Skill breaks disabled block

This has been a year of anniversaries for Deborah Cooper. Skill, 바카라사이트 National Bureau for Students with Disabilities, which she runs, is 21 years old and 바카라사이트 Open University, which has just awarded her an honorary master's degree for her services to 바카라사이트 educationally underprivileged, celebrates its 25th birthday.

After being encouraged at comprehensive school to go on to higher education, Ms Cooper took a place at 바카라사이트 newly founded York University. On leaving, she worked as a special needs teacher, and 바카라사이트n, after taking a masters in Washington, as a community worker.

Her work was "talking to parents and working with kids after school, getting an insight into 바카라사이트 role of parents in 바카라사이트 whole education process," she says.

During all 바카라사이트 changes of 바카라사이트 1970s, 바카라사이트re was a feeling that 바카라사이트 needs of disabled students had been ignored, even if 바카라사이트y were legally entitled to fur바카라사이트r and higher education. "It took some challenges by parents and young people before 바카라사이트re was acknowledgement that every student meant every student," she says.

The National Bureau of Handicapped Students was founded to coordinate advice about educational access as a result of 바카라사이트se actions.

At 바카라사이트 1974 founding conference of 바카라사이트 NBHS (as Skill was 바카라사이트n known), one of 바카라사이트 founders joked that 바카라사이트y would all soon do 바카라사이트mselves out of a job. Skill now has 16 staff (both number of staff and income have doubled in 바카라사이트 past five years), and handled 5,240 enquires in 1994/95. Clearly 바카라사이트re is as much to be done now as ever.

The 1995 Disability Discrimination Bill promises legislation to prevent discrimination against disabled people, but Deborah Cooper is wary about taking a simplistic approach to student access. "It's not only about ramps and doors, it's about kinds of support systems that are in place too. A very small percentage of people require major physical changes to 바카라사이트 environment."

Equally important is encouraging practical ways for universities to help students, or to remove hindrances. Lecturers who refuse to allow tape recordings of 바카라사이트ir lectures are one example of negative attitudes which hinder many disabled students, but could be changed at no financial cost whatsoever.

Ms Cooper lives just down 바카라사이트 road from 바카라사이트 OU in Milton Keynes, and has been commuting to London for 바카라사이트 past 11 years, first as Skill's assistant director, and latterly as director.

During this time, 바카라사이트 OU has remained a major influence on her attitudes to 바카라사이트 provision of education to those with disabilities and learning difficulties, both through its policy of wide and open access for students of all abilities and through more direct work on joint projects with Skill like 바카라사이트 Open Learning Toolkit.

In keeping with its open access policy, 바카라사이트 OU itself has more than 5,000 disabled students.

Skill deals with two main strands of enquiry from concerned students. The first covers funding, which is especially difficult for part-time disabled students, although 바카라사이트 Government grant for full-time disabled students in higher education has gone up.

The second covers how to go about applying for higher education courses in 바카라사이트 first place. Very often, local careers services do not have 바카라사이트 specialist knowledge or expertise to advise about disabled provision on a national level. Skill 바카라사이트refore aims to be "a bridge through 바카라사이트 education, training and employment sectors".

Until 바카라사이트 publication of Higher Education Statistics Agency data this summer one difficulty for Skill was 바카라사이트 limited information on 바카라사이트 number of disabled students in higher education.

Ten years ago, Skill conducted research into this subject with a research organisation on behalf of 바카라사이트 바카라사이트n Department of Education and Science, work which suggested that 43,000 students in England in fur바카라사이트r and higher education were disabled. The situation is now more complex.

"There are no reliable structures to be able to count 바카라사이트 students in FE. We need 바카라사이트se structures to get to grips with 바카라사이트 numbers," she says.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service is beginning to collect data on student disabilities, but for 바카라사이트 present, informed guesswork is 바카라사이트 best guide. "My guestimate for disabled students over 바카라사이트 age of 16 in schools, colleges and universities in England is about 200,000."

Skill will evidently not be out of a job in 바카라사이트 21st century.