1. Perspectives on Deaf Student Support Esmail Patel

2. Background: 24 years old Born hearing, became deaf at 1 year Deaf BSL user, sometimes use lip reading & speech 2.2 Degree – Business Information Systems & Career Management Work:   City College, Manchester – support worker   Greater Manchester Police – admin assistant

3. Assessment of Need: Had early assessment & support was in place at beginning of course Good assessment of need Took place at the University Useful conversation and advice Provided with a range of options Treated individually depending on needs But Lots of paperwork Many deaf people have difficulties with English Not fully understanding forms

4. At University: Support used: Interpreter Note taker Language Support Tutor Equipment used: Laptop Deaf Alerter (fire alarm) Support & equipment very valuable.

5. Support: Support organised by: Student Services (Advisors for Deaf Students) SLRU (Communication Support Team) These provided deaf awareness training for Course Tutors & advice about working with interpreters and note takers.

6. Barriers: Biggest barrier was awareness of tutors about Deaf English: Exam situation Coursework assignments Meeting deadlines Shortage of interpreters meant no cover for illness. Therefore no access.

7. Recommendations: Uni More universities need more specialist support, so Deaf students can choose their local university rather than having to go where the support is. More universities need in-house interpreters. This allows for ad-hoc and flexible support eg. visits to Health Centre, meetings with tutors.

8. Recommendations: Course tutors More awareness about Deaf literacy and communication methods. Must give all information including assessment deadlines and materials, exam dates and handouts well in advance. Be prepared to give extensions if a student cannot meet Language Support Tutor. Need to make sure they have a good relationship with Deaf student, so they can communicate effectively.

9. Recommendations: to LEA Make forms and information more accessible in plain English. Reduce the amount of paperwork and complex systems where by Deaf students are signing forms all the time, having to remember dates when support was provided. Hearing students do not have this extra stressful responsibility. All LEAs should produce same paperwork for all universities.

10. Recommendations: Students Students need to become more responsible regarding their support systems. They need to know all the rules about what LEAs will provide and pay for. They need to know how the university systems work eg. cancelling interpreters and charges for not cancelling.