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Dear All, (if you are a member of disability-research and dis-forum, you will receive this message twice as I do!) ___________________________________________________________________ Michael wrote: "I have recently been convinced by a fellow student to take part in a disability awareness campaign in my University. I am asking for advice in the sense that what ave fellow list members done in the past to try and raise awareness at there universities, awareness which can hopefully reach an auidience other than just the disabled. The presence of any disability element in my university is virtually nill. I stres the virtual - they have a good disability unit for dealing with the pracrtical side - aides for the disability but little awareness. However there is a Disability Committee (I shudder at the word committee) which has two disabled people omn and which does nothing and the access is in all fairness poor." _______________________________________________________________ Michael's message raises issues on how to change attitudes of people with no disabilites to people with disabilities and the service provision for them within the higher education context. Since this list is disability research list, it is necessary just to note that there has been substantial amount of research in these areas during last a few decades, inlcluding Makas' work as noted briefly by a member on the list in response to another enquiry. Having said this, I shall focus on the second part of the message where the policy issues are raised. For example it is said that there has been a special committee where two representatives of people with disabilities sit and its impact has been weak. Since 1993, Higher Education Funding Councils in the UK have supported a number of projects for the provision of services for students with disabilities. Some of these projects may have have addressed the disability awareness and related issues such as policy development, staff development etc. Please see, http://www.equipservices.hefce.ac.uk for a list of current projects who have been supported by only HEFCE, rather than all funding councils. Since it has been stressed that the outcome of these projects should be disseminated across teh UK to all instutions in higher education, Michael's message frankly points out some inefficiencies in this area. On the student side, there may also have been inefficiencies. A number of messages sent to the discussion lists for the students' union officers' such as stadia, and raws, may be interpreted that these unions may not have been adequately informed about the legislation in the disability area as well as good practice in teh service provision in higher education institutions in the belief that they are not covered by the law, and therefore they may have missed an opportunity to manage the change for their students with disbabilities in the service provision since December 1996 when the Disability Discrimination Act (1996) became effective. Since that time these unions may have had duties as any other service providers to their students with disabilities. Furthermore, since 1 October 1999, these unions may need to make adjustments for them in their policies, provision of services etc. It is believed that some unions still may believe genuinely that they are not covered by the law and therefore, they may not need to provide services for tehse students including the disability awareness services. Therefore, it is not surprising that there may have been inefficiencies in the promotion of the services for students with disabilities in higher education and the little awareness of the disability issues, complementing Michael's frank obervation made above. Hope it helps. ______________________ Ozcan KONUR The list owner, the interdisciplinary disability and higher education policy list, http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists/dis-he-policy (please join and advocate it) The university address: City University Rehabilitation Resource Centre, Northampton Square London EC1V 0HB, The United Kingdom The e-mail address:[log in to unmask] The web address: http://www.city.ac.uk/~cx639/index.htm (please visit, bookmark,link and advocate) The postal communication address: 17 Elham House Pembury Estate Hackney London E5 8LT, The United Kingdom _____________________ ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%