UCD gets chair for studies in disability

UCD is to become the first university in the State to establish a chair of of disability studies. The lack of research into disability issues here is of serious concern - and as a result, the development of public policy in this area has been slow and unco-ordinated. "The core difficulty in developing policy has been the absence of empirical research to inform developments," says Caroline McGrath, executive director of AHEAD (Association for Higher Education Access and Disability). The new chair, she says, will provide a focus for research that will support and lead policy development. The new professor (yet to be appointed) will also raise the issue of disability in UCD and in other third-level institutions. In UCD, meanwhile, the professor will be expected to teach on disability, prepare modules for courses across all faculties and promote university exam questions on disability issues. According to the National Disability Authority (NDA), which is funding the chair, disability awareness is necessary in all college faculties. In architecture or engineering - which also include design - an awareness of disability needs is essential. Similarly, disability rights should become a major subject in legal studies, the NDA says.

A recent survey of students with disabilities in higher education showed a small but significant increase in the number of students with disabilities entering college. The survey, which was commissioned by the HEA and undertaken by AHEAD, revealed that in 1998-99 some 850 students with disabilities were participating in full-time higher education. The range of disabilities includes blindness, deafness, physical disability and specific learning difficulties. A further 517 students are shown to suffer from epilepsy, diabetes, asthma or ME.

However, these figures are incomplete. The figures quoted are based on college returns. Some students avoid reporting their disabilities. In the ITs, the total number of students with disabilities is based on the students registered with the college health service, so it includes students with a range of conditions including epilepsy, diabetes, asthma and ME. In the universities, however, figures come from disability officers and rarely include figures for students with other conditions. Some 329 students with disabilities entered higher education in the academic year 1998-99, according to the survey. The percentage of students with disabilities in the university sector is slightly higher than in the IT sector. In terms of disability, boys are more likely than girls to go to university. Two-third of students with disabilities are male. At postgraduate level, though, the participation rates of male and female students are almost the same. Almost half (48 per cent) of the students with disabilities in the higher education sector have specific learning difficulties. These are followed by students with physical disabilities (14 per cent) and students with visual impairments (7 per cent). Deaf students account for only 2 per cent of the group.

Three-quarters of the physically disabled group are studying in the university sector, while just under a quarter are enrolled in ITs. There's evidence to show that students with certain disabilities tend to cluster in certain disciplines. The most popular courses for students with disabilities are arts, business, economic and social studies, followed by engineering, science art and design. "The survey gives us a feel for where students are studying across institutions and faculties," says Caroline McGrath. "Our focus is to ensure that students have equality of access in every faculty. We need to understand the factors impacting on this."

However, she notes that students with disabilities account for less than 1 per cent of the total undergraduate population. "Based on figures in Britain and Europe, we would expect students with disabilities to account for up to 3 per cent of the student body in third-level institutions," she says.

This HEA survey is part of a fuller report which will be published shortly. It will, the HEA promises, provide a comprehensive review of the policy and provision for students with disabilities across higher education institutions, including the accessibility of buildings, exam and admissions policy, and support services. Funding remains the core issue for students with disabilities entering higher education, McGrath notes. "Students need to be confident that they can access the specific supports they need to continue in higher education," she says. "If students need speech and language interpreters, for example, they need to know on day one that they have adequate funding to pay for this.

"Students can apply for funding under the Department of Education and Science's Special Fund, but they have no automatic entitlement to such funding." Last year, she says, students applying to the fund weren't advised that they would get funding until Christmas.

Students need to be confident that they can access specific supports