Advance HE is to work with the Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education (TASO) on a project to map the types of transition support and reasonable adjustments currently in place to support disabled students in the HE sector. The work will include exploring evidence of how effective these interventions are in supporting the needs of the students.
Advance HE will lead a sector consultation, including a survey to “capture the implementation and impact of reasonable adjustments and interventions in place to support disabled student transition to HE”; and a series of focus groups with staff and students to explore the issues in more detail.
Amanda Aldercotte, Head of Knowledge and Research at Advance HE said: “Recognising and supporting inclusive excellence in higher education is our shared mission, and the collaboration between Advance HE and TASO underscores the importance of working together to map the paths of disabled students’ experiences and highlight equitable, empowering, and transformative provision where possible and identify areas where we can continue to improve.”
Dr Helen Lawson, Research Manager at TASO said: “I am delighted to be working with Advance HE to research this key area of support for disabled students. The existing evidence suggests that transition support can be effective for enabling disability inclusion, but this evidence, particularly Type 3 research, was often based on experiences in the US. This project will shed light on how transition support is provided in the UK, which reasonable adjustments are most common, and how far students feel adjustments ensure their equal participation and inclusion in HE.”
In a separate partnership with the TASO, announced in October, Advance HE is working with Staffordshire University and six higher education providers on a project that aims to tackle the ethnicity degree awarding gap.