This is unbelieveably harsh on the part of the Funding Council, and is
doubtless to have knock on effects across your University when postgraduate
applications arrive in future years. Would you care to name the funding
council?

I have wrestled with one research council with two students who have
dyslexia. Although they say that they operate a DSA, the office manager
admitted that they had a painfully small budget to cover a wide range of
needs -the end result was software only and the students had to cough up for
their own hardware. Three month turnaround from the application going in to
money coming out. I do not remember whether the research council made any
proviso (in my students case) about funding penalties for late submission.
Many postgrads do not get PhDs done within three years (although departments
would not like to say that late submission is encouraged), but I never heard
of departmental funding being hit for late funding as a direct result. I
know that it is difficult for departments to get onto the gravy train with
funding councils, and are loathed to jump off due to individual students.

Although I cannot think of a direct solution for this particular student of
yours, but I think that this is an issue which needs to be raised formally
so that we have black-and-white answers for future students. Otherwise we
are simply heading for discrimination against PGs with dyslexia who are
going to take longer to write up.

Stepping down off my soapbox now, and returning to my disability statement.

Richard.

Richard Edwards,
Disability/Special Needs Officer, University of Wales Swansea, Singleton
Park, Swansea SA2 8PP.

Tel: 01792 295336 Minicom/Text: 01792 295089
Fax: 01792 295090 Mobile: 07801 13 63 63 (emergencies only after 5pm)
Email: [log in to unmask]
Email to mobile: [log in to unmask] (short messages only)


> ----------
> From: E.Smart[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Reply To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: 07 September 1999 15:55
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Postgraduates with dyslexia
>
>
>
> We have the situation of a postgraduate PhD student with
> dyslexia who needs an extension to complete his thesis. His
> department do not have a problem with this however, he is
> being penalised financially by the research council for late
> submission. The research council have been informed that he
> has dyslexia but say they will not make an exception to the
> rule. The consequence of this is that the research council
> will also penalise the department for having a student
> submit late by decreasing their funding in future years.
> Has any one had any experience in this area? Are all the
> research councils taking such a blanket approach?
>
> Kind regards
> Emma
> ----------------------
> Emma Smart
> Dyslexia Study Adviser
> University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX
> [log in to unmask]
> Tel: (01482) 466863
>


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