Disabled Students UK Launches the First University Performance Evaluation on Disability Inclusion

The results of the first Annual Disabled Student Survey are here!

The launch of the Annual Disabled Student Survey data this Disability History Month is a very exciting step forward for our disabled students. We have achieved something that was only a dream three years ago: a central resource enabling students and staff to compare how different universities perform on the Annual Disabled Student Survey. 

21% of UCAS applicants now declare a disability (UCAS, 2023). This new resource, built on the insight of disabled students as lived-experience experts, can be utilised to better the Disabled Student Experience. 

By looking at this comparison tool, you can find core areas of success and improvement at your institution. Find out how your institution compares on our Access Insights website.

Our aim is for our disabled students to have the same experience as their non-disabled peers. These core principles provide the framework for how this could come to be:

1. Universal Design
2. An Inclusive Culture
3. A barrier-free path to support
4. Sufficient Adjustments
5. Somewhere to Turn
6. Equal Opportunities

The results in each of these areas highlight the areas for improvement and celebration. For each of these principles we have also set 10-year goals, which highlight what we want all UK Higher Education providers to strive for. We provide aspirational targets for where the disabled student experience really should and could be in 2033.

Comparison and goals are not enough, we also need to see a path forward. The positive policies section of the website highlights how it’s possible for universities to achieve 85% of their disabled students feeling that they have enough support using a simple three-step process:

1. Giving students core information around different types of adjustments
2. Approving the adjustments that students request
3. Implementing agreed adjustments

Member institutions of Access Insights receive support to understand and improve their disabled student experience, including a university specific report of their survey results. Encourage your institution to become an Access Insights Member today.

By Alice Lundy | Access Insights Consultant 

29th November 2023