Access Planning in Partnership to support Students with Disabilities

What is it ? The DDA defines disability as a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long-term adverse affect on a person’s ability to perform normal day-to-day activities. Attitudes are the real disability

That’s not our problem... We want students from a wide range of backgrounds entering university education and becoming nurses. We sit at a crossroads between education and practice with twin goals that can focus us in different directions.

Special Educational Needs and Disability Act’s Code of Practice requires a proactive stance: Who is involved in supporting students with disabilities..... Faculty Student Advisers Disability Resource Centre Counselling services Study skills advisors GDP Facilitators ( personal tutors) Faculty Academic Admissions Co-ordinator Programme Leader/s Module Leader/s Learning Technologies Technical Unit (LTTU) Library staff AiP’s PEF’s Assessor from West of England Assessment Centre (WEAC) Occupational Health Department Head of the Placement Learning Unit (PLU) Service representatives Study Skills Tutors

Access Planning - All access issues are co-ordinated by Faculty Student Advisers who receive a list of names of students needing support. - They contact the individual students to arrange a meeting to discuss their access issues a Disabled Student Access Plan is completed to address Faculty and practice placement access issues and an action plan is agreed The Faculty Student Adviser is therefore the key contact person for the student and is responsible for ensuring action is implemented. A database of disabled students’ access requirements is maintained by Faculty Student Advisers and relevant Faculty staff are notified and are expected to meet the requirements listed or to discuss any difficulty arising with the Faculty Student Adviser. This process can struggle to address the practice requirements of all parties health and safety requirements adequately, and to meet all registered practitioners duty of care towards ensuring fitness to practice standards are upheld

Admissions Applicants should be judged against the stated Entry Criteria for academic suitability. No applicant who is judged to be academically Suitable for a programme of study should be refused admission on the grounds of disability Without compelling reason.

What’s reasonable? Reasonable adjustments can be made for students who fall under the DDA categories such as: Allocation of additional time Support of a reader Support of a prompter or personal assistant Use of assistive technology Rest breaks

Disclosure and Confidentiality - The university has a responsibility under the DDA to create an environment that encourages disclosure by disabled applicants - It is very important to ensure that confidentiality is maintained at all times. -Some difficulties maybe encountered by an institution where a student explicitly states that information about their disability is not to be passed onto others. -This makes it hard for the relevant people to put in place the necessary adjustments to teaching sessions and assessments. There is a system in place for the exchange of confidential information between different departments who need to know in order to support the student. This system is coordinated by the Faculty Student Advisors who are the liaison point for all disabled students and will instigate all necessary processes. The student has to give their express knowledge and permission to ensure that confidentiality is maintained at all times. EXCEPTING... Where information needs to be shared with others in order to address access issues the student’s permission will be sought except in circumstances where individuals present a risk to the health and safety of themselves and/or others THERE IS A NEED FOR A MORE CLEAR DISCLOSURE PROTOCOL BETWEEN UWE AND PLACEMENTS There is a system in place for the exchange of confidential information between different departments who need to know in order to support the student. This system is coordinated by the Faculty Student Advisors who are the liaison point for all disabled students and will instigate all necessary processes. The student has to give their express knowledge and permission to ensure that confidentiality is maintained at all times. EXCEPTING... Where information needs to be shared with others in order to address access issues the student’s permission will be sought except in circumstances where individuals present a risk to the health and safety of themselves and/or others THERE IS A NEED FOR A MORE CLEAR DISCLOSURE PROTOCOL BETWEEN UWE AND PLACEMENTS

The Occupational Health Department All students are sent an Occupational Health Questionnaire which is returned to the Faculty Admissions Office where receipt is recorded before being forwarded to the Occupational Health Department. The Occupational Health Department will provide a report to the Faculty Admissions Office for UG students, If any of the assessments/reports or other information received indicates that any of the following is evident, the Dean is notified: -Individuals present a risk to the health and safety of themselves and/or Others - Benchmark skills cannot be met because of an impairment - The level of adjustment required is not considered to be reasonable The Dean will then notify the Chair of the Faculty Disability Equality Access Panel -Individuals present a risk to the health and safety of themselves and/or Others - Benchmark skills cannot be met because of an impairment - The level of adjustment required is not considered to be reasonable The Dean will then notify the Chair of the Faculty Disability Equality Access Panel

Round the room are some process maps and documents for support arrangements for - Undergrad Applications - Occ health procedures - Student support arrangements