Hidden and misunderstood Experiences of disability support for learners in post16 education

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Hidden and misunderstood? Experiences of
disability support for learners in post-16
education
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Hidden and misunderstood? Experiences of
disability support for learners in post-16
education

• Julie Osborn
• Disability Support Manager
• Teaching Fellow Award Holder 2007-08

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Background to research

• Research within FE Sector
• HELP Cetl University of Plymouth
• Future actiona

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Aim of Research

• Investigate the impact that having disability
  support needs has on making choices, retention
  and achievement in HE
• Identify barriers that need to be removed and
  develop services to that they are inclusive to
  disabled people

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Methodology

• Variety of methods used
• Focus group
• Individual, semi-structured interviews
• Follow up via email, text
• Visual representation
• Interviews with staff

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Stated Aims

• Consider IAG that disabled learners received
• Impact of having additional support needs had on
  making choices
• Impact of assessment procedures
• Procedures in place to assist with transition to
  HE
• Factors that promote successful retention and
  achievement for disabled learners

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Participants - population

• Purposive sample
• All students on HE Courses sent letters No
  response!
• Learners inc HE in FE and students at the
  transition phase
• Staff asked to invite students who were accessing
  support

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Participants - sample

• 6 females and 4 males
• Aged 19 to 38
• 2 learners had degrees
• Range of impairments inc Deaf BSL, visual
  impairment, physical, mental health issues,
• Described support needs
• Sample of people who use support services
• Limited, bias

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Methodology

• Learners perspective sought
• 11 interviews with research assistant, recorded
  and transcribed, inc pictorial representation
• Follow up emails
• Focus group - recorded

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Methodology
Grounded methodology
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Analysis of data

• Transcripts (interviews)
• Voice recordings (Focus Group)
• Identified key themes from the data
• Ensure we captured the learner perspective by
  checking back
• Inductive process

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Findings

• Participants described how they found out about
  support
• Key person described as helpful
• I came into college before my course and that
  really helped. If a disabled student can come in
  and speak to a DSC they can then find out what
  they need when you fill out the forms you dont
  always know what support you could have

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Findings

• Participants described how they found out about
  support
• Name of service
• Didnt want to access a service for disabled
  people
• Didnt want to be labelled or stigmatised
• Learners had support needs and received service
  but did not identify with the term disabled

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Findings

• Impact of having additional support needs on
  choice of institution
• Choice of institution was mainly the same as for
  non-disabled people
• Support considered after choice of institution

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Findings

• Assessment of Support Needs
• Disabled Students Allowance time consuming and
  challenging
• Assessment of support needs was positive for most
  particiapnts

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Findings

• Assessment of Support Needs
• Forms proved challenging
• And stating what your needs are at a time
  youre unwell, you dont know what your needs
  are, what your capabilities are etc each day is
  different (good or bad). You dont want to be
  spending hours filling out forms because the
  mental process of doing it is exhausting.
  (Learner with ME)

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Findings

• DSA equipment
• Challenging to learn to use
• Often software on laptops that was not being used
• Frequently, learners left along to sort this out.

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Findings

• Receiving support
• Theres a fine line between what you do and how
  much you get from other people. (Learner with
  dyslexia)
• Learners wanted to fit in, some were reluctant
  to acknowledge that they needed additional
  support,

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Findings

• Receiving support
• I dont ask for an extension on assignment
  deadlines because I want to be normal.
• I dont deserve anything you hear people
  joking .. And I think maybe I shouldnt get that
  support. Theres other people who should be
  having that.. I feel bad about it for getting
  support .. People go wow you got a laptop, Im
  gonna be dyslexic then Im gonna get a laptop.
• Reluctance to ask for support is a key theme

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Findings

• Expectation of Support
• Learners had different expectation of what
  support is compared to tutors
• Often a lack of co-ordination between support
  staff and tutors

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Video

• Excerpt from video

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Practical Applications

• Developed marketing and publicity
• Disability support needs to be promoted as an
  entitlement
• Provision needs to be independently monitored
• Expectations need to be clarified
• Transition procedures

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Practical outcomes

• Develop Marketing and Publicity
• Promote Disability Support as an Entitlement
• Co-ordination and Monitoring
• Clarify Expectations
• Transition Procedures
• Interlinked

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Develop Marketing and Publicity

• Publicise whats on offer
• Need to target potential beneficiaries of the
  service
• Describe support on offer rather than try to
  identify disabled people

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Promote Disability Support as an Entitlement

• Participants described how they needed to make a
  case and justify reasons for support
• Need to develop a culture that support is an
  entitlement
• Staff need information

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Co-ordination and Monitoring

• Reviews would enable problems to be identified
• Equipment not being used
• Lecturers not adjusting delivery
• Discrimination

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Clarify Expectations

• Learners, tutors and support staff had differing
  ideas about support.
• Led to frustration and even complaints
• Need to clarify the support is available

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Implementing Findings

• Practical outcomes
• CoBC appointed a person to assist dyslexic
  learners apply for DSA
• Created a video to publicise support
• Co-ordinated support
• Attended induction events and described support
  rather than the service name

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Workshops

• Explore some of the themes in further detail
• Disabled what do we mean and who are we
  including?
• Labelling and self identification
• Practical solutions in place at your institution

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Concluding comments

• Experience of students not always positive
• Changes that were requested by individuals were
  reasonable and could be accommodated by services
• We do not know about hidden students who may have
  left or struggled without every being identified
• Disabled learners often described being
  misunderstood