The reality of the FEtoHE transition for disabled students: a case study

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The reality of the FE-to-HE transition for
disabled students a case study

• By Dr Ann Walker Dr Lisa Reidy
• Project funded by CETL Student Autonomy

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Background Project Rationale

• Disability Equality Scheme, Dec 2006
• 4.7 of SHU students in receipt of DSA (national
  average 4.1, 2005/06 data)
• Project rationale to study the challenges faced
  by disabled students in attending University,
  specifically their transition experiences

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Previous Research

• Exacerbation of mental health difficulties
  (Tinklin et al., 2005)
• Academic and social anxiety among dyslexic
  students (Caroll Illse, 2006)
• Issues relating to disclosure of disability
  (Goode, 2007 Madriaga, 2007)
• Delays in receiving support (Goode, 2007)
• impact on autonomy and transition
  experiences?

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Method Participants Design
91 students with learning contracts, from DS
SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS 9 students 19-40
yrs, Range of disabilities
QUESTIONNAIRE 32 students 18-40 yrs, Range of
disabilities
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Research team

• 2 lead researchers academic staff
• 2 undergraduate students with Learning Contracts
• 1graduate student
• Knowledge gained from conducting interviews used
  to develop questionnaires.

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Interview schedule

• Adopted broad timeframe for transition from
  application to university until the end of 1st
  year of study.
• Specific questions relating to experiences of
• applying to the university
• declaring disability and obtaining learning
  contract
• induction week
• experiences during the first year
• how prepared students felt for their next
  transition, into Level 5

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Questionnaire schedule

• Followed a similar timeline to the interviews.
• Open-ended questions as well rating scales.
• Sample Question How did you feel about declaring
  your disability to obtain your Learning Contract?
• 1 not at all distressed
• 2 mildly distressed
• 3 moderately distressed
• 4 extremely distressed
• Did you experience any other emotions after
  declaring your disability? Please specify below.
• __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________

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Results Interviews

• Interviews transcribed and following themes
  extracted
• Applying to university
• Access to support before starting course
• Disabled students Induction/Open Days
• Induction week events
• Experience of obtaining a learning contract
• Attitude towards disclosing disability
• Feelings about disability and need for learning
  contract
• Academic staffs awareness of learning contract
• Attitude towards support and resources

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Results Induction week (Interview)

• P2 Well there was a Freshers week at the end of
  September which was very useful as I got to know
  more about SHUs surroundingswe were allowed to
  look around the buildings and see where our
  classes would take place they were selling
  refreshments in the lecture theatre and everyone
  was allowed to move around and chat to people and
  get to know each other better. I made quite a few
  friends there actually, it was really nice

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• P7 I dont know if you know about depression but
  you go right into yourself and you cut yourself
  off from everybody. Id sort of been trying to go
  out more and socialise more and those kinda
  things, from being basically a hermit to going
  out and then suddenly induction week, errr.
• I Too much in your face?
• P7 It was just a bit freaky. And I felt very
  alone and very unqualified to do this even though
  I had all
• I You had all the pieces of paper?
• P7 But I didnt have the mental backup, you know
  as in you can do this with you eyes shut kind of
  thing. Like dont worry about it, get in there
  and on with it, but at the time I didnt .

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Induction (Questionnaire)

• 44 of students having declared their disability
  on UCAS form had attended an induction event
  specifically for disabled students
• All but one of these students reported the event
  to be moderately or extremely useful

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Experience of obtaining a LC (Interview)

• I So as far as you can remember you had a
  meeting prior to starting here?
• P9 I had quite an intricate support network
  around me.
• I So that would have been in the summer and
  would that be last summer, 06?
• P9 Yeah
• I So what do you remember, you had a meeting and
  that was specifically to discuss what support was
  needed?
• P9 I had a few, meeting with tutors as well to
  try and sort out my timetable, scribes and those
  sorts of things.
• I So when you arrived was all your support in
  place?
• P9 Yeah.

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• I And was support for you put in place, did you
  get a Learning Contract before you started or
  after you started?
• P8 It was after Id started.
• I Yes, do you know how long after?
• P8 It was, let me think Ive got my Learning
  Contract, it should have a date on it. Takes
  Learning Contract out of his bag. Its the
  11/1/07. So thats the time by which it was
  finalized. Because I needed to have my
  assessment of need. Id had my psychological
  test but I havent had my assessment of need.
• I And was that done after youd actually
  started?
• P8 Yes, and there was quite a waiting list as
  well so And that was it really. I just had to
  wait so thats why it took to January. And then
  with regards to my equipment for dyslexia that
  was I think, March, beginning of March before all
  that was sorted out.

