The number of people with a declared disability in postgrad study has doubled over the last 10 years, according to recent statistics from the Higher Education and Funding Council for England (HEFCE). What’s changed – and what do higher education providers still need to improve?
“To some extent, the trend of more disabled students undertaking postgraduate study since 2005 simply reflects the shift to a more supportive and inclusive learning environment that began with the ‘widening participation’ agenda in the late 1990s,” says Tony Stevens, fundraising manager at Disability Rights UK (DR UK). “This was propelled by successive Conservative and Labour government policies, including the Labour target of increasing participation in higher education to 50% by 2010.”
Providers are now more aware of their legal duties – disability discrimination laws have been strengthened, leading to amendments to the Disability Discrimination Act in 2001 and the introduction of the Equality Act in 2010.
Most universities now employ trained professionals who have worked with students with all kinds of impairments. There is less of a stigma, as well, says Stevens. “In recent years, disability support departments have become more integrated into wider student services.”
People with disabilities, Stevens advises, should start their search in the same way as people without disabilities: think about course subject and type, and funding – then visit, and ask questions around your particular needs.
Of course, barriers to participation still exist for students with disabilities. One big challenge, says Stevens, is careers advice. “We believe that careers advice for disabled students and support to transition into employment is an area that providers still need to improve. Unfortunately, some disabled graduates are tempted to stay in education because they can’t get a job, but they haven’t researched whether postgrad study will help them get the job they want. In some cases, work experience may be a better way for them to get the skills they need.”
On the whole, Stevens says that DR UK views higher education as “a relative success story. Few colleges and universities nowadays would seriously think of refusing a place to an applicant simply because of their impairment, and most have well developed systems and procedures for making sure disabled students progress in their studies.”
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