NADO Annual Conference & AGM 2006 - Abstracts and downloads
Members can download transcripts and Powerpoint presentation of keynote presentations and workshops. (login required)
Keynote Presentations
Duty to promote disability Equality - What does it mean for the further and higher education sector
This presentation will look at the current situation for disabled students in further and higher education. It will then look at how the Disability Equality Duty should eliminate the current inequalities faced by disabled students and promote their equality of opportunity.
Teaching, Learning and the Disability Agenda
This keynote presentation will update the conference on the progress of the new arrangements for supporting disability issues in HE. It will consider the work of the HE Academy to support the embedding of disability issues in the learning and teaching agenda and consider the key priorities and activities over future years to enable a more inclusive HE practice in learning and teaching. Issues at policy level, organisational level and the level of individuals and teams of staff will be discussed.
Abstracts for Workshops
Update on Assistive Technology
This workshop aims to summarise the findings from a survey of 455 students with dyslexia who received equipment as part of their Disabled Student's Allowances, during the academic year 2004-2005. Many of the comments made were highly favourable. However, the workshop will highlight how technologies on offer in 2006, could possibly have helped more students in light of the comments made and in relationship to the training offered.
- Be able to discuss the findings
- Debate new ideas to support students with their technologies and
- Offer ideas for future research to better evaluate outcomes from the use of Assistive Technologies within an educational setting
- Be aware of the findings of a recent study into the technologies provided to students with dyslexia who applied for the DSA.
- Learn more about recent technologies available to support students in the post-16 sector
Action on Access - The Role of the Disability Co-Ordinator
Disabled students remain one of the most under-represented groups of students in higher education. Despite HEFCE guidance stating that disabled learners should be targeted by Aimhigher and Widening Participation (WP) initiatives there is still evidence that this is not being addressed systematically across the sector. So whose responsibility is it? Aren't disability advisers already too busy to take on this agenda too?
The workshop will:
- Highlight barriers preventing the inclusion of disabled learners in mainstream outreach, aspiration raising, retention and progression activities.
- Allow practitioners to consider the barriers which prevent them from working to help address these issues.
- Enable participants to consider how WP activity can be mainstreamed through existing work and institutional strategies such as the development of institutional Disability Equality Schemes.
- Promote discussion abut how to work with and empower colleagues working on WP initiatives to promote inclusion.
Developing an Induction Programme for Disabled Students
This session will report back on the findings of a successful induction programme developed in 2005 for the new in-take of disabled students at a HEI.
The programme developed out of the findings of a research project which explored disabled students' experiences of the FE-HE transition process. The study found that many students were ill-prepared for University life. The main reasons for this were linked to access to both timely and relevant information, the communication channels between staff working within FE and HE and student perception.
The overall aim of the induction programme was to ease disabled students' transition to student life at University. The programme specifically focused on familiarisation of peer support.
The induction programme combined interactive activities with structured sessions and social activities focusing on managing disability within a University context.
This session will explore:
- Funding issues;
- Ways of encouraging student participation;
- The successes of the programme from both the University and Student perspective.
Delegates will be able to:
- Find out more about the induction programme.
- Explore the benefits of running a programme within their institution.
- The session will involve discussion and group-work and an opportunity to ask questions.
Physical Access - Design and Audit
The aim of this workshop is to give Disability Officers an appreciation of physical access issues in general, and the work that their Estates teams should be undertaking. This should give DOs the confidence to advise and liaise effectively with students, staff (Estates and other) and professionals (eg architects) working in this area.
We are also interested in discussing the remit of the Disability Officer - ie how involved should they be in improving physical access?
No wheelbarrows or tape-measures required for this workshop! Please do not come to this workshop if you want to learn how to interpret plans and drawings!
Specific Learning Differences: Learner Progression to Higher Education
Presentation:
- Context: Information on specific learning differences, current representation of these learners in HE an lack of engagement with existing WP activites
- Introduction: aims of the work undertaken, details of the regional and national activities
- Findings from: HE Academy research, teaching and learning pilot, student case studies, school and FE outreach, practitioner engagement.
