Guide for disabled students - Higher Education Academy fdf guide Contents Guide for disabled...

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Guide for disabled students

2 fdf guide

Contents

Guide for disabled students 3

Find out as much as possible before you start your course 4

Apply for Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) 5

Taking responsibility 6

Peer support 8

Access to work 9

Case study 1: Alexander 10

Case study 2: Mark 11

Case study 3: Tracy

Appendix 1: 13 Sources of information for students

Appendix 2: 14 Organisations providing support for disabled students

Appendix 3: 16 Websites providing support information for disabled students

3GUIDE for disabled students

GUIDE for disabled students

This is intended as a guide for disabled students thinking about doing a Foundation

degree (Fd). It is also relevant to students who may not consider themselves to be

disabled e.g. may have conditions such as dyslexia (as they may be considered to be

disabled under the DDA legislation). The key issues listed here arose from interviews

undertaken in fdf research Inclusion by degrees, experiences of disabled students on

Foundation degrees, June 2008. They relate to:

• Findingout

• ApplyingforDisabledStudentsAllowance(DSA)early

• Takingresponsibility

• Peersupport

• AccesstoWork

Reference

1 Web reference for research http://www.fdf.ac.uk/home/information_for_universities_and_colleges/research_commissioned_by_fdf/

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Most interviewees mentioned the importance of doing research before applying

for courses. Ask friends, colleagues, workmates, teachers and tutors and search the

Internet. There is a great deal of information out there; the challenge is to find what

is right for you, so start early.

‘there is plenty of stuff going on, you don’t realise how much… is available. The problem is accessing the information’ (Student)

This list will provide a good starting point.

• Find out about the course you are interested in and which colleges or

universities offer the course you would like.

• Find out what kind of support for disabled students is available at the

college or university.

• Visitthecollegeoruniversityandtalktootherstudentsaboutthecourse

and the tutors – go to an open day.

• Contactthecollegeoruniversityandmakethemawareofyourneedsand

the type of support you require; ask to meet the Disability Advisor, they

will be able to help you.

• Know your rights; look at what the law says about discrimination (the

Disability Discrimination Act, 1995).

• Find out about the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) and consider

whether you will be eligible for help.

• Understandwhatyouneedtodotoaccesshelpandsupport.

Find out as much as possible before you start your course


Apply for Disabled Students Allowance

(DSA) early

From 2009 all new applications will be managed by Student Finance England which

will mean there is just one point of contact for your student loan and your DSA.

The applications of people applying for the first time will remain with the Local

Authority. It will also be possible to apply for your DSA one year before your course

starts which should give enough time to sort out any problems.

• ApplyfortheDSAasearlyaspossible–beorganised,thismeansayear

in advance. If you apply for a student loan there will be a question about

whether or not you have a disability. If you declare it here, it should kick

start the DSA process.

• IfyouarenotsureifyouareentitledtotheDSAtalktotheDisabilityAdvisor

at your College or university about it or Student Finance England.

• Find out more about the DSA at http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Disabled

People/EducationAndTraining/HigherEducation/DG_10034898

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Taking responsibilityOne student said...

“Don’t only rely on others – take responsibility for finding out about what you need”.

Havetheconfidencetoaskforhelpbutmakesureyouareinthedrivingseat.

• Donotbeafraidofdisclosingyourdisabilityatthecollegeoruniversity.

It will mean you can receive the assistance you are entitled to during

yourstudies.LookattheSKILLinformationleafletDisclosing your disability

for more information and guidance http://www.skill.org.uk/uploads/

disclosure.doc

• Disclosureofyourdisabilityisparticularlyimportantwithemployerstoo–

they will be looking for people who are enthusiastic and positive so when

it comes to work-placements (and later applications for work) concentrate

on your achievements and skills and be aware what adjustments you may

need. Try to anticipate employers’ concerns and be ready to address them.

• Bepro-active.Ifyoufeelit’sappropriateandyouarecomfortabledoingit,

talk to your fellow students about living with an impairment. You will be

surprised how supportive they are once they understand.

• Makesureyourworkplacementemployerisawareofyourneedsbefore

you arrive - the Disability Advisor or your tutor should help with this.


• Donotbeafraidtoaskforhelpifcollegesoruniversitiesarenotdelivering

the adjustments they promised. First of all contact the Disability Advisor

but don’t struggle on your own; if you don’t feel you are getting the right

support from your College or university, contact Skill or post a question on

adiscussiongroupliketheBBC’sOUCH.

