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Request for Comment Dataon Disability Serviceprovision A key area where HE and FE institutions will need to collect and process sensitive data is that of service provision for disabled staff and students, as there is an obvious correlation between the disclosure of disability status and the ability of institutions to ensure that as full a range of services as possible can be supplied. Institutions will often collect student disability information at the admission stage (for example, through UCAS, and through the reference letters, interviews etc.), but collection of disability data may also occur throughout the period of study. The use of “blanket” consent forms is inappropriate for many forms of data collections, but particularly so for collection of sensitive personal data, including disability data. * HE and FE institutions should provide: - mechanisms to ensure that where disability data is provided for a stated purpose, such as to ensure adequate service provision, it is not misused for other purposes, such as to make a decision about whether or not to admit a student to a course of study - safeguards to protect disabled students against discrimination, harassment, and victimisation that may arise from any disclosure of their disability status. - clear and readily accessible remedies for disabled students in cases where they suffer distress or damage due to misuse of the information about their disability status. - a system whereby when there is a need to disclose disability data to external organisations, prior consent of the data subject can be obtained for each disclosure and the nature of the information to be disclosed, the intended recipient, and the purpose of disclosure can be provided to the data subject. (potential employers) - adequate information to all applicants, students and staff regarding institutional policies relating to the confidentiality and disclosure of personal information on disabilities, including information that is gathered for monitoring purposes; - procedures that both protect an individual's privacy and permit necessary disclosure for the provision of effective support for disabled students or to ensure health and safety. Andrew Charlesworth Senior Lecturer in IT law Director, Information Law and Technology Unit University of Hull Law School Hull, UK, HU6 7RX Voice: 01482 466387 Fax: 01482 466388 E-mail: [log in to unmask] %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%