I am disability co-ordinator at a college that has both HE and FE provision.
We work with students with disabilities who are going on to HE ( whether
with us or at other institutions) and ensure that they are advised as to how
to apply for the DSA and ensure that they have dyslexia reports etc... We
highlight the students who will be eligible through our additional support
programme
-----Original Message-----
From: David Laycock [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
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/
|