• Leteveryoneknowyourpreferredwayofreceivingcommunications.Read

them carefully. They may contain instructions and if they do follow them.

• Ifthecommunicationasksyoutoorderequipmentandyouarenotconfident

enough or sure what to do ask the Assessment Centre, they should order it

for you.

• Ifyouarenotsureaboutanycommunicationaskforclarificationfromthe

person who sent it or from the Disability Advisor at your College or university.

• If you are told not to open the boxes your Assistive Technology (AT)

equipment is delivered in – don’t. You are being told this for a reason. It’s

understandable that you will be excited when a parcel arrives but if you

open it when you have been told to wait for the trainer to do it, and then,

whens/hearrivespartsaremissing,itwillonlycausedelays.Bepatient.

• Don’tassumethatoncetheequipmenthasbeendeliveredthat’stheend

of the story. The DSA is ongoing. AT equipment needs upgrades as new

software comes out so you must be responsible for going back to the

Assessment Centre or Student Finance England to ask for upgrades. You

may be entitled to them but they don’t happen by magic.

• Takeupanyoffersoftraining.Whenyouareofferedtrainingtakeupthe

offer, you do not know what you do not know. You will be surprised how

much you learn. It isn’t on offer as an optional extra. It is to make sure you

really get the best out of your AT to capitalise on your education.

• ContacttheAssessmentCentreifthingsgowrongwithATprovision.They

have a lot of clout, and as they do not want to use providers who give poor

service, they really want to know and they can help!

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Peer support

There is very little evidence to confirm that role models are a really effective means

of support but instinctively we know we gain confidence from knowing someone

who has already been through the same thing as us. It’s simply reassuring to speak

to others who have been through it.

Some people are actually being path-finders at the moment as it’s early days for some

organisationstoincludedisabledprofessionalsintheirworkforce.Butastimegoes

on the numbers of disabled professionals will increase and therefore the availability

of disabled professionals to offer mentoring or peer support can only get better.

The Internet has made the current quest for peer support much easier. Internet

magazine sites and blogs are a good place to see personal stories and find people

studying the same subjects as you or already working in the roles you aspire to.

• Itwillhelptotalk to another disabled person during the course as they

can tell you about any potential pitfalls or any particular things they found

helpful.

• Itwillalsohelpwhenyouarethinkingaboutemploymentorevensetting

up in business.

• BBCOUCHwebsite,previousalumni,studentsfurtheronintrainingand

student networks can be rich sources of support.

• TalktotheDisabilityAdvisoraboutfindingsomepeersupport.


Access to Work

• Become informed about how Access to Work can give you and your

employer advice and support with the extra costs which may arise because

of your needs.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/Employmentsupport/

• Helpemployer/stounderstandthattheytoocanreceivefinancialsupport

via the Access to Work Scheme at Jobcentres to make any necessary

adjustments you may need to enable you to do the work.

“Give it a go and be brave. Work at it and campaign for support. You never know! You need to be determined and work at your confidence and ability...”Student

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Case study 1

Alexander

Alexander was born deaf and attended residential school for deaf people where he

gained“A”levelsinPhotographyandGraphicsandaBTECinBusinessStudies.Heis

currently studying for a Foundation Degree in Photography and really enjoying it.

‘…I was born deaf. I have one hearing aid and a cochlear implant. I had it done four

years ago and it changed my life. Before I had never heard birds singing, cats meowing

or telephones ringing!’

HereceivestheDSAandhasalearningsupportworkerwhotakesnotesforhimas

his tutor thought it best because she is Swedish and she was worried he wouldn’t

beabletocopewithheraccent.Heisnotsureyetwhathewantstodowhenhe

completesthecourse.Hechosethecoursebecauseiffeltlikeanaturalprogression

having achieved his Photography and Graphics “A” levels but he chose the college

because he wanted make friends in his local community, having been away at a

specialist residential school for most of his schooling, he had never had any long

periods with “hearing people.”

Hefoundthefirstfewmonthsdifficultashehadtoaskpeopletospeakmoreslowly

and more clearly but after a while things settled. Following a field trip to Amsterdam

where everyone was interacting in a more relaxed environment he was able to make

friends with the one student who he was having difficulty in communicating with.

Alexander’s tutor says she is much more aware of having to face Alex when she is

talking and she is also aware of where the other students are in relation to Alex. She

also give out notes – “not just for him – it benefits all the students but I try to reinforce everything I teach in two or three different ways to make sure it is understood.”


