The Metro has reported that a survey of disabled students across the UK found that only 23 per cent had received the support they needed at university.
The research by Disabled Students UK looked at the experiences of 329 students and concluded that “failure to provide access for disabled students is a widespread issue.”
Metro quoted Chelsea Sowden, a social media officer from North Yorkshire, who said she experienced difficulties during her time at university. She has multiple chronic illnesses, including chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia with joint hypermobility, PTSD, and lasting mobility issues.
Chelsea told metro: “I had classes that were scheduled to be in buildings that weren’t accessible, so I couldn’t attend them.
“The university did not record our lectures. They didn’t have the facilities in place to do it, and implementing it wasn’t a priority for them.”
Chelsea added that she also experienced other problems: “My main issue was with accommodation. Because of my accessibility needs, there was only one residence that I could realistically live in, and it was the most expensive.
“It cost almost twice as much as the cheapest accommodation at uni. But there was no financial support to help me pay for this because I had the maximum maintenance loan.”
Chelsea added that she also experienced problems with the Disabled Students’ Allowance and with sourcing a custom-made computer chair, without which she had to work from her bed.
Metro reported that Chelsea decided to get involved with disability rights work at her student Union and is now working with universities to look at the available accommodation options and the support they can provide for disabled students.
She told Metro: “Ableism in education is rife. Universities need to stop assuming that the onus lies with the Disabled Students’ Allowance and course teams to make and enact adjustments.
“They need to take a holistic approach that covers each aspect of student life and higher education to ensure that disabled students are getting fair treatment and the education they deserve.”
Metro also spoke to other students and to Christopher McFarland, associate solicitor at Sinclairs Law, who specialises in higher education cases and has brought several successful appeals against universities.
He said: “While it can be a very challenging thing to talk about, for students who have experienced disability discrimination, the most important thing to do is raise it.
“Each university in the UK is required to have complaints procedures. They will also have a disability services department that should help you if you’ve run into difficulty.
“If students have looked at those avenues and they’ve not been successful, or they feel they haven’t received the right guidance, they can take a solicitor’s advice because we know the law, and we’ll help them through those processes if needed.”
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