- Summary: major issues and the wider picture
Discussion:
- Identification and disclosure
- Learning strategies
- Support
- Teaching Practice
Open Discussion
Reasonable Adjustment - existing duties and impending amendments to DDA 1995
The session will review the current law on reasonable adjustment, consider the impending changes due to take effect on 1st September 2006 and, through the use of case studies, highlight the issues which institutions should consider when dealing with disabled applicants and students, including their anticipatory duty.
Disability Equality Impact Assessments
This workshop will explore the specific duty requirement to carry out impact assessments. This requirement is part of the new duty to promote disability equality, which comes into force from December 2006. This means that education providers and funding bodies will need to carry out disability equality impact assessments on all policies, procedures, plans and practice. The impact assessment process is a key tool to embed disability equality across the whole organisation.
This workshop will demystify the impact assessment process, examining the what, why, when and how to carry out impact assessment. The workshop will be of interest to staff with a responsibility for DDA implementation and all who are interested in the requirements of the new duty to promote disability equality.
A Methodology for Assessing the Needs of disabled studens in Higher Education
This session will consider the pilot assessment and training scheme which has been implemented in a number of assessment centres in the South East region. The scheme introduced a new methodology for assessment and training for students with disabilities. The success of this scheme and its implications for the quality audit process will be explored with a view to the compilation of a document containing guidelines for good practice. In addition, the scheme has been expanded to include NHM recommendations (specifically non subject-specific study skills support) in assessment of students w3ith specific learning difficulties and the implications for the sector, in particular, current HEI provision in this area.
Delivering Support Services
This session looks at how programmes can be set up to support students who require additional support, but who are reluctant to access individual/ specialist support lessons.
The session discusses:
- The planning of Integrated Studies;
- How to recoup Additional Support Costs;
- Response from OFSTED;
- Evaluation of the programme;
- The way forward.
The session will advise colleagues how to commence a similar programme within their institutions followed by a discussion to allow colleagues to comment on this and other programmes evolving within FE establishments.
Delivering the Duty
Aims: The specific duties require that disabled people are actively involved in developing your scheme, so you may need to develop imaginative ways to go beyond your current consultation methods. This task aims to explore some of the questions you will need to think about.
Involving disabled people: Questions you may need to think about are:
- Who are our key stakeholders and how are they best involved?
- Will we have to do different things for staff and students?
- What local/community groups could we involve?
- How would we identify and make contact with the groups?
ReportBack: Prepare a brief report to give to the rest of the group. Elect someone to present it.
Activity 2
Aims: to explore what and who are involved in conducting an impact assessments.
Impact assessment: Your scheme must detail how you have assessed and prioritised the impact, or likely impact, of all existing and new policies and practices on disabled people. You are likely to have a 'back catalogue' of existing policies, so you may want to develop a timetable for this process in your DES. The DED Code of Practice provides information on how to make decisions about impact assessment.
Questions you may need to think about are:
- Who will be involved in assessing impact and how will you involve disabled people?
- How will you determine priorities?
- Will you need external expertise?
- Who will you report your results to?
Resources: NATFHE and UNISON Guidance.
Assessment Needs for Exam Boards
Assessment of Need is a pivotal part of the process of ensuring that learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are fully able to access the learning environment.
The relevance and success of the assessment is dependent on a number of factors which will be identified and discussed during the workshop. Relevant legislation, the FE funding mechanism and the requirements for special examination arrangements will also be considered.
During the session Delegates will:
- Reflect on the assessment process at their own institution;
- Discuss the factors which are required to form a high quality assessment and how it can contribute to an ethos of inclusive learning;
- Consider the requirements of the FE audit trail.
Audit and QAA Code of Practice
QAA's Code of Practice now has ten sections, including a section on students with disabilities. The purpose of this session will be to update delegates on how QAA uses institutional audit to identify how institutions are addressing the sections of the Code and its plans for the future.
Members can download transcripts and Powerpoint presentation of keynote presentations and workshops. (login required)