DISABILITY ADVISORY SERVICE
University Offices, Wellington SquareOxford OX1 2JD
Tel: 01865 (2)89840
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/eop/disab/
Information for Participants
The student experience at Oxford for disabled students
_
You have been contacted by the Disability Advisory Service and invited to participate in
research on the student experience at Oxford for disabled students. You do not have to take
part. If you do not take part, neither your education at Oxford, nor the help you receive from the
Disability Advisory Service, will be affected in any way. We hope you will take part, and before
you decide, this letter provides you with further information about the project.
Purpose
All final year undergraduate students are surveyed each year at Oxford through the National
Student Survey. This is a national survey funded by HEFCE and administered by Ipsos MORI.
Students are asked 22 questions, covering a broad range of aspects of their degree, ranging
from the teaching and learning experience, through to personal development. The responses of
students with disabilities have consistently been more negative than those of students with no
known disability. The proposed research seeks to better understand and explore why Oxford
disabled students are more negative than non-disabled students. The discussion will seek to
cover the following issues:
1.
Teaching and learning (e.g. issues with lectures, tutorials)
2.
Information and Communication (e.g. how easy is it to find out about the services
provided for disabled students, register as disabled, secure funding)
3.
Assessment (e.g. issues with application for, provision of, and amount of extra time;
whether in written examinations, practicals or coursework )
4.
Quality of local support (esp. in college, services such as Careers Service)
5.
Social (e.g. adjustments in dining halls/canteens; adjustments provided by student
societies, impact of being perceived as ‘disabled’ rather than able).
If you agree to participate, you will be asked to join one of the six following discussion groups,
depending on the level of your degree (undergraduate or postgraduate; and the nature of your
disability).
2 groups of undergraduate students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs)
1 group of postgraduate students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs)
2 groups of undergraduate students with Other disabilities
1 group of postgraduate students with Other disabilities
Each discussion group will have no more than 8 participants.
2
This research is being undertaken by:
Peter Quinn, Disability Advisory Service, University of Oxford, Tel: 01865 289840,
peter.quinn@admin.ox.ac.uk
Jared Hutchings, Student Administration and Services Section, University of Oxford Tel:
01865 616671, jared.hutchings@admin.ox.ac.uk
The findings of the research will be presented to the University’s Student Health and Welfare
Committee and Education Committee, and will inform policy making on provision for disabled
students.
This project has been reviewed by, and received ethics clearance through, the University of
Oxford Central University Research Ethics Committee: http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/curec/
Personal data
You have been contacted by the Disability Advisory Service and invited to participate because
you have disclosed to the University that you have a disability as defined by the DDA (2005).
Your name will only be known by the two researchers, Jared Hutchings and Peter Quinn. It will
not be disclosed to anyone else. Your name, email, address and disability will not be
revealed to anyone else.
If you agree to participate, you may at any time hereafter withdraw from the study without
penalty at any time by advising one of the two researchers (listed above) of this decision.
During the discussion group, notes will be made, and will be kept by Jared Hutchings for no
more than a year, and then destroyed. These notes will be used by Jared Hutchings to enable
him to write a report for the University’s Student Health and Welfare Committee and Education
Committee. The notes will not include any student’s name. They will refer to participants as
student “A”, “B” etc. The findings of the report will also be circulated to the participants.
Your words may be quoted in the report, but your name will not be used.
Complaints
If you have any concerns about any aspect of this project, you can speak to the two researchers
concerned (Jared Hutchings, 01865 616671; Peter Quinn, 01865 289840 ) who will do their best
to answer your query. If you remain unhappy and wish to make a formal complaint, you can
contact the Chair of the Central University Research Ethics Committee (CUREC,
www.admin.ox.ac.uk/curec/contact.shtml) who will then direct your complaint to the appropriate
body.