
Ozcan konur
City University
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