LINCOLN COLLEGE
REVISED DISABILITY EQUALITY SCHEME
DECEMBER 2009
Lincoln College recognises its duties under legislation to revise its DES and to
work towards a Single Equality Scheme.
The College recognises its duties to
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promote equality of opportunity between disabled persons and
other persons
eliminate discrimination that is unlawful under the Disability
Discrimination Act
eliminate harassment of disabled persons that is related to their
disabilities
promote positive attitudes towards disabled persons
encourage participation by disabled persons in public life; and
take steps to take account of disabled persons’ disabilities, even
where that involves treating disabled persons more favourably
than other persons (e.g. the provision of an accessible parking
bay near a building, where parking is not available for other
visitors or employees).
Lincoln College has improved access to services and is making clear
progress in reducing inequalities. The Board of Corporation receives annual
reports of the performance of disabled students. Reports also monitor the
appearance of disabled students in disciplinaries and show that there is not
an over-representation of disabled students in the student disciplinary system.
The same reporting mechanism shows the recruitment of disabled staff and
measures to ensure support for existing staff members and for staff who may
become disabled wile working for the college.
Summary of annual reporting showing 3 year trends.
2006-07
o Student Perfomance
o Data analysis completed for the January 2007 OfSTED
Inspection showed that Retention and Achievement for students
on discrete and mainstream programmes where a Co-worker
from the Learning Support Team supports the whole group are
good in the majority of cases (2005-06 data Source:
ProAchieve) and above the college average in 17 of 20
courses.
o The nature of disabilities supported in 2005-06 is shown below.
Nature of Disability
Percentage of supported
students
Hearing Impaired
Visually Impaired
2005-06
0.68%
1.5%
Moderate and Severe Learning
Difficulty
40%
Specific Learning Difficulty including
Dyspraxia and Dyslexia
15.4%
Physical disability Includes epilepsy, ME, 4.75%
severe Asthma, other physical disabilities
including life threatening and terminal
illness
Mental Health problems Includes ADHD,
all ASD including Asperger’s, ADD, eating
disorders, behavioural disorders.
6.1%
Other
31.5%
EXTRACTS FROM OFSTED REPORT PUBLISHED MARCH 2007
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The college’s overall approach to educational and social inclusion is
good. In fact, the approach to social inclusion is outstanding. The
college works very effectively with local partners to attract learners who
are currently underrepresented in education and training.
The college’s overall approach to educational and social inclusion is
good, and the approach to social inclusion is outstanding. The college
focuses its community provision on areas of high deprivation.
The college works very effectively with local partners to attract learners
who are currently under-represented in education and training.
Education and training is provided in three local prisons.
Provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is
good.
Equality of opportunity is well promoted and monitored but is not
always sufficiently emphasised in lessons or work-based learning
reviews.
The college complies with the requirements of the Special Educational
Needs and Disability Act. Learners with restricted mobility are now able
to access all areas.
Learners and staff share a mutual respect and feel valued and secure.
2007-08
 Staff recruitment
o At 4% (with only 1% not supplying the data), the number of
disabled applicants applying for posts has increased by 1%
compared to 2004/05. The level of disabled applicants is
representative of the number of employees who consider
themselves disabled.
o there is no change in the college’s staff profile in respect of
disabled employees. There is still considerable anecdotal
evidence to suggest that the college employs more disabled
people than the number who currently identify themselves as
disabled, and as part of the Disability Equality Duty the college
has undertaken a survey in an attempt to rectify this situation
and improve the accuracy of reports.
o The college will continue its strategies to encourage disabled
employees to identify themselves accordingly, for example,
continue the practice of publicising positive case studies of
disabled employees who have received support from the
college. In addition, the college will continue to encourage
disabled employees to participate in its Disability Network, which
provides a forum where individuals can obtain support and
advice, and continue to invest in the estate to make it more DDA
compliant.
 Student Performance
o Data analysis completed for the OfSTED AMV showed that
Retention and Achievement for students on discrete and
mainstream programmes where a Co-worker supports the whole
group are good in the majority of cases (data Source:
ProAchieve) and above the college average in 14 of 16 courses.
o Take up of ALS by those assessed as needing it was at 77% for
2005 - 2006 and 81% for 2006 – 2007
o In 2005 - 2006, 84% of students who were assessed prior to
their course went on to enrol and that includes those students
who applied very early in the year before entry. In 2006 - 2007,
this increased to 88%.
 Student disciplinaries
o 657 students were disciplined. 40 (6%) were disabled, 576
(87%) were able-bodied with 41 unknown. which shows that
disabled people are also not disproportionately represented.
2008-09
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Staff recruitment
o At 4% (with only 1% not supplying the data), the number of
disabled applicants applying for posts has stayed the same but
the level of disabled applicants is representative of the number
of employees who consider themselves disabled.
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o there is no change in the college’s staff profile in respect of
disabled employees.
Student Performance
o In the 16-18 age group, success rates for those declaring
disabilities are 72% and for those without a disability success
rates are also 72%. This could infer that additional support
provided has sufficient impact to ensure that disabled students
perform as well as their peers. For 19+ students, disabled
students success rates fall to 65% compared to 73% for nondisabled students.
o Students with learning difficulties and disabilities, including those
with mental health problems self-declare at enrolment. These
figures do not commonly correspond to the extensive student
data held on those in receipt of additional support. However for
DfES and OfSTED reporting purposes, the figures given here
are based on the ILR.
