Can I ask members for their views on the following? I have been
concerned for some years that support for deaf students was very
difficult to provide. By this I mean the specialised input of
note-takers, lip-speakers and signers. It is generally accepted that
these need to be broadly subject specific if the notes etc are to be
meaningful.
Even in London with its huge population and thus its relatively large
number of deaf people offering a corresponding demand for support, it
is still very difficult to find the right skills in large enough numbers with
sufficient experience.
Skill warn against Centres of Excellence and I expect we would all
agree, if that means creating ghettos of particular disabilities, but
evidence relating to deaf students suggest they welcome having other
deaf students to relate to- even if not from the same university.
This, when added to the above, suggests to me that we may need to
encourage Regions of Expertise and Support. Basically the large
conurbations like London, Birmingham, Manchester etc. where there
are several universities from trad to ex-poly, a corresponding range
of courses and also a likely chance of encouraging the emergence of
expert support.
If you disagree or have examples to show how deaf students can be
supported in relatively isolated HEIs then please say so. It is only
a thought but one that I have tried on several people and their
responses have lead me to write this.
I feel very concerned about this group and worry that whatever
Dearing reccomends it will take a constructive effort on all our
parts to improve things significantly.
Dave Laycock MBE
Head of CCPD, Chair of NFAC
Computer Centre for People with Disabilities
University of Westminster
72 Great Portland Street
London W1N 5AL
tel. 0171-911-5161
fax. 0171-911-5162
WWW home page: http://www.wmin.ac.uk/ccpd/
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