Chris
In my previous post I was quite often put in the position whereby an
academic department would contact me about a student that they wanted to
offer a place to but would not do so until I had met them. I was then put
in the position in which, depending upon thenature of the disability, I
had to make the decision about their suitability for the university. This
may, at first come across, as rather loke putting the cart before the
horse, but I found that some students' only contact with the university
was a single visit (if that) and they weren't always aware of the
problems that they would encounter. The university I worked in was rather
poor in accessibility and even poorer in awareness.
I can quite agree with you in that sometimes the Disability Officer knows
a university well enough to decided that the 'politics' will not allow
for full inclusion of some disabled students. These 'politics' could be
cost, or the lack of of awareness. However, I would be careful about how
much responsibility you personnaly take for the decision making as it
could backfire, especially from the very admissions tutors who are not
always aware of the realities of the issues affecting disabled students
but would rather spout the latest PC rhetoric.
Just my penny's worth
Kiran
Herkiran Toor
Disabilities Officer
University of North London
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0171 753 3323
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