Scottish
Disability
Team
Here are all our news items, ordered by date:
From Learning to Earning: A conference for staff working with disabled students moving on from education to employment.
The conference will take place on Wednesday 11th June 2008, Glasgow Caledonian University, 9.30 am - 4 pm. This conference will focus on issues relating to disabled students' transition from college or university to employment. It will be relevant for all staff working with disabled students in colleges, universities and careers services, as well as employers and training providers. The conference is also likely to be of interest to voluntary sector organisations involved in education/employment and disability issues. To register your initial interest and receive more details and a booking form, please email admin@skillscotland.org.uk with the title 'Employment conference' in the subject bar.
Pam Brown, 18 Apr 2008.
The Scottish Funding Council have announced the main grants in support of teaching and research in higher education institutions for academic year 2008-09.
For more information please go to: http://www.sfc.ac.uk/information/info_circulars/sfc/2008/sfc1008/sfc1008.html
Pam Brown, 21 Mar 2008.
Equality Forward, Scotland's body supporting colleges and universities with their equality work, has today published new research exploring the dilemmas of college and university staff who may have a disability.
The research has gathered anonymous opinion and experience from almost 700 disabled and non-disabled staff about what would make disclosing a disability easier. For further information on this research and copies of the reports, please go to: http://www.equalityforwardscotland.ac.uk/resources/research/disability_disclosure.
Pam Brown, 14 Feb 2008.
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning has today announced an increase to the NMPH threshold element within the DSA.
For more information, a news release provides more information about the announcement. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2007/11/09114514
Pam Brown, 13 Nov 2007.
A joint conference is being run by the Scottish Disability Team, Equality Forward and Skill Scotland on Tuesday 4th December at West Park Centre Dundee.
The day includes Keynote speeches on "The Future Direction of Equalities Work in Scotland's colleges and HEIs", "Fundamentals of the DED and the promotion of disability equality" and Workshops on "Elimination of harassment and discrimination", "Promoting positive attitudes to Disabled People", "How was it for you? A catch up on the DED" and more. If you are interested in attending please go to the following link for a copy of the booking form. Remember this form must be returned to annelouise@skillscotland.org.uk. http://www.sdt.ac.uk/resources/DEDconfbookingformdec07.doc
Pam Brown, 13 Nov 2007.
The interim report of the Commission was launched in September 2007 and it is out to consultation until 7 December 2007.
This Commission, co-ordinated by NIACE, aims to investigate and report on current practices in the employment of disabled people in order to make recommendations that positively influence culture and practice and promote career opportunities for disabled people. For more information on the Commission and the interim report please go to: http://www.niace.org.uk/projects/commissionfordisabledstaff
Pam Brown, 22 Oct 2007.
The DRC have launched the Final Report of the Fitness Standards for Nursing, Teaching and Social Work.
This Report can be found at http://www.drc-gb.org/maintainingstandards/
Pam Brown, 21 Sep 2007.
The DRC have recently produced a publication entitled "Understanding the Disability Discrimination Act - A guide for colleges, universities and adult community learning providers in Great Britain".
For more information on how to obtain a copy please go to http://www.drc-gb.org/newsroom/notice_board/2007/new_post-16_education_guidance.aspx#new_guidance Remember the DRC will no longer exist after the end of September this year so you will need to order your copy of the Guidance ASAP!
Pam Brown, 28 Aug 2007.
An online version of a video recorded and subtitled version of the JISC Legal "Accessibility Law" Webcast is now available.
This is an intensive session of presentations and questions and answers on the legal issues of accessibility in the development and delivery of e-learning materials and access to online content. To view this webcast please go to http://www.jisclegal.ac.uk/Webcast/accesswebcast.html
Pam Brown, 2 Aug 2007.
The DRC Code of Practice for the Post-16 Education sector has been updated and a revised version published according to changes to the law (under the Disability Discrimination Act) last September. To view this new guidance please go to http://www.drc.org.uk/library/publications/education/code_of_practice_post_16.aspx
Pam Brown, 11 Jul 2007.
The SDT publishes a report on the implications of the new Disability Equality Duty on provision of ICT in Post-16 Education.
Jointly produced by the Scottish Disability Team and the Digital Media Access Group, the report looks in-depth at how ICT provision may be affected by the requirements of the Disability Equality Duty. The report is available online, or in downloadable format, from http://www.sdt.ac.uk/ded_ict.asp.
Pam Brown, 12 May 2006.
The SDT publishes a briefing for Heads of Institutions on the new duties to promote Disability Equality.
