Good practice guidelines for supporting students with a disability studying HE courses within FE
18 March 2004, Draft
Introduction
The aim of this paper is to offer good practice guidelines to enable students with a disability to access support through the Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) scheme whilst studying within further education (FE). It will suggest:
What support students with a disability can expect when seeking support through the DSA scheme.
- Strategies for promoting DSA for HE students studying within FE.
This paper needs to be read in conjunction with The Disability Discrimination Act Part 4 Working with Partner Institutions - A Good Practice Guide paper.
What support can students wth a disability expect when seeking support through the DSA scheme?
The support students could expect will depend very much on how the issue of student support has been included within the contract between the franchising HE institution and its FE partner. However, in recognising that there is a potential for variation, it is likely that students with a disability could expect the following from the college they are studying at when seeking support through the DSA scheme.
- Advice on how to obtain evidence to enable a student to be eligible for support through the DSA scheme.
- If appropriate, make the appointment at the assessment centre on behalf of the student.
- Encourage the student to provide the assessor with an accurate indication of their difficulties and support needs.
- Encourage the student to inform the college support service of any difficulties with the assessment of need report, support workers or equipment.
- Disability Service or its equivalent should be willing to provide information on facilities and support available to the needs assessor.
- Implement any arrangement regarding academic support workers e.g. provision of dyslexia support tutors.
- Undertake administration associated with support workers' employment, e.g. arrange for payment through the college pay roll.
- Advice on appropriate action when needs have changed or new needs have been identified.
If the FE college has developed links with the Disability Service at the franchising HE institution, it is possible that the college could receive support from that Service. The support available would be very much dependent on how aware the FE institution is of the DSA scheme, and as a result the support could range between providing information about the DSA scheme or intervening as appropriate in order to address any difficulties that arise during the process.
Strategies for promoting dsa for students within FE
To build on existing work, the following recommendations are made:
Recommendation 1
It is proposed that the text below is included within existing Department for Education and Skills (DfES) publications to promote DSAs.
If you are undertaking an HE course within an FE institution you could be entitled to support through the DSA scheme. When you wish to access this support it is advised that you contact the Disability Service at the institution you are studying at. If the College you are studying at does not have a Disability Service it could be called Learning Support, Study Advice or Learner Support Service.
Once you become aware of the support that is available to you, which you might be made aware of when you apply to the college or at induction, you are strongly encouraged to speak to the appropriate staff member who has responsibility for supporting students with a disability. This person may be called a Disability Co-ordinator, Learning Support Co-ordinator or Additional Learner Support Manager. They should be able to advise and assist you in the application process.
However, if you do not wish to seek support through the services available to assist students with a disability at the college, you are encouraged to approach your Local Education Authority or the Disability Officer at the University which has franchised the course you are undertaking. Either of these individuals should be able to advise you of the options available.
Recommendation 2
Seek advice from the LSC forum on learners with disability and/or learning difficulties on further strategies to promote the availability of DSAs to support HE students studying within FE.
Recommendation 3
Consultation with appropriate organisations and professional organisations across the FE & HE sector to establish other appropriate strategies to embed the availability of DSAs for students with a disability studying HE within FE.