Case study 2

Mark

Markisinhisearly40’sandhashadavisualimpairmentsincebirth.Heattended

a special school until he was 12, and then transferred to a mainstream secondary

school, which he says was not a great success.

Hehashada rangeofdifferent jobsandstudied foraBTEC inLeisureStudiesat

College inhisearly thirties.Hehasbeenworking asa Rehabilitation Officer for a

number of years.

Mark is in the second year of his Foundation degree in Health & Social Care.The

degree was designed by his employer, initially for its own workforce of people

working in the field of visual impairment rehabilitation but the students now come

fromfarandwide.Hehasenjoyeddoingthecoursealthoughhesaysitisveryhard

tocombineworkandstudy.Hehasexperiencednonegativeattitudeswithinthe

workplace or the university.

Mark works within the voluntary sector and his employing organisation has an

excellent working relationship with its local Access to Work team. Together they

regularly provide specialist assistive technology for people with visual impairments.

Mark isahighachievingstudentwhois likelytogoontodoanHonoursdegree

particularly if some new modules directly related to his work that are currently in the

planningstagescometofruition.Hefeelsgoodinformationfrompeoplehetrusted

like his line manager and friends; the role of the course co-ordinator visiting him in

his work-place and clear information on the providers website were the key success

factors in giving him the support he needed to undertake his Foundation degree.

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Case study 3

Tracy

Tracy is a busy working mother who has had a visual impairment from birth. She left

aVisualImpairmentUnitinamainstreamsecondaryschoolwithoneCSEinEnglish

and a certificate in typewriting in 1969. She studied ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels at night school as

a mature student.

BeforestartingherFoundationdegreeinHealth&SocialCare,Tracywasworkingas

aHealthCareSupportWorker(band2)inageneralhospital.SheisnowanAssistant

Practitioner (band 4) working on a rehabilitation ward and enjoying the additional

responsibility.

Tracy had some initial difficulty with her course work but took the initiative to talk

to the tutors about what she would find helpful such as standard A4 documents in

14 or 16 point print. She also asked for documents that were being handed out to all

students to be read out to the class beforehand. The whole class found this helpful.

Initially Tracy had lacked the confidence to apply for a Foundation degree. When one

of her friends brought an advertisement was posted on the staff notice board to her

attention the belief her friends and colleagues had in her gave her the push to apply.

Having started the course, the process of identifying some of the tasks thatTracy

would need to undertake e.g. taking an ECG was challenging. At times this made her

confront some of her deep-rooted feelings about her own impairment but with the

help of a supportive mentor she sailed through the rest of the course.

When she qualified, her line manager contacted the Access to Work Scheme and

following an assessment, Tracy was provided with some Assistive Technology. She felt

awkward about this due to her independent spirit but now recognises it makes her

job easier. It does take her longer than her colleagues to write her notes – she stays

on for an extra half an hour but she is happy to do this. She feels that learning to use

new technology is particularly challenging to those who are no longer young!


Appendix 1

Sources of information for students

Reading material

SKILLinformationleaflets,suchasApplying to Higher education

http://www.skill.org.uk/uploads/he_apply.doc

Aimhigher Essex with Essex, Southend and Thurrock Connections, 2007.

Aim High – You can do it

http://www.aimhigher.ac.uk

UniversityofHull,June2005.

Best practice guide: disabled social work students and placements

www.hull.ac.uk.pedds

DIUS,February2008.

Bridging the Gap: A guide to the Disabled Students Allowances (DSAs) in

Higher Education 2008/9

www.direct.gov.uk

RADAR,2008.

Doing work differently: Getting and keeping a job while managing ill-health,

injury or disability

http://www.radar.org.uk/radarwebsite

Aimhigher, March 2008.

Thinking about higher education?

Tips for students with dyslexia, mental health difficulties and Asperger’s Syndrome.

www.aimhighereastofengland.org.uk and

www.impact-associates.co.uk/publications.html

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AnumberofspecialistdisabilityorganisationssuchasRNIBarenotlistedbecause

people with long-standing conditions will already know about them. The organisations

listed here will help people who may have received a diagnosis recently and are new

to learning about the kind of support available.

