1. May 4 th 2011 Supporting Disabled Students Assistant Director Disability Office

2. Disabled students

3. Disabled students by College 2010/11 Humanities and Social Science Medicine and Veterinary Medicine Science and Engineering Autistic Disorder16315 Specific Learning Difficulty626148346 Blind / Partial Sight40314 Deaf / Partial Hearing301211 Wheelchair / Mobility49417 Personal Care Support200 Mental Health1211835 Unseen Disability27857101 Multiple Disabilities46519 Other Disability1182657 Total Disabled Students1,326276615 No Disability17,3884,1978,278 Total Students18,7144,4738,893

4. Disability Office  2 Advisory teams – Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) and Disability  Advisors plus Student Support Assistants  SSAs include Study Skills Tutors, Mental Health Mentors, Note takers, Library Assistants, Proofreaders

5. What the Disability Office does  Pre-application visits  Liaise over building adaptations  Assess individual evidence and requirements and create Learning Profiles  Advise on technology and equipment  Loan equipment  Assist students to claim funding

6. What the Disability Office does  Source and match personal assistants  Dyslexia screening, referral for Ed Psych assessment, tutoring  Advise University on disability policy issues  Staff development/ training  Liaison with Schools

7. What the University does  Disability Policy  Disability Committee and 5 sub-groups  Disability Equality Scheme (soon to be a Single Equality Scheme)  Equality and Diversity functions

8. Equality Act 2010  Passed in April 2010  Effective from 1 October 2010  Now covers 9 “protected characteristics” (equality strands)  Brings together existing legislation on disability (Disability Discrimination Act), race and gender  Harmonises and strengthens previous discrimination legislation. Equality Act 2010

9. Definition of Disability A physical or mental impairment that has a Substantial and long-term adverse effect on the ability to carry out normal day to day activities.  “substantial” = more than minor or trivial  “impairment” = long term medical conditions and fluctuating or progressive conditions.

10. Equality Act 2010  New protections include:  discrimination by association or perception  discrimination arising out of disability - replaces the DDA's "disability related discrimination“.  indirect discrimination.

11. Equality Act 2010  Draft Code of Practice: Further and Higher Education (consultation ended December 2010)  The Equality Act retains the objective justification test that a measure must be a “proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim”  However, it is not discrimination to treat a disabled person more favourably than a person who is not disabled  The Public Sector Duty replaces the Disability Equality Duty from April 2011.

12. Liaison with Schools/Colleges  DO recent initiative =  Key contact or contacts from DO allocated to each School  Liaison is about processes, procedures, issues – not individual student adjustments  Liaison – Vet School - Dr Geoff Pearson and Lorna Hume; Disability Office - Melanie Scott, Jan Gardiner and Sheila Williams

13. Key areas for discussion:  Adjustments  Competence standards  Fitness to practice/Fitness to study (in relation to disability) - (Claire Phillips – has drafted a document relating to Students studying veterinary medicine with a disability for admissions webpage)

14. For Further Information 6-8 South College St From 1 st August 2011: 3 rd Floor, Main Library Tel: 650 6828 disability.office@ed.ac.uk Visit our website: www.ed.ac.uk/disability-office