The briefing was jointly produced by Skill, ECU, DRC and the SDT. It outlines what the new duties of the DDA mean for senior managers in HEIs. This document is available at: http://www.skill.org.uk/shared/word//DED_VC_guidance_final.doc
Pam Brown, 20 Apr 2006.
From Monday 10 April 2006 the Scottish Disability Team have new telephone and fax numbers.
You can contact us on these new numbers - telephone: (01382) 385498 or fax: (01382) 385518. Please update your contact details!
Pam Brown, 13 Apr 2006.
The Scottish Funding Council has produced a self-evaluation toolkit to assist insitutions to plan ahead and prepare for the Disability Equality Duty under the DDA 2005, which comes into force on 4 December 2006. To read this document please go to: http://www.sfc.ac.uk/library/06854fc203db2fbd000001082e659bc0/.
Pam Brown, 13 Feb 2006.
The purpose of this Guide is to provide brief, practical guidance on conducting Impact Assessments in advance of the implementation of the Disabilility Discrimination Act 2005 in December 2006. It is hoped that this Guide will be useful to both Disability Co-ordinators/Advisers and to other staff in HEIs and Colleges with responsibility for strategy planning and service delivery. Disability Impact Assessments - A Brief Guide (MS Word document)
Pam Brown, 21 Dec 2005.
In the final year of funding for the Teachability Project, SFC has asked the Teachability Team to devise a programme of activity that will prepare key staff to support others in their institution in using Teachability. HEI's are invited to nominate up to four staff to take part in this programme. For further information please go to http://www.teachability.strath.ac.uk/workshops.html
Pam Brown, 6 Dec 2005.
Continuing SFC funding has supported the production of a further Teachability booklet, 'Designing accessible courses and programmes of study for disabled students' This booklet is now ready for dissemination via a series of workshops. For more information please go to http://www.teachability.strath.ac.uk/workshops.html
Pam Brown, 15 Aug 2005.
The SDT announces the launch of a Resource Pack for Departmental Disability Contacts.
The aim of the Pack is to assist individuals in defining their roles and responsibilities and to give an insight into some of the issues which might arise, including disclosure, accessibility of the curriculum and legal obligations. To view the Pack please go to http://www.sdt.ac.uk/training.asp?stakeid=14
Pam Brown, 7 Jun 2005.
The NDT and TechDis have produced a new, easy to use guide for event organisers which will support the planning, organising, publicising and running of events. The quick reference information is designed to support you in meeeting your obligations under Part 3 of the DDA as it highlights how events, and associated documents, can be designed to be accessible and include disabled people. To access this guide via the NDT Resource Directory please go to http://www.natdisteam.ac.uk/resources.html
Pam Brown, 19 May 2005.
The SDT has produced briefing notes on aspects of the Freedom of Information Act which are specifically relevant to disability-related issues. They are primarily aimed at staff who have responsibility for Freedom of Information compliance in colleges and universities and assume wider knowledge of the Act itself. To access these notes please go to http://www.sdt.ac.uk/resources/FoIguidancewebsiteversionFeb05.doc
Pam Brown, 8 Feb 2005.
A new report produced jointly by the SDT and the National Disability Team can help you to consider if the practice, policy and procedures at your insitution are inclusive for disabled students.
"Reviewing provision and building capacity for disabled students: a summary of tools and audit processes" provides factual information about a range of audit tools and processes that focus on learning and teaching, and/or central Higher Education sevices. This report addresses the scope of each tool or process,how it can be used (with practical examples from HE institutions), and signposts to further information. http://www.sdt.ac.uk/training.asp?stakeid=1
Pam Brown, 18 Jan 2005.
The Equality Challenge Unit has published a Briefing Paper in which it provides guidance on the new public-sector duty on disability,namely to promote equality. The paper, entitled 'Promoting Equality. The public sector duty on disability: suggested first steps for HEIs', outlines the rationale behind the duty and offers guidance on how HEIs can prepare to meet it. It is available from their website on http://www.ecu.ac.uk/publications
Pam Brown, 17 Jan 2005.
TechDis have launched their new-look website.
The new look TechDis website now has even more information about the way that technology can support the inclusion of disabled people in education. TechDis is a Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) funded service. The team aim to enhance provision for disabled students and staff in HE, FE, specialist, and adult and community learning through the use of technology. The TechDis website holds news, events, and a range of resources; including a searchable Technology Database which contains information about technology and disability related resources and products. SOURCE: TechDis http://www.techdis.ac.uk
Pam Brown, 13 Jan 2005.
