Fran Nethersole & Hannah Hunter Dietetic Student Leads, Newham University Hospital

1. Introduction/ definitions 2. Our experience at Newham 3. Important points to consider when supporting students 4. Consequences 5. References/ resources

 Medical needs  Physical disability  Special educational needs Or a combination thereof

 Special Educational Needs and Disability Act discrimination against disabled students in the provision of education, training and other related services is unlawful  Discrimination occurs when a student is treated less favourable based on their disability or reasonable adjustments are not made

 Reasonable adjustments: equipment/ learning aids, support strategies, adjust learning process  Do not lower educational standards

 Agreed to accept an additional C placement  Student had a recent diagnosis of dyslexia in addition to recovering from an acute condition which had lasting effects  Condition was exacerbated during placement by viral infection

 College - Agreed student needed split breaks through the day  Suspected difficult commuting – NO onsite accommodation – moved into family friend’s  Installation of computer software for additional needs – IT & dedicated laptop Newham Hospital Experience Accommodating needs

 Exacerbated medical condition  Absences early in placement  Moving timetables for dietitians  Poor consistency of achieving student objectives/learning outcomes Newham Hospital Experience Initial challenges we faced

 Different expectations of students needs  Preconceived thoughts about student  Concerns re managing to meet needs within clinical workload  How to deal with changes in student’s ability  Managing periods of absence & reduced hours  Consolidation workload Newham Hospital Experience Issues affecting supervisors

 Fearful of failure  Stress can exacerbate condition !!  Commuting/travel very tiring  Other student progressing ahead Newham Hospital Experience Student concerns

 Day by day  Week by week  Concerns from all !!  Guidance from College Placement needs Newham Hospital Experience How did we manage?

 Planning/ preparation  Practical strategies  Good communication  Flexibility/ patience  Supporting staff

 Occupational health  Pre-placement form  Visit before placement if possible  Implement practical strategies  Inform/educate staff

 Equipment/ learning aids (e.g. reading glasses, coloured paper, PDA, specialist computer software)  Adjustments to schedule (e.g. start & finish later, timetable breaks)  Clarify learning outcomes (e.g. caseload)  Use available resources (Southampton University Guide to supporting dyslexic students on practice placements)

 Between student & supervisors  Between supervisors & student leads  Between student leads & HEIs  ?occupational health

 Despite planning, things change  Disability may vary depending on the day (e.g. concentration/ tiredness)  Activities vary day to day and may be more or less taxing

 Communicate what is happening  Use weekly handover meetings  Debrief after placement (can involve HEI)  How other students are affected?

Challenges  Frustrating  Confusing  Time consuming  ?poorly compatible with PAL Benefits  Learning experience  Rewarding  Challenges preconceptions/ prejudice

 Department for Education and Skills (DfES) (2001) Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA). London, DfES.  University of Southampton. Supporting dyslexic students on practice placements 2 nd edition. Available: ocs/Supporting%20students%20with%20dyslexia%2 0in%20practice%202nd%20edition.pdf Last accessed 10 th July ocs/Supporting%20students%20with%20dyslexia%2 0in%20practice%202nd%20edition.pdf