I have been asked by a solicitor if we can shed light on the following:
He is acting for a man in his early forties who sustained severe
industrial injuries in 1991. He became blinded in both eyes and lost
a leg. His hearing is already impaired and declining, he could
become totally deaf in time. On the grounds that he showed enough
interest in a rather obscure Roman general to compile a biography
of him, the insurer's employment expert has stated that he has
shown the capacity to become a career lecturer in FE or HE.
His degree was in architecture, though he was a Mines Clearance
expert at the time of the injury. He has no professional qualifications
as an historian. Some of the opinions expressed by the insurer's
expert include:
"Further education teaching is often a second career, and the
mature entrant with appropriate experience is more likely to obtain a
lectureship than a young graduate..." and
"Higher education is provided in a variety of establishments-
universities, colleges of education etc. There is no specific training
for lecturing, although many college lecturers have a Postgraduate
Certificate in Education (PGCE)."
What the solicitor is looking for is evidence for/against the idea that
his client can expect a career in FE or HE given his disabilities. How
many blind etc. teachers do you know?
More to the point, isn't the expert a bit confused? Steve Metcalfe is a
very successful employed blind person but was eminently well
qualified for the job he does. Can a degree in architecture, plus
work experience in mines, really turn an interest in an unknown
Roman General into someone qualified to teach ancient history?
Isn't he selling historians a bit short? And if the client has to become
expertly qualified first, with a degree + post-grad qualifications, he
will be nearer fifty, so what of his prospects then?
His views of what it takes to teach in FE or HE speak volumes for
what some sections of the community think has happened to post-18
education in recent years. And I did not think the PGCE was an HE
teaching qualification.
Realistically, it is probable that the client will be both blind and deaf
by the time he is fifty, so this must be considered when viewing his
prospects.
The solicitor, Robin Parkinson, is on email and has asked that
anyone willing to advise contact him directly on
[log in to unmask]
While he might appreciate moral support like "How dreadful", what
he really wants is any good quality evidence that the insurer's expert
is barking up the wrong tree. If you can help, please do, and thanks.
Obviously, any sounding off to dis-forum is fine, since such cases
are not unusual in CCPD's experience.
Dave Laycock
Head of CCPD
Computer Centre for People with Disabilities
University of Westminster
72 Great Portland Street
London W1N 5AL
tel. 0171-911-5161
fax. 0171-911-5162
WWW home page: http://www.wmin.ac.uk/ccpd/
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|