Success Rates by Disability Under 19
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
has difficulty/disability/health
problem
no difficulty/disability/health
problem
no information provided
Under 19
Under 19
Under 19
Success Rates by Disability 19+
74
72
70
68
66
64
62
60
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has difficulty/disability/health
problem
no difficulty/disability/health
problem
no information provided
19 +
19 +
19 +
Student Disciplinaries
o The percentage of disabled people disciplined was 6% which
shows that disabled people are also not disproportionately
represented.
Implementing the DES Action Plan
The DES Action Plan has been implemented and each curriculum area and
service is required to set and monitor EDIMs which are reviewed regularly.
These actions are aimed at achieving clear and improved outcomes for
disabled people both staff and students.
Safeguarding procedures have been improved to ensure all staff are trained
and specific training has been provided to those staff who work with
vulnerable adults.
Improved advertising to staff and students of the college’s Bullying and
Harassment Support Group and monitoring of the use of the service and of
any disabled hate crime is also reported to the Board of Corporation.
The College has attempted to increase recruitment of disabled people by
advertising via the Disabled Go website which also provides a very through
access audit of the entire campus.
Involving disabled students and staff and listening to the learner voice is a
major aspect of the college’s culture. This also helps ensure the DES is
delivering the right actions. Disabled people who work for the college and who
use the services are regularly surveyed or interviewed and all surveys are
available in alternative formats to ensure participation.
Disabled students as experts
 The College regularly uses students with disabilities on interview
panels and where these are to appoint staff to work with students with
a particular disability, the student will have that disability. For example,
a student with mental health problems on a panel where the post is a
support worker with students mental health problems. There is also
training to facilitate their involvement.
 Past and present students have acted as experts when renovation or
changes have been made to buildings.
 Disabled students and staff are involved in the disability equality
scheme action plan,
 Disabled students are supported by specialist staff at Leaner Liaison
Panels to ensure they can make a contribution.
Improving access
The college website has front page accessibility control and meets the latest
accessibility guidance and has links to the Disabled Go website for the
comprehensive access audit. All college materials can be produced in
alternative formats in 10 working days or less. The college has a wide range
of resources to make reasonable adjustments under DDA and many
resources are centrally sited in the Learning Resources Centres.
Disabled students are issued with a lift pass for one lift that had been
repeatedly vandalised so they had sole access. There are disabled parking
spaces close to all buildings and disabled staff and students are given parking
permits. Disabled students are able to park in staff-only car parks to ensure
they are nearer buildings.
Encouraging staff to identify their disability
Staff were sent a survey from Student Services (who support students and
are seen as experts) rather than from the Personnel Unit returns by disabled
staff increased
Improving experience of disabled students
All students have opportunity to participate fully in all aspects of the college's
learning, social and extracurricular activities. All teaching staff are observed
and aspects of support and DDA compliance are reported on.
Access to ICT and other platforms such as the VLE and eILP have improved
students access to differentiated learning.
The college has a zero tolerance of bullying and harassment and a Bullying
and Harassment Support Group is available and well respected. Disabled
students have tutorials on the subject and are told how to report incidents.
An annual survey of bullying is on-line to ensure access to all students and
versions are available in all formats. During annual Anti-Bullying Week an
externally moderated website allows students to report bullying anonymously.
There have been major refurbishments of the campus to ensure access and
suitability including a new purpose built area for students with learning
difficulties and disabilities and mental health problems.
A staffed Student Common Room is available to all students and staff are
trained to work with disabled students. Before the Common Room was open
to students, it was trialled exclusively by disabled students to ensure they
were comfortable with its facilities and felt safe there.
Teaching staff set EDIMs to ensure that any attainment gaps are closed
Lessons are differentiated and timely specialist support is provided.
Specialist Assessment Officers assess most disabled students before they
start their course and support is appropriate and timely. Student satisfaction
with this support is high and OfSTED reported that support and guidance was
outstanding in January 2007.
Disabled students receive support for breaks and lunchtimes where
appropriate. The college works with specialist agencies to support students
including RNIB (until 2009), Action for Blind People, CAMHS, LAPD and
RNID.
Specialist staff provide learning support for speech and language, hearing and
visual impairment, mental health, ASD, physical disabilities and moderate and
severe learning difficulties.
Provision of support for SLDD and students with mental health
problems
Co-workers work with students in 1:1 situations, in classrooms, workshops
and other practical settings (stables, riding schools, garden centres) and may
also support groups of students where all those in a group require additional
support (e.g Foundation programmes, Reachout).
Additional Support may include study skills, time management, personal
organisation, learning styles, differentiating materials, revision, proof-reading,
adaptation of materials, translation, interpretation, guiding and mobility
support, personal care needs and risk assessment, research and planning.
Vocational support is offered in all areas.
Students are assessed for individual need in several ways
a. Self referral
b. Referral via the application form
c. Referral via other agencies
d. Tutor referral
e. Referral as a result of screening
Students on mainstream programmes will be assessed by the Assessment
Officer. Where students identify a learning support need, they are followed up
by the Assessment Officer to ensure that assessment and provision of
support has taken place. Students on Foundation programmes are assessed
by the Foundation Programme /School of Access staff. In addition, tutors
seeking support for a student with an identified need may approach the
Learning Support Team leader who will allocate appropriate Co-worker
support based upon recommendations from the Assessment Officer.
