In a recent article in The Law Gazette (5/03/09), the headline "Deaf student launches discrimination action" appeared.

This would be newsworthy in itself, since disabled people rarely take their oppressors to task, much less take legal advice or action. However, the case of Roger Ford, quoted in the Law Gazette, is extraordinary since he has begun proceedings - citing disability discrimination - against a London Law school!

Jaswinder Gill, recent speaker at NUS Disabled Students' Conference 2009, has taken the case and has both experience and expertise in the Human Rights and Educations fields. It was reported that he had said "his client wants to highlight the widespread injustice and inequality suffered by disabled people in the UK".

There was a quoted response from John Carter, the principal of the college SAS Law School London, which shows his clear lack of understanding both of the Law (Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (and later amendments)) and, through his use of language, his clear lack of understanding of the social model of disability:
"The school employs a person with a disability, which surely proves we are not prejudiced".

This astounding quote coming as it does from the principal of an institution which teaches Law shows that the Disabled Students' Campaign has much work in changing society's 'hearts and minds:
‘… freed up disabled people’s hearts and minds by offering an alternative conceptualisation of the problem. Liberated the direction of disabled people’s personal energies turned outwards to building a force for changing society’ (Campbell & Oliver, 1996:20)

This desire to change how disabled people are viewed has heavily influenced campaigning in recent years and has led the NUS Students with Disabilities Campaign to be renamed the Disabled Students Campaign. Throughout this campaign the term ‘disabled students’ is used to refer to all learners who are disabled by society’s attitudes to impairment.

Note:

Definition of Social Model of disability:

Over the last 30 years the 'social model' of disability has been used by disabled people to oppose negative attitudes which had developed by disability being seen entirely from a medical perspective (the 'medical model'). The key difference between these two models is where the problem is perceived to lie.

In the medical model, disabled people are unable to participate in society as a direct result of their impairment. Impairment causes a disability which limits choices and opportunities for the disabled person.

Using a social model approach the disability arises from social structures and the perceptions and attitudes of others which create barriers to disabled people’s full participation in society.

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