This is a vital question as we, I suspect like most other HEs, are being pushed into validating Foundation Degrees taught at local FE colleges. I've observed that our lower courses usually have the highest proportion of dyslexic students, and wonder how things will pan out. Will we, as the validating body, be responsible, or will that lie wit the FE college delivering the course?
Dr John S Conway
Principal lecturer in soil science / Disability Officer
Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, Glos GL7 6JS
01285 652531 ext 2234 fax 01285 650219
http://www.royagcol.ac.uk/~john_conway/
email [log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support staff. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of David Laycock
Sent: 16 February 2004 13:32
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: supporting HE students in FE.
An item debated in a Round Table* meeting last November concerned
how we could be sure that students with disabilities or SPLDs, studying
in FE on courses eligible for DSA support, would be identified and
referred to their LEA. The concern was that some students might miss
out altogether, or, as support mechanisms in FE are quite different
from those in HE, the culture might well do something for the student,
but this might not include all that the DSA scheme could supply.
These courses could be of broadly two types:
-foundation or year-zero franchised from an HE college, or
-based purely in FE but eligible for the DSA, such as an HND.
What the Round Table would like advice on is
1. how does the support process work in these two different cases? Is
it pretty much the same either way, or if it varies, then how?
2. for franchised courses what part does the university disability
adviser play? Can we be confident all universities in this position have
the issue sewn up?
3. if the HE support service is not linked in this way, where does the FE
advice and guidance come from?
4. for purely FE based courses (ie with no implied HE link), what staff
would play the part of the university Disability Adviser and guide the
student through the process? Can we be sure they always exist?
I know some DAs have good network contacts with their local FE
colleges, but I also came across a case about a year ago where a
course being run here in London was franchised from an HEI over 200
miles away. Links were, only naturally, a bit thin.
*The Round Table is a large forum of disability-related support staff
from LEAs, HEIs, assessment services, Skill, NUS etc called together
by the DfES to consider and advise on issues arising out of its review
of the DSA scheme.
Dave Laycock
Head of CCPD
Chair of NADO
Computer Centre for People with Disabilities
University of Westminster
72 Great Portland Street
London W1N 5AL
tel. 020 7911-5161
fax. 020 7911-5162
WWW home page: http://www.wmin.ac.uk/ccpd/
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