Hi Amanda
Just a short reply to this, as it seems that Erin has resolved the issue.
A supplier with fewer than 20 employees may be able to argue that the costs
to deliver products and services to all in the community make it an
unbearable business cost.
DSA is indeed there to support students with disabilities and additional
needs through University; it's not there to underwrite the costs of
suppliers, or underwrite the duty of suppliers in fulfilling their legal
obligations.
Best wishes
Chris
Amanda Kent
<amandakent87@YAH
OO.CO.UK> To
Sent by: [log in to unmask]
"Discussion list cc
for disabled
students and Subject
their support Re: BSL Interpreter costs
staff."
<DIS-FORUM@JISCMA
IL.AC.UK>
05/12/2008 06:35
Please respond to
"Discussion list
for disabled
students and
their support
staff."
<DIS-FORUM@JISCMA
IL.AC.UK>
A couple of points:
Is there a distinction here between goods & services and auxiliary aids and
services?
The concept of taking ‘reasonable steps’ towards the provision of a service
is
related to the circumstance – so is it the case that what might be
reasonable
for a large supplier would be unreasonable for a smaller one (if seen in
terms
of cost)?
The DSA seems to be predicated in part on the idea that the student has
additional costs relating to the effects of disability on study. The DSA
itself is
proof that additional costs are considered legitimate within the context of
higher education. If the DSA is used to fund BSL costs within the HEI, why
can it not be used to fund some costs relating to the provision of
equipment
to be used in relation to the course of study? The student receives
equipment
training funded through the DSA so it seems to me that the cost of this
training may include BSL interpreter cost.
Amanda Kent
DSA assessor
On Thu, 4 Dec 2008 16:37:00 +0000, Christopher Dunlop
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>Tony
>
>I'd have to agree.
>
>Factoring any additional costs, which disadvantage people with
impairments,
>or additional needs, for goods and services, is illegal. Whether these are
>regular or irregular, anticipatory, or non-anticipatory.
>
>Best wishes
>
>Chris
>
>
>
> Tony Lees
> <tony.lees@AVANTE
> K.CO.UK> To
> Sent by: [log in to unmask]
> "Discussion list cc
> for disabled
> students and Subject
> their support Re: BSL Interpreter costs
> staff."
> <DIS-FORUM@JISCMA
> IL.AC.UK>
>
>
> 04/12/2008 16:33
>
>
> Please respond to
> "Discussion list
> for disabled
> students and
> their support
> staff."
> <DIS-FORUM@JISCMA
> IL.AC.UK>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>To put it simply; as suppliers we all have to be accessible at no extra
>cost
>to our customers.
>Regards, Tony
>
>Tony Lees
>Avantek Computer Limited
>
>
>
>________________________________
>
> From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support
>staff.
>[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Marie Norris
> Sent: 04 December 2008 16:09
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: BSL Interpreter costs
>
>
>
> Hello all,
>
>
>
> Erin's original question was:
>
>
>
> Should suppliers of DSA equipment be expected to fund BSL
>Interpreters for delivery of and training on equipment, or should this be
>included in the Assessment of Needs, and so a DSA-able cost?
>
>
>
> Personally, I agree that under DDA a supplier should foot the
>bill as
>a reasonable adjustment. However the delivery charge for most suppliers is
>not a large amount (eg ours is £80 in our regional area) and I do know
that
>the cost of a BSL interpreter is likely to be much more than that so the
>points I make below might be useful for consideration.
>
>
>
> 'Delivery of' and 'training on equipment' are two different
>events
>and should be considered separately. As part of the Suppliers Service
Level
>Agreement there is an agreed procedure for what takes place at delivery.
>Briefly, this is the delivery and unpacking of the goods, the setting up
of
>the equipment, demonstrating the hardware (eg showing how to work the
>printer) and familiarising the student with the accessing of the assistive
>software. We are lucky to have in our office a BSL interpreter and would
be
>able to have that person attend a delivery with our engineer. However the
>SLA
>suggests that the delivery should take 1.5 hours of engineer time and is
>costed in relation to that. I would suggest that most suppliers would
quote
>for a standard delivery and not cost-in the cost of the interpreter (also
>we
>would not know when quoting for the equipment that the student needed a
BSL
>interpreter as we do not get that information). Also any quotation from an
>on-line Quotebuilder may not take account of that either.
>
>
>
> With regard to training on equipment - this is usually
>assistive
>software training, and again the supplier of the training may not have
>known
>in advance that the student required a BSL interpreter. The supplier of
the
>assistive software/specialist equipment training will have agreed training
>rates per hour and/or per session. The cost of the BSL interpreter may not
>have been included in the rates which will have been supplied to the
>Assessment Centres. The cost of a BSL interpreter is unlikely to have been
>costed-in to the standard training service as it not a regular occurrence.
>
>
>
> I think it would be helpful to ask the question of the DSA
>Equipment
>Suppliers List - would it help if I put the question on that list. I think
>this is really useful topic to get more comments on, particularly as it
was
>not considered at the recent DSA-QAG SLA meetings. I also think it would
be
>helpful to get an opinion on this from some of our colleagues from the
>assessment centres/universities which have a high proportion of Deaf and
>hearing impaired clients.
>
>
>
> In the meantime, until this is decided, could it be that if a
>BSL
>interpreter is required then the assessor should ask for this at the time
>of
>the quotation.
>
>
>
> Best wishes, Marie
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support
>staff.
>[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jackson, Erin
> Sent: 04 December 2008 15:31
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: BSL Interpreter costs
>
>
>
> Hi,
>
>
>
> Yes, that is right - they are awaiting their DSA equipment. I
>felt
>that
>
> the supplier should foot the bill as a reasonable adjustment
>to be
>
> honest.
>
>
>
> So where should the student go from here?
>
>
>
> Thanks
>
> Erin
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
> From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support
>staff.
>
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Chris Dunlop
>
> Sent: 04 December 2008 15:09
>
> To: [log in to unmask]
>
> Subject: Re: BSL Interpreter costs
>
>
>
> Hi Erin
>
>
>
> Strictly speaking, the cost, or potential cost, of BSL
>interpreters
>in
>
> the supply
>
> and training on equipment should be factored into the cost of
>the
>
> equipment
>
> and training. The suppliers of goods and services have a
legal
>
> responsibility to
>
> make 'reasonable adjustments' to the goods and services they
>provide,
>
> which
>
> shouldn't discriminate, i.e. cost, one person more than
>another.
>
>
>
> However, where they haven't done so, it may be covered by
DSA.
>But
>not
>
> as
>
> part of the assessment. I'm presuming this student has been
>granted
>DSA
>
> and
>
> is now being supplied with equipment?
>
>
>
> Hope that helps
>
>
>
> Chris
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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