The Scottish Disability Team have co-ordinated and produced a response to the Consultation "Delivering equality for disabled people" from the Higher Education Disability Co-ordinators/Advisors National Network. To view this response please go to http://www.sdt.ac.uk/resources/NNresponsetodeliveringequalityOct04.doc
Pam Brown, 25 Oct 2004.
Skill Scotland has started an e-news service for disabled students featuring articles written by students about their experiences in college/university. Please go to http://www.skill.org.uk/scotland/enews.asp
Pam Brown, 22 Oct 2004.
in which it gives details of how the Disability Bill will extend the DDA to include functions of public authorities and how it will introduce a duty to promote equality for disabled people.
The consultation period is until 21 October. The Scottish Disability Team will be responding on behalf of the National Network of Disability Advisors in Scotland. Other interested parties can respond directly as indicated in the document. The consultation document can be found at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/dwp/2004/equality/
Pam Brown, 19 Aug 2004.
We have nearly reached the mid point of 2004 and how quickly the time has gone by with the Team being so busy. We started off the year with three Accessible Exams and Assessments Seminars being held in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow. These were very successful and well attended. In fact, we had to organise an extra one at the beginning of May to accommodate the people who were unable to book on to the first series. We have also held a National Network for Disability Advisors where we had presentations from the DRC and SHEFC. In partnership with the National Disability Team, Equality Challenge Unit and Universities UK we organised a Senior Managers Seminar at the University of Glasgow on 4 June, which was one of a series of five being held throughout the UK. Lucy and Paul have been in demand as always to attend meetings and give presentations at various events and conferences. They also sit on the newly formed Disabled Student Stakeholder Group at the Scottish Executive and on the Disability Advisory Group at the Funding Councils. By the end of June we hope to have distributed our latest leaflet, "Briefing Notes: Disability disclosure, confidentiality and evidence in a Higher Education context" which we will follow up with more detailed guidance on our Website.
Pam Brown, 11 Jun 2004.
The Final Draft Codes of Practice on Employment and Occupation and for Trade Organisations and Qualifications Bodies are available on the DRC Website at http://www.drc-gb.org/thelaw/practice.asp These have now been laid before parliament and are intended to represent the legal position after 1 October 2004
Pam Brown, 31 May 2004.
The National Disability Team have collected some Frequently Asked Questions by Higher Education Institutions on the DDA Part IV. They're available at http://www.natdisteam.ac.uk/Helpdesk_newFAQs.html.
Pam Brown, 22 Mar 2004.
As always the team is busy and we have a hectic diary for the next couple of months. Our activities include presentations at in-house conferences in several Universities and at the LTSN conference on Widening Participation. We are also involved in discussions hosted by the Scottish Executive as part of their Funding for Learners Review. With three regional "Accessible Exams and Assessments for Disabled Students" seminars also lined up during the first three weeks of February, it looks like we will have an active start to 2004.
Pam Brown, 9 Jan 2004.
We have a calendar of training and awareness events in place and we also plan to produce guidance on matters relating to evidence of disability, confidentiality and disclosure issues and speak and run workshops at other organisations’ events.
Pam Brown, 19 Sep 2003.
It has been confirmed that the SHEFC funding for the Scottish Disability Team has been extended to July 2005.
As the team reaches the end of its first year this summer, it will be reflecting on the progress so far and planning further training sessions and other activities for the sector. This will be led by a training and information needs analysis which will be delivered to SHEFC by the end of the summer. If you have any views to contribute or suggestions for future events, please contact the Scottish Disability Team on 01382 345498.
Lucy Foley, 10 Jun 2003.
From September 2003, the reasonable adjustments which educational bodies will be expected to make is extended to include the provision of auxiliary aids and services. In order to assist higher education institutions in meeting this new duty, the Scottish Disability Team have produced guidance notes on the provision of auxiliary aids and services in a higher education context. It is expected that these notes will be of use to staff with financial and resource planning responsibilities, as well as academic staff and Disability Co-ordinators/Advisers. Several copies have been sent to each Higher Education Institution in Scotland; the Guidance Notes are also now available on the SDT web site: Auxiliary Aids and Services - Guidance Notes.
Lucy Foley, 10 Jun 2003.
Proposed amendments to the Disability Discrimination Act aim to improve the clarity and strength of the legislation. It is also intended that individuals who are not currently covered by the Act, receive protection. The proposed amendments to the legislation were out for consultation earlier this year. The consultation period is now over and further announcements are expected shortly.
Lucy Foley, 10 Jun 2003.