Once appropriate support is agreed, an ISP is drawn up and the student
keeps a copy. This is reviewed termly. The student’s Co-worker completes a
Learning Support Contract signed by the student which is reviewed each
term. The Co-worker completes an online contact form as part of the eILP for
every contact with the student which provides a record and allows colleagues
to pick up support in case of absence. Tutors, co-workers and students can all
access the support records.
Disabled students are able to participate in all aspects of college life including
access to social and sporting activities. All trips and visits must be risk
assessed and equality impact assessed and students are able to have
support even if the events are residential. Specialist staff have supported
students on residential trips to London art galleries and Disneyland Paris.
The college ensures that disabled students have opportunities for work
placements and work experience. A member of staff is employed to ensure
progression onto and from college for SLDD and students with mental health
problems and the college works closely with other agencies including Mencap
for work coaching.
The college FESCO (FE Sports Co-ordinator) arranges enrichment and
sports activities for SLDD and students with mental health problems and
Lincoln and Newark sites have a Fair-trade / Young Enterprise shop run by
SLDD and students with mental health problems. At Lincoln there is an
enterprise by SLDD and students with mental health problems which provides
staff lunches called Dungeon’s Delights and at the Ravendale Centre SLDD
and students with mental health problems produce lunches and refreshments
for other students and staff on training courses.
The enrolment and support of students with mental health conditions and
neurological conditions has grown over 3 years. Specialist staff offer
assessment and support including crisis management. Students can also
access support for eating disorders. All frontline staff have been trained in
safeguarding and a rolling programme of staff training in Mental Health First
Aid is in progress. The college is applying for the DoH ‘You’re Welcome’
standards and has been recognised by NIACE as showing good practice in
safeguarding vulnerable adults. Student Services also has Matrix
accreditation, Career Mark 5 and Charter Mark all of which require services to
be appropriate for disabled people.
The college has taken on the request from students with mental health
problems that they do not see themselves as part of the group of ‘students
with learning difficulties and /or disabilities’ (SLDD) and so the college refers
to them separately and staff are trained on this.
Feedback from students – Student Services Survey 2008-09
Use of Services
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Of 765 respondents, 84% were at Lincoln, 14% at Newark and 3% at
Gainsborough. This is supporting evidence that the style of support
being offered at Newark replicates that for Lincoln and Gainsborough
because pre-merger there were no central services for students at
Newark and Sherwood College.
2% of respondents saw the Assessment Officers and 2.5% contacted
Co-workers or LSAs.
2% had dyslexia assessments or saw an Educational Psychologist.
1.6% of respondents used the counselling service and 0.4% accessed
the Bullying and Harassment Support Group.
Information about Student Services
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75% of respondents heard about Student Services from their tutors and
14% from Connexions. The Intranet and Student Handbook accounted
for 17% of students. 13% said that they knew about it because of the
Link Person’s induction to their tutor group and 10% was by word of
mouth. This also demonstrates the close working relationship with
tutors who will refer students to Student Services and is particularly
important at Newark where tutors had to understand a different style of
offering services post-merger.
Over 92% felt Student Services was easy to find in its centrally located
position at Lincoln and Newark although there is no ‘Student Services’
badged area at Gainsborough and most referrals are dealt with by
Gainsborough reception.
Reception staff, letters and phone calls, facilities
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95% felt Reception staff were good and 82% felt letters and phone
calls were dealt with well. A note of caution is needed here as
experience shows that if students apply for money and don’t receive it,
they tend to view Student Services negatively.
98.5% of students liked the waiting area, interview rooms and décor.
Assessment Officers
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58% of respondents were seen within 10 working days (which is the
quality standard), with 31% seen within 15 days and 26% waiting for
more than 16 working days.
75% of students waiting more than 16 days said this was because no
earlier date was available, showing the considerable pressure on the
Assessment Officer Service which runs over all 3 sites and is a
completely new addition to Newark post merger.
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89% said the assessment was explained clearly to them and there was
100% approval of the questions and the explanations given by the
Assessment Officers.
95% felt the Assessment Officers understood what help the student
needed and 100% agreed with what the AO wrote on their form.
87.5% felt the support they were offered was what they needed and
100% felt the Co-worker / LSA understood their learning
difficulty/disability
Crucially 87% of student said support was put in place quickly as this is
an OfSTED indicator. However 20% of those who felt support was not
put in place quickly admitted it was their own fault as they didn’t take it
up and 5% blamed their tutor! This is a crucial aspect of support and
the tutor’s insistence that students take up the support that is offered is
crucial.
Impact of Learning Support
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40% said it helped them stay on their course.
38% said it helped them pass exams or complete assignments
38% said it helped them settle in
9.5% said it helped them make friends on their course. Settling in and
making friends are important factors to students who maybe feel their
learning difficulty or disability sets them apart from their peers and
appreciate the help with the social aspects of college.
21% felt it helped their tutor understand their difficulties. This is a
crucial role of support – to help tutors understand the implication of
learning difficulties or disabilities on learning.
Data to show the increase in support for students with mental health
problems.
Figures for academic year 2007-08
o 678 students who disclosed a specific support need
Mental Health
issues
number of students supported on
a 1-1
18
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10 students supported by recovery teams
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2 supported by primary
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2 by CAHMS
Short term intervention
8
Figures for academic year 2008-09 to date
Mental health
issues
Number of students supported on Short term intervention
a 1-1
4
30
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16 students supported by recovery teams
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3 supported by primary
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2 supported by external agencies ( eating disorder service)
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4 accessing counsellor
Celebrating Achievement
Disabled students frequently receive college awards and disabled students
also attend the college Graduation Ceremony.
