SENDADDA Issues and actionplanning

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SENDA/DDAIssues and action-planning

• David French
• 28.01.04
• Oxford Brookes University

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What is the problem? Whose problem is it?
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Student feedback 1

• Students are positive
• Tend to seek own solutions
• Well supported by Student Services
• Often (not always) helped by other students
• Many staff supportive (but far from all)

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Student feedback 2

• Personal tutors crucial but vary from excellent
  to useless
• Frequent absence of planned provision
• Class tests
• Project work, assignments
• Access to notes, OHTs etc.
• Even good facilities may not work

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Student feedback 3

• Disabled Students Allowance does not provide
  everything and often late
• Dyslexic students status often confirmed late
• Many staff ignore guidelines and rules (cf. blue
  card scheme)
• Success requires student commitment

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The SENDA timetable

• Law passed before 2001 General Election
• Main provisions in force from September 2002
• Building provisions from September 2005

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Definition of disability

• a physical or mental impairment that has a
  substantial and long-term adverse effect on his
  or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day
  activities

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Core requirements

• Unlawful to treat a disabled person less
  favourably than a non-disabled person on the
  grounds of her/his disability
• All reasonable adjustments must be made to
  achieve this
• Student needs must be anticipated

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Important aspects

• Core academic standards are protected but how
  are they to be defined?
• Academic issues likely to be the most common area
  of complaint
• Expect students to be litigious and the law to
  get more demanding
• Most adjustments are low-cost if planned early

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Operational issues1

• Students not required to disclose
• The university is the responsible body
• Effective communication is essential
• All staff are university agents
• Academic staff will be key players at all stages

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Operational issues 2

• The DRC will support students in litigation
• Conciliation the first stage
• Who pays the real costs? (Who takes the key
  decisions?)
• What would push students into court?
• Proper disability provision is not just about the
  DDA

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Hot spots 1

• Admissions
• Information transmission
• Equal opportunity to study (and means of
  studying)
• Equality in assessment
• Monitoring process and outcomes

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Hot spots 2

• Student academic support
• On-line learning
• Access to staff rooms
• Consistency across university (even in following
  established good practice)

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Potential levers for change

• Peer observation
• PLs in LT and Teaching Fellows
• Annual reporting and course review
• Staff development strategies
• EOD Co-ordinators
• One-Stop Shop