The real class issue
There are more disabled people in colleges and universities than ever, but many still struggle to get the support they need- this is a story from Disability Now - go to www.disabilitynow.org.uk for more.
Higher and further education has become increasingly accessible to disabled people in the past few years, but those with sensory impairments feel they are losing out. While physical access continues to improve, expanding the range of learning resources and support services is painfully slow.
A shortage of sign language interpreters, long waits for reading materials in accessible formats and non-inclusive teaching methods can pose huge hurdles for students with visual and hearing impairments as well as dyslexia.
Alan Hurst, a trustee of SKILL, the National Bureau for Students with Disabilities, says: "The nature of the challenge has changed. In the early days it was about getting disabled people through the door. Now it is about addressing their needs once they're inside," he says.
Impairments should be considered when curricula are being designed, he believes, and teachers should consider more closely whether their methods exclude any students. RNID education officer Stevie Mayhook says lecturers of deaf and hearing impaired students do not always understand how important it is to have notes in advance or why communication support workers (CSW) or note-takers are so vital.
"They [deaf students] are not asking to have an unfair advantage over hearing students by having materials in advance. It's only enabling them to have equal access when the class is in progress... this is part of the students' working methodology and is important," she says.
"Deaf students get Disability Student Allowance (DSA) but their costs are a lot higher than other disabled students. Interpreters and CSWs are very expensive."
Ms Mayhook adds: "Under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), the university is required to make adjustments to meet students' needs, but because the students have an allowance that is supposed to buy a lot of the support, there is a clash. Who is responsible and at what point is the university responsible? It's a muddled area."
A major challenge for blind and visually impaired students is getting course materials in accessible formats and in enough time to study them in depth. Often they face lengthy delays while a book is scanned, transcribed or taped.
The Sound, Sense and Vision Trust has started a campaign to ensure publishers provide texts in electronic format.
But Hugh Jones, copyright advisor for the Publisher's Association, says that a proper trust structure must be in place before digital files are handed over.
"It is copyrighted material and there are good reasons why copyright is there - to protect authors, creators and publishers. If you give somebody a digital file, they can then make a cascade of further copies for other people. They could upload it on the net and make it available to everyone. So, not surprisingly, publishers are being cautious."
It is hoped that the DDA's duty on public bodies to promote disability equality, due to come into force in October, will make a difference to many students. Sian Davies, disability officer at the National Union of Students, says: "It will no longer be the responsibility of the student to pursue it. It will be up to the senior management of the institution, who will have to include it into the overall strategy."
The RNIB's assistant director for education, Kevin Connell, says the legislation should be able to remove the barriers that remain. "An increasing number of universities are willing to put material online, but then that raises all the issues about whether they are appropriately formatted and whether the systems are accessible using screen readers and access technology."
"People have rights, so they're looking for 100 per cent fulfilment of those rights. As opportunities increase, people's expectations increase as well... and quite rightly."
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