Disabled students have appeared in college productions in the Performing
Arts department and performed at local theatres.
The college uses positive images of disabled students in advertising and
marketing. Following requests from the parents of disabled students and
Connexions the college now produces a Foundation level prospectus.
APPENDIX 1
LINCOLN COLLEGE
DISABILITY EQUALITY STATEMENT
Background
Lincoln College is committed to ensure it delivers its duty under legislation to
provide disability equality for staff and students. In addition to the
requirements to anticipate need and make reasonable adjustment, Lincoln
College will embed disability equality and ensure that disabled students and
staff receive equitable services. By using Equality Impact Assessments
(EQIAs), the College will ensure that it takes a fully integrated approach to
seeking disability equality and does not bolt on the needs of disabled people.
We will strive to ensure that issues affecting disabled people are fully
embedded in all our working practices and we will have due regard to the
need to:
 Promote equality of opportunity between disabled people and others
 Eliminate unlawful disability discrimination
 Eliminate unlawful disability harassment
 Promote positive attitudes towards disabled students and staff
 Encourage participation by disabled people in the life of the college
 Take steps to take account of a person’s disability even where that
involves treating a disabled person more favourably than other people
 Continually monitor and improve our services to disabled people
seeking feedback from our own staff and students and the views of
external agencies of and for disabled people
Lincoln College commits itself to the social model of disability where the
notion of discrimination is key and where we note that disabled people face
discrimination not because of their impairments or difficulties but because of
the way society is organised. We will endeavour to remove the barriers
caused by attitude and assumption which demean disabled people.
In our planning processes and strategies we will consider the implications on
all learners and staff of our decisions so that we move towards social
inclusion.
As an organisation we commit to ensure that no-one is given a service that is
to a lesser standard or on worse terms because of their disability or personal
circumstances.
We recognise that discrimination can occur
 If a disabled person is treated less favourably than someone else
 If that treatment is for a reason relating to the disability
 If that treatment cannot be justified
 If a reasonable adjustment is not made
As an organisation we seek to identify, with the help of our own staff and
students and any external bodies or stakeholders, where there may be
weaknesses in our service or where our service is not socially inclusive. We
seek to recognise where there are areas for improvement and demonstrate
the capacity to improve. We seek to build on good practice which is assessed
internally and externally and continually update our services and seek
feedback from service users about our capacity to improve.
We will set targets for the improvement of our services which are open and
transparent and widely available to all. We will honestly review our progress
towards those targets, revising them if needed and seeking expert input if
targets are intractable.
The stakeholders who will assist us in meeting these high standards will
include:
 The Board of Corporation
 SMT
 the Quality Unit
 College Management Team
 Internal verifiers
 External verifiers
 Local LSC
 DfES
 OfSTED and ALI
 Peer reviews
 External agencies acting as brokers e.g Connexions, Jobcentre
Plus
 External agencies in partnership e.g. RNIB, LAPD etc.
 NHS PCTs
 College staff
 The recognised Trade Unions
 College students
 The parents and carers of our students
 Charitable organisations
Gathering, analyzing and reviewing data
We will collect and monitor data relating to the participation and performance
of disabled students and staff in our activities. This data will contribute to a
systematic review of our procedures and policies and will ensure compliance
with our legal duties under DDA. We will use this to ensure we are meeting
the needs of all our service users and so demonstrate we are providing an
appropriate and optimum service.
We will use the monitoring data to identify any group for whom we appear to
be offering a lesser service or against whom we may be discriminating.
Addressing barriers
We will recognise that some barriers may be unintentional but even
unintentional actions may have a severe impact on disabled people. When
services are offered in such a way that fails to take into account the particular
needs of disabled people, we must recognise that this excludes and
disadvantages them. For example, siting a class on the second floor of a
building with poor access will disadvantage disabled people and makes them
dependent on other people. However, re-siting classes to a ground floor
location will suit the needs of disabled people in terms of access and does not
cause any disruption to the organisation. Choosing central, readily accessible
and well lit buildings for events such as enrolment and examinations is
showing an understanding of the needs of all students.
Equality Impact Assessments
Lincoln College uses EIAs to safeguard against discrimination and
promote equality where possible. The EIAs make staff think carefully about
the likely impact of their work on students and staff, including disabled people.
As a result, action can be taken to improve strategies, policies and projects
where
appropriate.
An EIA is carried out for:
• all corporate strategies and best value reviews
• policies and projects identified by SMT as part of the business
planning process
• projects with a budget of over £5,000
Completing an EIA involves predicting and assessing the implications of a
policy, project or strategy on a wide range of people within the college
community. This encourages staff to take a holistic view of the process and
the people the project impinges upon.
At the end of the assessment process the project team will have found out
that the policy, project or strategy falls in to one of the following three
categories:
• does not discriminate or have a negative impact on any of
the equality target groups but may, in fact, promote equality
• does have a negative effect but that it is intended, legal and
of low impact, and adaptations may be made or actions
outlined to minimise negative effect and promote equality
• could possibly have a negative effect on one or more
equality target groups. The consequence could be illegal,
unintentional, having great impact on individuals or groups,
or a combination of these.
Any actions arising from the assessment are included in the EO targets for the
Unit or School involved.
Involving Disabled People
Working with Organisations of and for Disabled People
The College will continue to work with local organisations such as LAPD
(Lincolnshire Association of People with Disabilities) ,RNIB (Royal National
Institute for the Blind), LVIS (Lincolnshire Visual Impairment Service ),
Access-ability Lincoln, CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service),
MENCAP, Scope, RNID (Royal National Institute for the Deaf) and
CALL(Citizen Advocacy Lincoln).