Appendix 2

Organisations providing support for

disabled students

Support available Contact details

British Dyslexia Association 98LondonRoadAsupportorganisationthataims Reading toenableallpeoplewithdyslexia RG15AU to reach their potential Tel: 0118 966 8271 www.bdyslexia.org.uk

Directgov www.direct.gov.uk Contact for advice about the: ~ Disabled Students Allowance) ~ Public Services

EHRC Helpline(England)(Equality & Human Rights Commission) FREEPOSTMID02164Information and advice on rights Stratford upon Avonand discrimination - (took over from the CV379BRDisability Rights Commission DRC) Tel: 08457 622 644

www.equalityhumanrights.com


Support available Contact details

Mind 15-19Broadway(National Association for Mental Health) LondonProvidesadviceaboutmentalhealthissues E154BQ Tel: 0208 519 2122 www.mind.org.uk

National Centre for Work Experience ProspectsHousePromotesandsupportsquality BoothStreet work experience Manchester M13 9EP Tel: 0161 277 5200 Email: [email protected]

National Union of Students (NUS) 2nd Floor Advice and support for all students Centro 3 19 Mandela Street London NW10DU Tel: 0871 221 8221 www.nusonline.co.uk

Skill: National Bureau for Students Unit3,Floor3,RadissonCourt,with Disabilities 219 Long LaneA national independent charity that London promotesopportunitiesforpeoplein SE14PR learning and entry to employment and Tel: 020 7450 0620produces helpful information sheets. Fax: 020 7450 0650 Email: [email protected] www.skill.org.uk

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Appendix 3

Websites providing support information for

disabled studentsOrganisation Website

Arberry Profile www.arberryprofile.co.uk/

Written by students for students and magazine

features issues at the heart of disability

and employment.

Association of Disabled Professionals www.adp.org.uk

Support for employment advice,

informationand/orpeersupportfor

disabled professionals.

Breakthrough UK www.breakthrough-uk.com/

Supports disabled people to play a full, socialmodels.html

economically active role in society.

(The website provides information, toolkits etc)

Connexions www.connexions-direct.com

Information and advice for young people.

Disabled Entrepreneurs Network (DEN) www.disabled-entrepreneurs.net

Provides networking opportunities and

information services for self-employed

disabled people.


Organisation Website

Dis-Forum www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/

An email discussion list for disabled students dis-forum.html

and disability support staff.

Employ-Ability www.employ-ability.org.uk

A not-for-profit organisation dedicated to

assisting people with all disabilities into

employment.

Enham www.enham.co.uk

Support for disabled people to get into

employment.

GET www.get.hobsons.co.uk

Graduate career advice.

GIEU www.gieu.co.uk

GraduatesintoEmploymentUnit–Windmill

ProgrammeUniversityofLiverpool

Moving On Up www.movingonup.info

Support for young people from ethnic

minority communities.

Jobcentre Plus www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/

Helpspeoplefindwork.Findlocalofficeon JCP/Aboutus/Ouroffices/

their website index.html

18 fdf guide


Opportunities www.opportunities.org.uk

Creating routes into employment for people

with all disabilities

OUCH www.bbc.co.uk/ouch

Disability Magazine

Papworth Trust www.papworth.org.uk

Support for disabled people to get into

employment

GET www.get.hobsons.co.uk

Graduate career advice

GIEU www.gieu.co.uk

GraduatesintoEmploymentUnit–Windwill

ProgrammeUniversityofLiverpool

Moving On Up www.movingonup.info

Support for young people from ethnic

minority communities.

Prince’s Trust www.princes-trust.org.uk

Enabling young people to move into work,

education or training

Prospects www.prospects.ac.uk

Employment of disabled people -

informationandpublications.UK’sofficial

graduate careers support service



Shaw Trust www.shaw-trust.org.uk

Supporttofind/stayinemployment

Skill: National Bureau for www.skill.org.uk

Disabled Students

Information and support including:

- Finding - further education - Funding - higher education - Assistive Technology: sources of help and information

Student Finance England www.studentfinanceengland.co.uk

Information about student loans

Toolkits for success www.disabilitytoolkits.ac.uk/

Helpfordisabledstudentstomanage employers/

off-campus learning

Trade Union Disability Alliance www.tuda.org.uk

An organisation of Disabled Trade

UnionMemberswhichaimsto

promote understanding of disability

as an equalities issues

University of Westminster’s website www.wmin.ac.uk/page-1964

Top tips for students with disabilities

fdfLichfield Centre The Friary Lichfield Staffordshire WS13 6QG

01543 30 11 50

www.fdf.ac.uk

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