Supporting Students with Disabilities - Guide for Academic Staff

Key Information: The Disability Discrimination Act (2005) makes it unlawful to discriminate against disabled people in education, and its definition of discrimination includes failure to make reasonable adjustment for a person’s disability. The University aims to identify and remove any barriers which exist for disabled people using University facilities and has produced a Guide for academic staff.

For whom: All staff engaging with students.

Summary: A Guide for academic staff has been produced to help ensure that the University meets its strategic and legal commitments to students with disabilities. All individuals working in the University have responsibilities under the Act to avoid and to challenge discrimination against disabled people. The Guide sets out the responsibilities of academic departments – heads of department or colleagues to whom specific aspects have been delegated. In summary, the responsibilities are:

• Ensuring departments know which of their students require adjustments to be made.
• Implementing approved adjustments.
• In a very small number of cases, developing personal emergency evacuation plans.

URL: The Guide may be found at: http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_190029_en.doc

Further information may be found on the pages of the Disability Service at http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/disability/

The Disability Discrimination Act (2005) may be found at: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/Acts/acts2005/ukpga_20050013_en_1

Date effective: Immediately

Policy no: N/A

Approved by: EdPSC, 5 November 2008

Noted by: Senate, 27 November 2008