Consultation and involvement
Lincoln College has established a DES Task group of disabled students,
disabled staff and organisations of and for disabled people, This group will
meet half termly facilitated by the Student Services Manager. The group will
advise on the action plan and suggestions that the college should implement.
As a special interest group, disabled students and staff will feed ideas back to
the college and discuss relevant issues
The College will seek the opinions of all students and staff but will specifically
seek the views of disabled students via questionnaires, text messaging, via
tutorials and SU Council and that of disabled staff via a payroll questionnaire
annually. Students and staff will be canvassed on their views and experience
and particular reference will be made to discrimination and harassment.
Service Reviews take place with organisations supporting disabled students
(eg RNIB) and such reviews will ensure that organisations working with the
college will assess the progress made to disability equality.
Equality of Opportunity
The EO Committee meets termly and is chaired by the Principal. Each school
or unit has to produce annual targets which are monitored at each meeting
and reviewed at the end of the year.
A report on all aspects of EO is produced for Board of Corporation each year
and reviews the overall college progress in meeting LSC EDIMs (Equality and
Diversity Impact Measures) and targets, personnel issues covering
recruitment and selection and students success rates. This helps inform the
setting of targets for many areas.
Issues affecting disabled people
The following are general headings under which EO targets are set.
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Recruitment of disabled students
Retention of disabled students
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Physical access to curriculum areas and the campus
Access and assistive technology including specialist resources
Health and safety of disabled people
Accessibility of materials including marketing materials and website
Disabled People and Health
The College has a professional health adviser who visits weekly and can
issue free contraception, advice on emergency contraception and provide
pregnancy testing. This service is open to all students and staff.
Disability Equality Training
The College has a mandatory training course for staff on Equality and
Diversity.
A variety of other staff training and CPD courses run throughout the year and
in the Staff Development Week held annually in July.
Specifically customised training has been implemented for the Marketing Unit
and customer service staff in the Learning Resources Centres, Student
Services and the Refectory. Staff involved in the enrolment of students each
September have also been given specific training.
Quality, Staff Development, Health and Safety and Equality of Opportunity
are fixed agenda items in all team meetings and staff can use this mechanism
to identify any training needs.
Regular IPR and Appraisal procedures can also be used to identify staff
training needs.
Recruitment, Selection and Retention of Disabled Staff
The college has been awarded the Two Ticks Positive About Disabled
Students Award and has also been accredited under the C2E (Committed to
Equality) Scheme.
In recruitment, any disabled person who meets the criteria will be interviewed
and special arrangements can be requested for both interview and skills tests.
The College has actively taken part in the Access to Work Scheme for
disabled employees. The College also has a wide range of family friendly
policies and is the first college in the country to be awarded the prestigious
Work Life Balance Award.
We recognise that our annual analysis of staff identifying themselves as
having a disability does not match the number of staff who have received
support. We have sought to rectify this by advertising the support that can be
offered to staff via a payroll campaign. Staff appear reluctant to identify their
needs to their line managers or the Personnel Unit. We recognise that we
must strive for a culture where staff feel confident to identify their disability
and be sure of the fact that it will be supported and not used in a negative way
as such action would be unlawful and discriminatory.
Accessible Communication
The College has set a standard of Arial 12 for all college documentation. The
College website meets the requirements of the DDA. The Student Services
Unit has a service standard that it will produce materials in other formats
(audio, large print, Braille, coloured paper, simplified English) within 10
working days. All college literature advertises this service and contains a
statement of support of the DDA. Targets set by the Marketing Unit have
improved the accessibility of all published materials and restricted use of textover-graphics. A media database of inclusive, non-stereotypical images is
being developed. Images displayed throughout the college reflect an inclusive
approach. Any negative images are challenged and removed.
The Student Handbook and Diary is produced each year and a large print
version is also available.
Communication for Deaf people
A network of competent BSL interpreters is available and advertised widely.
Each centre has a minicom system and a wide range of induction loops (both
fixed and portable) is available for all reception areas, interview rooms and
classrooms. For teaching resources, a qualified note-taker and communicator
is employed within Student Services.
The college widely advertises its text number and textphone service.
Specialist assessment and meeting requirements of DDA
The college employs an Assessment Officer who assesses students either on
application or throughout their programme and ensures that we meet the
requirements of the DDA.
The Assessment Officer establishes the support requirements of students and
then negotiates with the Learning Support Team Leader, the Co-workers and
the teaching staff to put support in place.
He also liaises with and refers to:
 Educational Psychologists
 Skills for Life staff
 CPNs (Community Psychiatric nurses)
 CLDT (Community Learning Disabilities Team)
 Social Services
 CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services)
 GPs
 Consultants
 Connexions LLDD team
 STEP Early Intervention in Psychosis
 SENCOs (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators) in
secondary schools

DAST assessors for students with specific learning difficulties
(dyslexia)
Specialist staff
A large group of full-time and part-time Co-workers is employed to work with
disabled students. The expertise of the team is vast and their qualifications
and experience is published as part of the Disability Statement. Current
expertise includes:
 Visually impaired students (including braille)
 Deaf and partially hearing students
 Resources for disabled students
 Specific learning difficulties (including dyslexia)
 Mental health problems
 Autistic Spectrum Disorder (including Asperger’s syndrome)
 Speech and Language disorder
 Severe learning difficulties
 Basic skills and Skills for Life
 Alternative communication (including BSL, Makaton and rebus - Widget
software)
 Profound and multiple disability
 Moderate learning difficulty
Staff work to a Code of Practice and receive regular training and professional
development. Each student completes a Learning Support Contract each term
ensuring that the appropriate amount of support is in place, to encourage
students to work independently and where possible to discourage
dependency on the Co-worker. Records of the students’ contact with the Coworker are recorded electronically and can be accessed by other Co-workers
to ensure continuity and sharing of information. The student also has access
to this record on-line.
