This project is organised through the University of Wolverhampton's School of Education where a substantial amount of research has been carried out and builds on the research already undertaken on disabled people’s experiences of HE (Holloway, 2001 Inter alia) and the measures to address disadvantage within institutions (Bolt, 2004 inter alia). Much less is known about the fears, preconceptions and expectations of disabled people who might consider entry to HE, but are discouraged by those concerns.
This project will report on the issues that prospective disabled HE applicants consider discourage their application to HE, with an analysis recommending specific strategies to remove actual barriers and counter misconceptions in the target group.
The report will address two issues:
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It will attempt to alleviate or remove barriers that disabled students are actually experiencing in this institution.
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It will provide prospective disabled students with a realistic insight into disabled experiences in HE which will empower them to organise their support requirements more effectively if they decide to apply for an HE place.
Utilisation of a number of our existing partnerships with local stakeholders in HE, for example, Advantage West Midlands, Local Authorities, LEARN networks and franchised Further Education colleges. We are in negotiation with disabled students’ organisation SKILL, Connexions and Local Authority inclusion to advise and facilitate us with access to groups of disabled people not yet in HE.
Upon completion of the first six months of this project, a report "Enabling Higher Education - Disabled Students in the West Midlands, their preconceptions and actual experiences of University" undertaken by Project Team members has been compiled.
To access a copy of this report click the downloadable icon below.