"Ch-Ch-Changes...
turn and face the strange"
Paddy Turner
NADP Chair
• setting the context around the DSAs
changes
• drawing on the past
• interpreting the present
• looking to the future
Questions
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How did we get here?
Will there be further cuts?
How will HEIs react?
Will Disability Services change or go?
Will NMH roles change - if so, how?
What will happen to needs assessment?
How do we prepare and what will NADPs
role be?
Setting the context
• what are we here for?
• legal compliance? equal
opportunities? administrate DSAs?
• Social Model
• access and equality - inclusion?
DSAs
• Introduced 1990
• 'Additional costs the student is obliged to
incur'
• no legal requirement to support
• student bought services from elsewhere
• gave student 'control'
• LEA administered
• Moved to SLC administration 2008-09
• aim for consistency and efficiency!
• NMH Service Manual 2014
• 100+ roles reduced to 19
Legislation
• Special Educational Needs & Disability Act
(2001)
• reasonable adjustments
• "It would not be reasonable to expect a responsible
body to fund aids or services if Disabled Students’
Allowances are already being used to provide these
same services." (DRC Code of Practice)
• Disability Equality Duty (2005)
• Anticipatory Duty
• Equality Act (2010)
Setting the context
• Willetts April 7th 2014 - rebalancing
concept
• Inclusion of EA (2010) disability definition
• Two quotes - March 27th 2015
• NMH Quality Framework and Registration
DSAs obsession?
1990 - 2001
2001 - 2008
2008 - 2014
2014-2016
• no legislation
• few HEI
services
• LEAs
administer
• DSAs value
increases £4k £18K
• first ACs
• light touch
guidance
• NADO
• legislation
• growth in
service
provision on
back of DSAs
income
• specialist NMH
roles develop
• AC expansion
• DSAs-related
businesses
grow
• LEA - SLC
administration
• Hopkin review
leads to handson Gov't role
• consistency of
SLC
processing
shows
inconsistency
of sector
provision
• DSAs and EA
(2010) linked
• NMH Manual
shrinks roles
• universal
introduction of
two quotes rule
• registration to
QAF
• role
descriptions
prescribed
HEI control over
Administrative
More
services to students
decreases
DSAs burden
Medical
increases
Model
DSAs and
Reasonable
Adjustments
Inclusive Practice
DSA
Institutional
Reasonable
Adjustments
Inclusive teaching
and learning
environment
DSAs Future?
“2.3 Anticipating reasonable adjustments
The duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled students is
anticipatory, which means institutions must plan ahead and take a
strategic approach to addressing the barriers that potentially impede
individuals with different kinds of disability. ......
Some disabilities are more common in the student body than others.
.....the most common learning difficulty is dyslexia. This suggests that
all institutions will have a number of students with dyslexia who may
require adjustments, which could include making changes to course
materials and course delivery.
We would expect institutions to particularly consider what anticipatory
adjustments should be made to accommodate this significant
proportion of disabled students.....”
(DSAs Guidance Chapter New Students 16/17 - p14-15:
http://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/policy-information/guidance-chapters.aspx )
DSAs Future?
HEI control
DSAs
admin
1990's
2007/8
2015/16
2016-??
Hello HEI, goodbye DSAs?
Assuming DSAs diminish further
• No need to worry about :
– registration fees
– audit fees
– DSAs administration
– NMH role boundaries (100+ roles?)
– unknown providers on site
– Psychological assessment evidence?
• Some HEIs already considering charging
nothing to DSAs
Hello HEI, goodbye DSAs?
• Will HEIs abandon their students' support
to save money?
– two tier system? postcode lottery?
– legal compliance
– growing student voice influence
– role of Assessment Centres - if students still
receive equipment.......?
– no DSA-QAG, no quality assurance = cheap
labour?
Inclusive Practice
Many drivers to develop inclusive teaching
practice
• QAA Quality Codes
• HEA projects & research
• Equality Act (2010) anticipatory duty
• University Strategies
• HEA UK Professional Standards Framework
• Teaching Excellence Framework
• OFFA & Access Agreements
Sector Leadership Group
Currently aiming to support HEI Senior
Executives by producing:
• Inclusive Practice benefits (July)
• Inclusive Practice quick wins (July/Oct)
• Reasonable Adjustments guidance (Sept)
• Student Voice viewpoint (?)
Conclusions
• HEIs take back control and choose
provider model
• number of NMH roles expand and become
multi-functional
• Disability Services do less DSAs admin
and increase internal needs assessment
• Service Managers become internal
advocates for support resources
NADP role?
• little need for stakeholder engagement
with SLC/BIS
• national advocate for Disability Services
with sector organisations: UUK; GuildHE;
AMOSSHE; NUS
• CPD provision for members
• holder of quality standards/accreditation
• research and development, journals
NADP role?
• promotion and development of inclusive
practices
• collation and archiving of IP/UDL
resources
• development of relationships with
education developer networks
• extend membership to these groups?
• change NADP aims and title to reflect
this?
...and finally
Any thoughts, comments or
questions.....?