Student satisfaction is monitored via a questionnaire and any issues raised
are addressed. The number of students taking up support that has been
recommended is assessed and efforts are made to persuade students to
attend all support sessions.
Feedback from Classroom Observation
Extensive analysis of the role of Co-workers and their performance was
undertaken as a result of the college wide classroom observation scheme.
The results were extremely positive and noted the following strengths:
 Co-workers well briefed by teaching staff and activities were
consequently purposeful and organised
 Co-workers worked unobtrusively to support students
 Specialist support provided i.e. to hearing impaired students was
excellent
 Co-workers were flexible in their support for students


Co-workers have a good rapport with students and worked in a nonpatronising way
Co-workers were adaptable to the varied vocational areas they found
themselves in and some have their own vocational specialisms which
can be an added bonus to students.
The area for improvement were:
 Management and direction of co-workers by teaching staff in the
classroom was variable and in some cases this lead to co-workers
undertaking tasks for students which inhibited learning
 In Foundation Studies, the presence of staff from other agencies such
as Social Services was an issue. The quality of their support is not
consistent.
Specialist Resources
A wide range of specialist resources is held by Student Services and is in use
throughout the college. The College has met the requirements of the DDA in
that it anticipates the needs of prospective students and retains a wide range
of equipment. A complete list is circulated to all staff although responsibility for
assessing students’ requirements rests with the Assessment Officer within
Student Services.
The College works closely with RNIB Vocational College at Loughborough
and a service level contract ensures that appropriate equipment and software
is borrowed for students’ use at college and at home.
College Services
The Learning Resources Centre staff at Lincoln and Gainsborough have
undergone specific training in many aspects of disability awareness. They
collaborated with specialist Student Services staff in the layout and resources
of the building from new and have worked together on projects to display the
art work of disabled students.
A large number of specialist resources are sited centrally included scanners
with speech synthesis, speech recognition software and braillers.
The college refectories staff at Lincoln and Gainsborough have had
awareness raising training on disability and ensure that disabled students
using the facilities are supported. The menu is available in Braille and a
reserved table in Blackfriars at Lincoln is available for visually impaired
students.
Special examination arrangements can be made for students with a learning
difficulty, students with mental health problems and disabled students. These
include extra time, separate invigilation, supervised rest breaks, large print /
Braille / audio versions of papers, amanuensis, reader, coloured papers.
Car parking
Each centre has a number of spaces reserved for drivers with a disability and
these are clearly marked with additional hatching for easy access. The
campus warden at Lincoln ensures that other staff and visitors do not use the
disabled drivers’ spaces.
A number of staff are also entitled to park in the disabled drivers’ spaces close
to buildings.
Estates issues
Estates staff have had disability awareness training. When a new build is
planned, they work closely with Student Services to ensure that the
requirements of DDA are met. Contractors are required to ensure that
consideration is given to colour schemes and lighting that is most suitable for
visually impaired students. Tactile paving, ramps, automatic doors and lifts
have been added to most buildings as part of DDA refurbishment plans.
An access guide is available as part of the Disability Statement.
Action to support students and staff and eliminate harassment
The college has a well-established Bullying and Harassment Group which can
be used by staff and students. Trained independent staff members are
committed to eliminate bullying and harassment and work with the harasser
and the harassed. Mediation is also offered in some cases.
Close monitoring of the incidents of disability harassment takes place and is
reported annually to the EO Committee.
A bullying survey is also undertaken with students annually and the results fed
back to EO Committee and Academic Board. Action is taken to advertise the
positive comments made by students in the college prospectus and the
survey forms part of college-wide monitoring of progress under Every Child
Matters.
The disciplinary policy would be implemented against students who breach
the EO policy and statements to this effect are included in the prospectus.
Students agree to conform to the regulations of the College when they sign
the Learner Agreement at enrolment.
On the Learner’s Agreement signed by each student is a statement of the
college’s commitment to the requirements of DDA and SENDA which asks
that students identify any assistance they need in order that we can make
reasonable adjustments.
The College Charter is published annually in the Student Diary and Handbook
which all students receive at enrolment and which is also approved by
Academic Board. This is designed in the format of the five pillars of Every
Child Matters and states the college’s commitment to disabled students in the
following areas:


support you and make all reasonable adjustments if you have a
learning difficulty or disability
provide car parking arrangements on campus for students with a
disability



provide support and arrange exam concessions for students with a
disability and speakers of other languages
tell us if you have a learning difficulty and disability and what you need
so that we can make all reasonable adjustments to help you succeed.
Contact Student Services as soon as possible
contact Student Services if you are a disabled driver to arrange parking
on campus
Students review the contents of the Charter as part of their Induction. The
Bullying and Harassment Support Group may also form part of the induction
programme and is also advertised widely.