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Completion of LC in relation to the student
starting their course (Questionnaire)
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Disclosing disability (Interview)

• I So how do you feel about declaring your
  disability? Do you find it easy to say that
  youre dyslexic?
• P8 Oh yes, definitely. I dont find that I have
  a problem with that at all whatsoever, because I
  find that most people are very understanding
  about. Occasionally you come into contact with
  people who are not but thats really far between.
  But in the university setting in general most
  people are really understanding

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• P1 Through doing college and the access course I
  never disclosed that I had a disability, simply
  because I had this idea, I didnt want people to
  feel there was something not right about me and
  to be tret a different way. I know if sounds
  like Im a bit prejudiced towards disabled
  people, in that sense, do you know what I mean?
• And later on in the same interview
• P1 even initially I thought it might prejudice
  me getting a place at university. I actually
  phoned someone to check on it, saying Should I
  bother applying if Ive got such and such? She
  said they couldnt refuse me a place because of
  it.

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Level of Distress at Disclosure(Questionnaire)
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Resources (Interview)

• P8 Things have improved dramatically since I
  received my equipment. Its amazing the
  difference really. You know its unbelievable.
  Its the equipment that really helped a lot.
• P2 X also recommended some software to be
  installed on my PC called Inspiration and she
  said some students use Inspiration to organize
  their work over the week. It can sort out which
  work needs to be handed in earlier than others
  and it really helps.

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• P9 so I book the taxi to take me to university
  and one to take me back and so if someone from
  university asked me to go somewhere or do
  something theres no way I could go back on what
  Im doing in that sort of time with the taxi.
  Theres also the care worker whos booked for a
  specific time, so I kind of dont get much
  flexibility.
• I So in a way the academic thing, being at the
  lecture 9 o clock till 11, thats fine because
  thats booked but if you want to stay to talk to
  people that becomes problematic because youve
  got to book the taxi before you arrive. So
  having a social life becomes harder?
• P Yeah.
• And later in the interview
• P9 But students arent that regulated they wont
  say, right we are doing this now, so I can book,
  itll be that they decide on the spot.

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• And in relation to socializing in the evenings
• P9 The Christian movement, they meet on a
  Thursday night at the tea cups, the Students
  Union, but if my parents can't give me a lift I
  can't get there or if I don't have a carer
  booked.
• I So if you want to come in for Christian Union
  on a Thursday night you have to arrange
  transport?
• P9 Which I have to pay for, because it's not a
  timetabled thing. There's loads of social
  opportunities, which are very difficult to get to
  and even then I'd have to pay 30 quid for a taxi
  or get my parents to give me a lift.
• I And also its not just paying for your taxi,
  you've also got to have the support there and
  you've got to pay out of your own pocket?
• P9 Because at the moment I'm under the care of
  the agency, so they are not just sorting me out,
  they have various other clients so theyre going
  to come and chuck me in bed at a night time, they
  like the same time, and so if my parents aren't
  around that's my last chance to get in bed. I
  know I've got to be back at a certain time

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Adequacy of support comparison between FE HE
(rating scale 1 highly adequate, 4 not at all
adequate)
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Project Conclusions and Recommendations

• student autonomy
• training for staff in promoting student autonomy
• Open Days and induction events
• UCAS application form

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Discussion Issues with Sample

• Small sample size
• Diversity of group are experiences attributable
  to disability or other factors?
• Difficulties in generalising findings

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Issues with interviews

• Shift from focus groups to interviews
• Students difficulties in recalling their
  experiences
• Student focus on LC/disability rather than
  general experience of HE

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Issues with Questionnaires

• Able to test for patterns and trends
• Difficulty in categorising responses
• Relationships between students and individual
  members of staff how to interpret
• Omission of specific reference to autonomy
  problematic?

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Student Workers

• Timing of project in relation to summer break and
  refer/defer assessments
• Paid work and claiming disability allowance
• Issues of confidentiality
• Anxiety of working on a real project

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Final Conclusions

• scope for use of different methodologies
• focus on specific disabilities e.g. mental health
• consider whole diversity agenda
• inclusion of control groups
• need for national research