Disabled students will play a leading role in new innovative research designed to ensure they receive equitable education and personal provision during their time at university.
The Addressing Disparity of Provision project has been developed in response to guidance from the Office for Students, which aims to ensure all disabled students feel their academic and personal support needs are equitably and appropriately catered for throughout their studies.
Running until February 2027, it aims to curate the first government set of student-led disability guidance including Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes for academic and support staff working in UK universities.
The project is being led by the University of Plymouth in partnership with the University of Wolverhampton the University of Birmingham, senior representatives from Disabled Students UK and Disability Rights UK, and an advisory panel including disability support and students’ union staff.
In addition to those organisations, the project will be co-led by disabled students currently studying at each of the three universities, ensuring their experience and knowledge are core elements feeding into the work.
They will share their expertise and lived experiences, and examples of inclusive and non-inclusive practice at their universities, in areas such as: campus accessibility, inclusive pedagogy, reasonable adjustments, peer and student services mentoring, degree placements, internship opportunities, accommodation, extracurricular activities, and accessible online student learning.
In conjunction with researchers and the advisory panel, they will consider how to replicate and embed effective practices to establish and sustain inclusive campuses right across the country.
The idea is to ensure all students with disabilities have the equitable right to attend, achieve and progress through a UK university degree, and can approach this journey in the confidence that they can easily identify, access and be provided with tailored equitable practices throughout their studies.
"This initiative is a crucial step in embedding student-led insights into concrete interventions,” said Mette Anwar-Westander, Chief Executive of Disabled Students UK.
“At Disabled Students UK we know that the most effective interventions are those grounded in the lived realities of disabled students, and we are proud to bring our expertise to this project.
“Through our consulting work with universities, non-profits, regulators, and researchers, we help ensure that policies and practices are not just well-intentioned, but truly effective. We look forward to supporting the participating institutions in implementing meaningful, lasting change."
Supported by a grant of around £180,000, the project is one of 11 awarded funding through the Office for Students’ Equality in Higher Education Innovation Fund, selected from almost 150 applications.
The funding aims to support the higher education sector in addressing sector-wide risks that may affect a student's opportunity to access, succeed in, and progress from higher education.
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