As the new guidlines are designed to broaden choice and maintain standards I assume that protection and service to the student client is paramount. If so what rules / legislation will be put in place to ensure that assessors; especially freelance assessors, have adequate insurance cover to ensure any errors made, could be compensated should the problem be that serious and reach litigation, a progresively common feature in todays society.
I am afraid that this whole process is going to result in cherry picking, with the majority of assessors handling basic assessments and relatively few being capable or even prepared to do the more complex. Will a charging structure be able to reflect this?. Will assessors be approved / licenced to handle certain types of assessment or disability?.  If these new guidlines are to work it is essential that some form of classification ands licencing is introduced to work alongside the existing regulations. At the moment it is all to easy for an assessor to pass on things like an ergonomic assessment to a local specialist supplier and meerly include their quote as the spec of the solution. Having seen a number of these they often reflect an overloading of technology much of which is not required and on checking never used. 
As assessors we need to be aware that we are responsible for the effects of the recommendations we make. Even the supposedly "humble" dyslexia assessment is full of potential pitt falls. Any new guidlines should and must reflect these concerns IF they are to have the desired effect of raising standards and meeting demand. 


Terry Hart
Disability Assist Services
University of Plymouth

-----Original Message-----
From: Jenni Knox [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 29 April 2003 17:06
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: New guidelines for assessors


I would just like to remind colleagues of the original Skill recommendation
in the DSA review (more than two years ago now) which was made to put into
place this work on the quality assurance framework.
"In order to broaden choice and guarantee standards, a national certificate
of competence to be an assessment centre should be established, and a
separate one to be an assessor be established to which any organisation or
individual can apply, including HEIs and freelance workers. If more and more
HEI employees do take on an assessment role, it will be important to build
in protection of their impartiality because they can face pressure from
financial colleagues to make DSA claims as large as possible. It may be
appropriate for assessors to have distinct and separate roles from
disability support staff. "

This recommendation was made to ensure that any framework that was
implemented would be in the best interests of the students. As Ian Webb
said, there were DOs on the group who contributed to the full and frank
discussions about the role of disability officers, whether they are
assessors themselves or not. And as Mick has previously said (to paraphrase)
the framework is a genuine attempt to better serve the interests of the
students. It should not be forgotten that the impetus of the framework is to
ensure that the role of the assessor is as being a 'professional' one and
with that comes having genuine competencies and minimum standards.


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Val Morgan [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2003 3:39 PM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Re: New guidelines for assessors
>
> I totally agree with Elaine (see message below)!
> As the one and only Disability Co-ordinator/officer/adviser in my
> institution, it is virtually impossible for me to carry out any needs
> assessments during the Autumn term (this year I had a 4 week waiting list
> for ordinary appointments!) although another NFAC assessor does come into
> college to carry out assessments here during that time, to try and avoid
> the long wait for an appointment at either London Centre.
> Moreover, the students appreciate our being able to offer assessments here
> in familiar surroundings and within a very short time span.
>
> Any unrealistic quota system to maintain a valid "licence" would jeopadize
> the system that I believe the DFES wishes to see become more popular i.e.
> more assessments being carried out within the "home" institution under the
> auspices of an  accredited ACCESS Centre.
> Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water!!
>
> Val Morgan
> Disability Co-ordinator
> Queen Mary
> University of London
> Mile End Road
> London
> E1 4NS
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
> Elaine's message:
> I too am very concerned about the numbers of assessments that an
> assessor will have to do to maintain a licence.  From an institutional
> point of view, this could well be a nightmare.   Here at Manchester,
> we have six very experienced assessors, five of whom are disability
> advisers, and myself. Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury of
> 'cherry-picking' the 'easy' dyslexic assessments - the truth is more
> likely that we end up assessing the students with complicated needs,
> where things are rarely straightforward.
>
> Ok - so all we  have to do is 25 assessments a year to keep our
> licence - not too many.  Except, when you consider that the vast
> majority of students need assessing all at the same time - which
> co-incidentally also happens to be the same time of year when we are
> absolutely run off our feet organising support within the
> institutions.  Not to mention, the admin associated with organising
> assessments, liaising with LEAs, delivering staff development sessions
> etc etc, suddenly, where has all our time gone?  Given a 31 week year
> for undergraduates, 25 assessments is almost one a week for a busy
> disability adviser at the busiest times of the year.  At the moment,
> we can shift workloads, ask colleagues to step in and help out, send
> more students to Access Centres - if we only manage 15 or 20, then
> there is nothing lost. But if suddenly we know that we will lose our
> assessor licences then the pressures in an already very pressured job
> will just increase.
>
> Some of our disability advisers are working part time - for them, this
> will add to the pressures and difficulties of juggling everything -
> has anybody considered this?  What about those who work part- time
> because their own disabilities prevent them from doing more?
>
> As Simon points out, being a full time assessor does not equate to
> producing the best assessments.   My own opinion is that it is
> absolutely vital to maintain regular contact with learning and
> teaching and support issues within institutions, all the more so with
> the obligations we have with SENDA.
>
> If we do end up going down this route, then it can surely only be a
> matter of time before valuable experienced assessors are lost from the
> system, and we will be the poorer for it.
>
> Sorry to go on so much - but I do feel better for getting this off my
> chest!
>
> Elaine Shillcock
> Head, Disability Support Office
>
> email [log in to unmask]
>
> -