Dearing and disabled students

The long awaited Dearing report on higher education was launched on 23
July.  There has been much in the press about the changes to overall
students funding and the Governments response on this.  There has been less
publicity about some of the welcome recommendations about disabled
students.

Student funding

The most welcome of the recommendations for many disabled people will be
the suggestion that the disabled students allowances (DSA) be extended to
part time and post graduate students to those who have become disabled and
are subsequently seeking a second higher education degree and that the
allowance should no longer be means tested (recommendation 6). A later
recommendation is that the government establish a unified Student Support
Agency to administer grants (recommendation 83).  DSAs are part of the
grants system, however, and the Government has already expressed its
intention of abolishing the grant system in favour of loans.  Implementing
the recommendations may not therefore be quite as straightforward as the
Dearing Committee originally envisaged.

The report also makes three recommendations about student funding of
particular interest to disabled students.

that some entitlement to social security benefits be restored to full time
students and particularly to those who temporarily withdraw from courses
due to illness (recommendation 5)

that Access Funds be increased and extended to part time students
(recommendation 5)

that institutions should be allowed to waive tuition fees for part timers
and Jobseekers Allowance (recommendation 76)

Skill will urge the Government to implement all of these recommendations
and will additionally be recommending that the maximum amount for the
non-medical helpers element of the disabled students allowance be uprated
to assist deaf students who use sign language and others to have all their
support needs met.

Institutional funding

One of the earliest recommendations of the report is that:

Funding bodies when allocating funds for the expansion of higher education,
they give priority to those institutions which can demonstrate a commitment
to widening participation, and have in place a participation strategy, a
mechanism for monitoring progress and provision for review by the governing
body of achievement. (recommendation 2)

Skill is disappointed that the report accepts the system by which
institutions choose their own 'mission' and thus may or may not choose to
widen participation to under represented groups including disabled people. 
However recommendation 2, if it were implemented, would ensure that only
those institutions which did include a real and practical commitment to
widening participation would be eligible for funding to expand their
overall student numbers.

The report additionally recommends that the funding councils 'provide
funding for institutions to provide learning support for students with
disabilities' (recommendation 6).

This gives approval and encouragement to the initiatives which the
different funding councils have run across the UK over the last few years. 
It calls for a recognition through the funding system of the additional
costs of disability.  It should also encourage the Higher Education Funding
Council for England to pursue its idea of introducing a premium weighting
for disability in its student-related funding methodology.  Skill will be
looking to all the funding councils (including the new Northern Ireland
funding council, if one is set up in accordance with recommendation 93) to
continue to develop their initiatives for disabled students.

Teaching staff

In its evidence to the Committee, Skill highlighted the importance of good
practice amongst teaching staff in improving access for disabled students. 
The point has been taken on board in the reports recommendations for the
establishment of an Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher
Education.  It is envisaged that all permanent staff should in future be
trainined in teaching and become members of this new institute.  Part of
the institute's role it was suggested shopuld be to consider the learning
needs of students with disabilities in its research, programme
accreditation and advisory service (recommendation 6).

Once again, Skill will be pressing for the full implementation of this
recommendation.

Disability Discrimination

The Committee stopped short of recommending the extension of the Disability
Discrimination Act 1995 to cover education, being satisfied instead with
hoping that institutions should seek to honour the spirit of the Disability
Discrimination Act 1995.  Skill is very disappointed with this approach,
and will be recommending to the Government that the 'final rights of
access' to goods, facilities and services be implemented as soon as
possible and that the education exclusion be reversed.

The Government's response

The National Committee for Inquiry into Higher Education has made a number
of recommendations that will be very positive for disabled students. 
However, several of them, for example the changes to the disabled students
allowance and the introduction of an Institute of Learning and teaching in
Higher Education will depend on the Government taking action.  The
Government have already made some announcements and have on 23 July in
their initial response to the reports publication, stated that they are
minded to agree with the recommendations on means testing and will
carefully consider the suggestion that DSAs are extended to other groups. 
Skill will be recommending that both these principles be accepted.

More concrete intentions will be included in the consultation paper due out
in the autumn.  Skill is currently drafting a response to the Government,
so please let us know your views on any aspect of the Committee's report.

Sophie Corlett
Assistant Director, Skill


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