The College also publishes its commitment to and progress towards the five
pillars of Every Child Matters and its Child Protection Policy. Specialist staff
ensure that the college complies with Child and Vulnerable Adult Protection
legislation and procedures.
LINCOLN COLLEGE
DISABILITY EQUALITY SCHEME
The College is required to produce a Disability Equality Scheme and to be responsive to the
needs of people with a disability.
We would be grateful if you would take the time to complete the following questionnaire and
return it to Barbra Plunkett in Student Services.
You do not have to give your name but information about your disability is very useful to us.
Lincoln College provides a wide range of additional support to staff with a
disability. Please let us know if you have a disability such as visual
impairment, mental health difficulty, a medical condition (such as epilepsy, ME
or diabetes), or if you are hard of hearing, or if you have limited mobility.
1. The Disability Discrimination Act defines a disabled person as
“a person who has a physical or mental impairment which has an effect on
their ability to carry out normal day to day activities.” Using this definition,
please tick one box below.
a) I am a disabled person and have either received adequate support or
would like to discuss the support available []
Or
b) I am a disabled person but do not want to discuss this with the College
[]
Or
c) I do not consider that I am a disabled person []
If you consider that you have a disability, please complete the rest of
this form.
2. Since starting at Lincoln College, have you ever been discriminated
against because of your disability? YES / NO
3. If you answered YES to Q1, please give details.
4. Before you started working here, were you aware of the support for
disabled staff that Lincoln College offered?
YES / NO
5. Before you started working here, had you heard of the College’s good
reputation for supporting disabled staff? YES / NO
6. Have you had any problems accessing the college buildings? YES /
NO
7. If you answered YES to Q5, please give details
8. Do you think the college is aware of your health and safety needs?
YES / NO
9. If you answered NO to Q7, please give details
10. Do you think that the college is aware of your type of disability and how
to support you?
YES / NO
11. If you answered NO, please give details.
12. Have you had problems with your health which impacted on your
attendance or ability to work?
YES / NO
13. Do you feel that Lincoln College has tried to meet your needs? YES /
NO
14. Do you think Lincoln College is making good progress towards being
an organisation that meets the requirements of disabled people
(students, staff and visitors)? YES / NO
15. If you answered NO to Q24, what further action should we take?
Thank you for taking part in this survey.
This questionnaire will be used to ensure we are meeting our
requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and as part
of our Disability Equality Scheme. The information given will be used in
confidence.
If you ticked 1a) or 1b) please give your name to enable us to report on
statistics as part of EO monitoring (as detailed in EO policy section 3.)
Name:
Age:
Gender:
M []
F []
Teaching staff / corporate staff / management staff* delete as necessary
The nature of your disability: (please give details)
LINCOLN COLLEGE
DISABILITY EQUALITY SCHEME
The College is required to produce a Disability Equality Scheme and to be
responsive to the needs of people with a disability.
We would be grateful if you would take the time to complete the following
questionnaire and return it in the pre-paid envelope enclosed or hand it in to
the Main Reception. You do not have to give your name but information about
your age and course is very useful to us.
16. Since starting at Lincoln College, have you ever been discriminated
against because of your disability? YES / NO
17. If you answered YES to Q1, please give details.
18. Before you started, were you aware of the support for disabled
students that Lincoln College offered? YES / NO
19. Before you started, had you heard of the College’s good reputation for
supporting disabled students?
YES / NO
20. If you came to college after school, is the support you receive at
college better or worse that the support you had at school?
BETTER / WORSE / SAME
21. Have you had any problems accessing the college buildings? YES /
NO
22. If you answered YES to Q5, please give details
23. Do you think the college is aware of your health and safety needs?
YES / NO
24. If you answered NO to Q7, please give details
25. Have you needed an advocate or supporter to help you explain your
needs to the college? YES / NO
26. If you answered YES to Q9, who acted as an advocate? Was this
successful?
27. Since starting college, have you been involved in the disciplinary
procedure? YES / NO
28. If you have identified that you have a disability or learning difficulty you
may be receiving additional support from a co-worker or have
concessions like extra time in your exams. Do you think this additional
support has been successful in helping you complete your course?
YES / NO
29. Do you think that most staff in the college are aware of your type of
disability and how to support you?
YES / NO
30. If you answered NO, please give details.
31. Do you feel that you have fitted in socially at college? YES / NO
32. Have you used general facilities at the college?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Blackfriars or SnackShack?
Friary Learning Centre
Sports facilities
Student Common Room
YES / NO
YES/ NO
YES / NO
YES / NO
33. Have you had any financial problems while attending college? YES/
NO
34. Have you had any problems with transport to and from college? YES/
NO
35. During your time at college, have you gone on trips or outings as part
of your course? YES / NO
36. If you answered YES, were there any problems related to your
disability?
37. Have you had problems with your health which affected your college
course?
YES / NO
38. Do you feel that Lincoln College has tried to meet your needs? YES /
NO
39. Do you think Lincoln College is making good progress towards meeting
the requirements of disabled people? YES / NO
40. If you answered NO to Q24, what further action should we take?
Thank you for taking part in this survey.
Student Focus Group on Disability
We would be keen to regularly hear the views of disabled students. If you
are willing to take part in a student focus group once a term, please give
your name and contact number here.
I would like to take part in a student focus group on disability
Name:
Tel no:
This questionnaire will be used to ensure we are meeting our
requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and as part
of our Disability Equality Scheme.
The information given will be used in confidence. You do not need to
give your name but would help us if you would give us the following
information.
