More than one in five UK applicants to higher education (HE) shared their disability in 2024, according to the latest figures from UCAS. This is an increase of 141% over the last decade, with much of it driven by students reporting a mental health condition.
Despite the growing number of individuals who are comfortable sharing their needs with their HE provider, educational outcomes continue to be worse than for non-disabled students. This is because many face additional challenges when they enter HE, including financial difficulties and lack of accessible course content.
It is the responsibility of all HE staff to create an inclusive environment in which students from diverse backgrounds can thrive. Yet from speaking to colleagues within Go Higher West Yorkshire’s (GHWY) 13 HE providers, it became clear that many lack the confidence to offer support to help disabled students overcome these barriers.
Understanding and supporting disabled students
To increase confidence and empower student-facing staff to support disabled individuals, GHWY has produced a free e-learning course that is underpinned by recommendations in the Access Insights Report 2023.
The course, which takes about 45 minutes to complete, offers practical tips on how HE staff can support disabled students. It also considers the challenges individuals may face, including financial difficulties and accessibility issues.
The fully accessible course uses the student voice throughout to illustrate many points. It also incorporates quizzes and scenarios to encourage active learning.
Topics covered in the course include understanding definitions of physical disability, mental disability, and neurodivergence; transition from further education (FE) to HE as a disabled student; and the impact of disability on HE access and success. It also includes a section designed specifically for teaching staff.
We know staff are time pressured, which is why the course can be completed in a non-linear fashion and over multiple sessions.
Access our Understanding and Supporting Disabled Students e-learning.
Benefits of taking the course
It is anticipated that staff who complete our course will feel more confident responding to requests for reasonable adjustments, such as deadline extensions, without having to consult with Disability Services. This will reduce the administrative burden on disabled students, as they will not have to repeat the same request to multiple teams, and speed up the implementation of support.
It is also hoped the e-learning will empower staff to implement certain adjustments that will alleviate workloads in Disability Services. Instead of fielding common requests, the Services will be able to focus on dealing with more complex enquiries. This will lead to a better service for disabled students which will, in turn, improve their wellbeing.
By increasing confidence and making staff realise that student support is everyone’s responsibility, we hope our e-learning will facilitate a better student experience and improve student wellbeing. This should help to create an inclusive environment in which disabled students can access and succeed in HE.
About GHWY
GHWY is a partnership of 13 HE providers in West Yorkshire that represent a huge range of higher education options, from universities and HE-in-FE provision, to a specialist training provider, and conservatoire.
We strive to help improve the life chances of students and learners, with a focus on under-represented groups, helping them better understand the benefits of, and options for HE, the available support, and all the various pathways to becoming a HE student.
Find out more about GHWY and access our resources.