Designing for inclusion and the role of the disability

practitioner

Caroline Davies and Tina ElliottIMPACT Associates Eileen Laycock, Disability ManagerUniversity of Westminster

June 2010

We will be looking at…

• What are competence standards?• Setting inclusive learning outcomes and

assessment criteria• University of Westminster ICDS project

– using project resources to support inclusive practices

• How disability officers can work with academic colleagues to promote inclusion

Competence standards

• Pre-set ‘Competence Standards’ replace the ‘academic standards’ justification for discriminating against disabled students (DDA, 2006)

• What are competence standards?• Will this be changed by the Equality

Act?

Setting standards

In HE, standards are traditionally applied:• for selecting applicants at admission• when learning outcomes are set• for assessment criteria and marking• when ranking students for the

conferment of awards

How does this apply to setting competence standards?

A competence standard is...

“an academic, medical or other standard applied by or on behalf of an education provider for the purpose of determining whether a person has a particular level of competence or ability”

(DDA, Part 4 Code of Practice, 2006)

5 key characteristics

1. They apply to individual courses, not whole subject areas

2. They apply equally to all students not just disabled students

3. They are set by the University/ individual Schools, and sometimes by professional bodies

4. They must not directly discriminate against disabled people

5. They must be a “proportionate” way of achieving a “legitimate aim”

Making reasonable adjustments

There is no duty to make reasonable adjustments to a standard which is defined as a competence standard.

However...

Universities do have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to the process of demonstrating that a disabled student or applicant is able to meet a CS.

• When might a discriminatory competence standard be justifiable?

• Avoiding discrimination bysystematic review – the University of

Edinburgh’s 5 step testtransparency - publishing and publicising

key course competence standards in major documents

Discrimination and competence standards

• Will competence standards still apply?• ECU advice is that competence

standards are included in the Act and the position remains consistent with the DDA

• Discrimination provisions and the ‘content of the curriculum’ exemption

• Code of Practice due, January 2011

Implications of the Equality Act 2010

• Learning outcomes • Teaching and learning methods and • Assessment criteria

Three key elements of course design

• What are learning outcomes?• Learning outcomes – the core elements• Deciding what is core

Learning outcomes

• What is the pedagogical purpose of a requirement, how does it achieve that purpose and are there other more accessible ways of achieving this?  • Is there any negative impact of the learning outcome on

disabled students? • Would the learning outcome be substantially changed if

a particular requirement were removed or substituted? • Have changing circumstances, practices or technology

made a previous requirement in a learning outcome redundant?

Key questions for inclusivelearning outcomes

1. At the end of this module the successful student will be expected to be able to make a persuasive fluent oral presentation.

2. At the end of this module the successful student will be expected to be able to access major data sources including published statistics, government surveys, on-line and CD Rom databases, and the Internet

Example learning outcomes

The ICDS project was a three-year TQEF funded programme at the University of Westminster

Aim: to develop and embed university-wide approaches to inclusive curriculum design and delivery to support disabled students’ learning

Inclusive Curriculum for Disabled Students project

• Supporting staff to develop inclusive curriculum design and learning and teaching practices

• Involving staff and disabled students in identifying good practice and barriers

• Reviewing approaches to inclusion within curriculum validation and review

• Promoting inclusive approaches that are embedded in mainstream processes and practices

Objectives

• A series of focus groups with staff and disabled students

• A set of Learning & Teaching Guides• Staff and student Case Studies• Four key Briefings• Dissemination activities• Strategies for course validation & review• A comprehensive website of resources www.westminster.ac.uk/study/disability-services/

inclusive-curriculum-for-disabled-students

Key achievements

• Good practice statements with quotes from staff and disabled students

• 13 Learning & Teaching Guides covering: Barriers to learning for disabled students Recruitment, admission and induction Lectures, seminars and tutorials Practical-based learning Placements and off-campus learning Learning and teaching resources Assessment Validation and review, monitoring and feedback Research programmes Personal tutoring

Learning & Teaching Guides

• 9 case studies – 7 from disabled students and 2 from staff

• Covering different learning and teaching scenarios and students with a range of impairments

• Identifying barriers and looking at ways of overcoming them

• Identifying transferable inclusive practice

Case Studies

4 Briefings produced to complement the Learning & Teaching Guides covering the following topics:•Competence Standards•Writing Inclusive Learning Outcomes and Course Descriptions•Inclusive Employability Curriculum: Key Issues•Guidance on Validation

Briefings

Aim was to promote awareness of the resources and how they could be used to support inclusion

•High profile Launch event

•School-based meetings

•Seminars for key staff, e.g. Learning and Teaching Coordinators, Disability Tutors

•For all academic staff: input at Learning & Teaching Symposia at each project stage

Using project resources to support inclusive design

• Work with School Disability Tutors to support validation panels on some targeted courses that are coming up for revalidation

• Set up a series of lunchtime “Question Time” sessions

• Weave into all staff development workshops the issues of inclusive design and competence standards. This is often at the root of many of the barriers faced by disabled students

Future ICDS plans

Benefits of Competence StandardsIf set and implemented appropriately they: • help prevent discrimination• clarify expectations and outcomes

related to specific courses• help staff make consistent decisions• help disabled applicants choose a

course where they can meet standards• help all students to understand what is

expected of them

What disability officers can do to promote inclusion

• informing, influencing, collaborating• finding allies and champions• opportunities and threats• identifying target audiences• using a variety of means validation and review activities learning and teaching events procedural documents

• keeping inclusion on the agenda

Useful resources

ICDS web site

Two articles ‘Designing for Inclusion’ from the Skill Journal, vol 95 2009 www.impact-associates.co.uk/publications.html

University of Edinburgh - 5 step test

ECU Briefing on the Equality Act www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/equality-act-2010