Designing accessible courses What can academics do to advance disability equality? Chris Brill, Senior Policy Adviser Equality Challenge Unit

Aims and objectives =Understand…. … how course arrangements can potentially disadvantage disabled learners and why competence standards are so important =Practice…. … developing competence standards that are compliant with disability legislation =Consider… … how competence standards interact with assessment

Firstly, some quick stats…. Question: What percentage of students disclosed as disabled in 2003/04?

Firstly, some quick stats…. Answer: 5.4% Source: data-and-evidence/statistics-report/ data-and-evidence/statistics-report/

Firstly, some quick stats…. Question: What percentage of students disclosed as disabled in 2013/14?

Firstly, some quick stats…. Answer: 10.0% Source: data-and-evidence/statistics-report/ data-and-evidence/statistics-report/

How can course arrangements potentially disadvantage disabled learners?

What are the barriers?

Some solutions

What are the barriers?

Definition ‘An academic, medical or other standard applied for the purposes of determining whether or not a person has a particular level of competence or ability.’ Equality Act 2010 (Sch 13, para 4(3)) ‘The requirement for students studying for a law degree to demonstrate a particular standard of knowledge of certain areas of law in order to obtain the degree is a competence standard.’ (EHRC, 2010)

Recap of the key points so far… =Adjustments can be made to physical environment, equipment and aids, and policies and practices =Different universities may use different terms for competence standards =Competence standards are applied to determine whether or not a person has a particular level of competence or ability. =Universities have a legal responsibility to ensure competence standards are non-discriminatory

Developing non-discriminatory competence standards 1)Is this a genuine standard and essential to the subject being studied? 2)Are there aspects of this standard which could present barriers to disabled students? 3)If so, are there ways that the standard could be expressed so that these barriers were eliminated or reduced without compromising its academic integrity?

Yes or No? A physical geography course includes a compulsory field trip. Is the requirement to attend the field trip a competence standard?

Answer A field trip is unlikely to be a competence standard. The competence standards will be the knowledge and skills which the student will be expected to acquire on the field trip This requirement would therefore be subject to the duty to make reasonable adjustments.

Yes or No? Is requiring students to manipulate test tubes or visually identify chemicals a competence standard? YESNO Chemistry Pharmaceutical sciences

Are any of these skills essential for your courses? YESNO Speaking Listening Handwriting Communication

Recap: key questions when developing competence standards =Is the standard under development or review a competence standard or is it some other kind of criterion or policy? =Is the competence standard an appropriate and necessary way of meeting a legitimate aim? =Is this competence standard articulated in a way which may present unnecessary barriers to disabled students?

Assessing competence standards: discussion What adjustments can be made to the ways of assessing competence standard?

Assessing competence standards: field trips =Learning plans =Early preparation =Decisions on risk

Key points: assessing competence standards =Adjustments can be made to the way competence standards are assessed =Providing a range of modes of assessments =Provide clear instruction =Develop a team approach

Take home 3 points… 1.Competence standards have different associated legal requirements than other standards 2.Competence standards should be a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim 3.Reasonable adjustments can be made to the way that competence standards are assessed

Resources =ECU work on competence standards recruitment-retention-attainment/student- retention/inclusive-learning-teaching/competence- standards-reasonable-adjustments/ =Disability legislation: practical guidance for academic staff Revised 2010 (ECU and HEA guidance) content/uploads/external/disability-legislation-for- academics-revised.pdf

Any questions… =Chris Brill, Equality Challenge Unit =