Disabled Students UK Launches the First University Performance Evaluation on Disability Inclusion
29/11/2023Progress and Stubborn Barriers in the Inclusion of Disabled Students
Disabled Students UK is delighted to conclude Disability History Month with the release of the 2024 Access Insights Report. The second year of the Annual Disabled Student Survey offers the first step in comparative data, providing the Higher Education sector with valuable benchmarking information from which it can work towards equity for Disabled Students. This year’s results reveal areas of clear progress as well as stubborn barriers.
The 2024 Access Insights Report indicates that the sector has improved by lessening the evidence burden on students to provide extensive documentation in order to access support, building on progress that happened during the pandemic lockdowns. The report also showcases areas where the sector can learn from good practice within specific institutions such as London South Bank University.
In 2024 our disabled student respondents:
- Feel more knowledgeable about support
- Find the evidencing required to receive support less burdensome
- Are more likely to have the issues they raise resolved
At the same time, the sector-wide picture that only 38% of declared disabled students have the support they need is a stark reminder of the progress the Higher Education sector needs to make in order for disabled students to reach equity in their education.
2024 has been shaped by the Abrahart v University of Bristol judgements. As disabled students and graduates, one of the most disappointing findings for us this year is the lack of improvement with regards to accessible assessments. After five years of the Abrahart v University of Bristol legal battle, almost half of disabled students who responded to our survey still report having received a lower mark on their course due to an assessment being inaccessible to them.
We have been proud to work with Snowdon Trust and our University Members on this research, who by raising the voices of disabled students, have produced data which was sorely missing in the sector. The Access Insights project is only a reality because of the time and effort disabled students take to fill in our survey. We are above all grateful to their contributions and committed to making sure their voices are heard. Their message to their institutions is clear: “please listen!” We have highlighted this message in this year’s report in what we have titled, ‘The Wall of Listen’, full of student quotes:
”Be proactive not reactive […]Ask questions, listen to the answers and act on these”
We hope that this report is not only read and reflected on widely, but that more of the sector joins us and the collective voices of disabled students to enact change. We believe in the insight of disabled students has the power to enable positive change not only for our own equity but for the good of academia as a whole.
What you can do next
- Read the report in full
- Share the results on our Access Insights website
- Sign up to our newsletter to be notified when it’s time to distribute the 2025 survey in the new year
- Consider whether your institution would benefit from becoming an Access Insights Member
Interested in learning more?
In January we are hosting two webinars, one for staff and one for students, to support you in using the key lessons of the 2024 Annual Disabled Student Survey to improve the experience of disabled students.
