Disabled Members’ Council calls on course providers and exam boards to improve access for disabled students
The council has welcomed guidance by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, advising how higher education providers should ensure access and reasonable adjustments for disabled students.
Publication of guidance follows a High Court ruling in February that the University of Bristol had contributed to a student's death by failing to make reasonable adjustments for her.
The guidance states that universities must:
- consider and prepare alternative means of assessment for disabled students
- be willing to make reasonable adjustments for students at any point, even if they don’t have a diagnosed disability, if they may have a condition which amounts to a disability
- ensure academic staff make reasonable adjustments for disabled students even if the student hasn’t been seen by the Disability Service
- train student-facing staff on their duties under the Equality Act 2010, including how to recognise mental health crises and how to provide support for students when they occur
- take steps to identify students who are struggling and might need reasonable adjustments, even where those students haven’t come forward voluntarily
Ann Galpin, NUJ Disabled Members’ Council chair, said: “Increasing representation in journalism is vital to reflect the diverse issues that matter to the audiences we serve. Lived experience in journalism provides the opportunity to challenge negative and harmful narratives about disability and to expose the inequality and barriers that impact on disabled people's lives. More accessible routes for disabled people to pursue a career in journalism are a necessity. Lack of reasonable adjustments is a form of discrimination that ruins opportunities and wellbeing and cannot be tolerated.
“Providing access and reasonable adjustments are legal requirements and we call on all journalism, broadcasting, media and communications course providers and examination bodies to commit to implementing the guidance in full.”