Age:
16-19 []
19+ []
Gender:
M []
F []
Course:
…………………………………….
Type of disability …………………………………………
PROGRESS OF LINCOLN COLLEGE DES ACTION PLAN
2007-2010
Action
Timescale
Set up a
Moodle site for
Disabled Staff
and Students
Design
posters
promoting
Spring Term
2007
By Easter
2007
Person
Responsible
BP working
with Robin
North
Comments
Progress
Central
communication
forum
Completed – all
students have access
to Moodle
BP working
with Beth
Rogers and
Positive images
of disabled
people including
Completed – many
positive images
DES for all
college sites
Sean
Matthews
(Marketing)
Julie Cox
‘hidden
disabilities’
Improve access
to disabled
students’
opinions and
feedback
Completed – enrolment
procedures evaluated
annually
Use current
disabled
students as
positive role
models for
prospective
students
Use
differentiated
approaches to
seek the views
of disabled
students
Student with mental
health problems have
acted as guides
College
enrolment
form to include
statement
“Please tick
here if you do
not wish to be
contacted by
Lincoln
College for
survey
purposes”
Disabled
students to act
as guides and
advocates on
college Open
Days
For 2007
enrolment
From
January
2007
Beth Rogers
Use telephone
polling
organisations
to contact
disabled
students and
seek their
opinions of
their
experience at
Lincoln
College
Use CPS
voting system
to collect
views of
students with
learning
difficulties
Encourage all
staff with
disabilities to
attend Task
Group
meetings and
use Moodle
site
Improve the
From Easter
2007
Barbra
Plunkett with
Vince Cooke
On line surveys
adopted instead
Students have variety
of feedback
mechanisms including
Stoodle and email
From
January
2007
BP, Rosemary
Rice, Linda
Drury
Use
differentiated
approaches to
seek the views
of disabled
students
Some progress within
School of Access
From
January
2007
BP, Jacqui
Varlow, VP
and Heads of
School
Raise
awareness of
staff with
disabilities and
range of support
Lincoln College
can offer
Staff awareness raising
and several disabled
staff members attended
meetings
From
Ian Sackree
Improve access
DDA compliance
performance
of all lifts on all
campuses – 1
working day
minimum
down-time
Implement a
publicity
campaign as
part of ECM to
encourage
able- bodied
people not to
use lifts
Ensure that
lifts in Abbey
and Friary
which use
automatic
announcing
system are
accurate
Implement
swipe card
system for
disabled
people only in
Abbey building
Awareness
raising
campaign for
disabled
drivers’
spaces to
ensure they
are not
blocked or
used by ablebodied drivers
Produce a
guide for
disabled
students and
staff to each
building on
campus
detailing
access and
fire
procedures /
January
2007
for disabled
people
Disabled Go Access
Audit completed
From
January
2007
BP, Michele
van Bergen
Advertising put on lifts
as part of college
RESPECT campaign
Awareness raising via
Stoodle and
Newsletters
From
January
2007
Ian Sackree,
Eric Ansty
December
2006
Ian Sackree,
Eric Ansty
working with
Student
Services
Improve access Completed
for disabled
people –
Visually
impaired
students at risk if
announcements
are inaccurate
Improve access Swipe card system
for disabled
implemented on 1 lift.
people
From
January
2007
Estates, Beth
Rogers
Improve access
for disabled
people
Completed
By Sept
2007
Eric Ansty,
Student
Services
Improve access
for disabled
people
On-line Access audit by
Disabled Go purchased
refuges
Promote the
details of
external
agencies
supporting
disabled
students in the
Student
Handbook
Establish a
college-wide
Disability
Awareness
Week
Advertise the
range of
support
services
available to
students with
mental health
problems
Advertise the
success of
disabled
students in
positive roles
such as
graduation
and awards
but also as
parents /
caregivers
Further
develop
Disabled
Students page
of college
website
Measure the
number of
applications
from people
with a
disability and /
By Sept
2007
BP
Improve
communications
and access to
external
organisations of
and for disabled
people
Completed
From Sept
2007
Events and
Campaigns
Committee,
Michele van
Bergen, BP
Beth Rogers
(prospectus)
BP (handbook,
Student
Services
website and
intranet
pages)
Beth Rogers
(awards
posters), BP
(articles for
prospectus)
Raise
awareness of all
aspects of
disability
Plans for 2010 to link
with University of
Lincoln to celebrate
achievements of
disabled people
Widely advertised and
number of students
accessing support has
increased.
2nd mental health
specialist employed
2010
Use current
disabled
students as
positive role
models for
prospective
students
Success Stories on
college website
In place Nov
2006
BP, Student
Services, DES
Task Group
members
Explict information for
disabled HE students
following
representation form
disabled students and
HEIs
For 2007
intake
Oliver
Bostock, BP
Use current
disabled
students as
positive role
models for
prospective
students and
raise awareness
of all aspects of
disability
Establish
effective
procedures to
check the quality
of college
systems for
From Sept
2007
From
January
2007
Improve
awareness of
issues of mental
health
Completed
or learning
difficulty and
compare to
the number
who enrol to
establish
effectiveness
of pre-course
assessment
and support
and
application
/interview
processes
Provide a
college-wide
staff
development
programme to
raise
awareness of
DES
disabled
students
From
January
2007
BP with Linda
Houtby
Raise
awareness of all
aspects of
disability and the
legislative duty
on all staff
Awareness campaign
and training as part of
safeguarding
implemented –
mandatory for all staff
and agency staff