Mainstreaming Adjustments

Sheila WilliamsDirector, Student Disability Service

Tina HarrisonAssistant Principal, Academic Standards and Quality Assurance

What is ‘mainstreaming’?

• Systematic consideration of the effects of teaching, learning and assessment on disadvantaged groups at the point of curriculum design.

• Equality is the goal; mainstreaming is the means to the goal.

• Mainstreaming ensures that equality considerations are ‘built-in’ not ‘bolted-on’

Why is it important?• The University’s Strategic Plan• The University’s Equality and Diversity

Strategy and Action Plan• Increasing diversity among the student

population• The Scottish Government’s Widening

Participation Agenda• The Equality Act (2010) and the Public

sector Equality Duty

The evidence for action• The proportion of students declaring a disability is rising

– See chart• The propensity to declare a disability is not equally distributed

– 3 times greater among creative arts students than business studies• The attainment gap between disabled and non-disabled

students is widest in Scotland• The number of adjustments recommended is rising

– 13,055 Teaching, Learning and Exam adjustments (Jan 2012)• Not all adjustments are being implemented

– 49% of disabled students reported receiving “all adjustments in all courses” in 2011/12; down from 61% in 2010/11.

• Appeals– Disabled students made up 18% of academic appeals in 2010-11

Numbers of disabled students attending the University

The University’s Accessible Learning Statement

“We aim to help students maximise their academic potential and get the most benefit

from their programme of study and university experience.

In line with our strategic goal of excellence in learning and teaching, we seek to enhance

the student experience by creating a learning and teaching environment, and culture, that

is dynamic, accessible and inclusive.”

What can we do?

• Mainstreaming the top three teaching and learning adjustments will reduce the number of adjustments by 50%

885Provide either outline OR PowerPoint presentation for lecture/seminar at least 24 hours in advance 21%

750Give permission to record lectures

18%

508Provide reading lists to be ordered by priority/relevance 12%

Questions for discussion

• Are you doing this already?– What has been your experience?

• Are there challenges to mainstreaming adjustments?– What are they– What can we do to overcome them?