Agenda and Papers - University of Edinburgh

Teachability Task Group
QAA Code of Practice Precepts
Appendix 1
Precept Area Comment
GaSP
General Principles:
1.The educational disadvantage and
exclusion faced by many disabled people is
not an inevitable result of their impairments
or health conditions, but arise from social,
attitudinal and environmental barriers.
Institutions ensure that in all their policies,
procedures and activities, including strategic
planning and resource allocation,
consideration is given to the removal of
such barriers in order to enable disabled
students to participate in all aspects of the
academic and social life of the institution
1 The educational disadvantage and exclusion faced by many disabled people is not an inevitable result of their
impairments or health conditions, but arise from social, attitudinal and environmental barriers. Institutions
ensure that in all their policies, procedures and activities, including strategic planning and resource allocation,
consideration is given to the removal of such barriers in order to enable disabled students to participate in all
aspects of the academic and social life of the institution.
The University's Strategic Plan 2008-12 is structured around 3 goals and 3 enablers, which are underpinned by
6 strategic themes: one of these themes I Promoting equality, diversity, sustainability and social responsibility.
The aim for this theme is 'To embed equality, diversity, sustainability and social responsibility as fundamental
principles, and assist all staff and students to realise their full potential'. Our commitment to our Strategic Plan
is collective and democratic: the entire University is responsible for its delivery and achievement. All areas of
the University produce planning documents and, where relevant, policy documents. When developing plans,
cross-cutting strategies and policy documents, colleagues are asked to ensure that these align with and underpin
the University’s Strategic Plan, as the Strategic Plan 2008-12 sets out the University’s direction for the life of
the Plan. Further information is available from http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/governance-strategicplanning/strategic-planning.
Institutional & strategic management :
2. Senior managers, including those at the
highest levels, lead their institution's
development of inclusive policy and
practice in relation to the enhancement of
disabled students' experience across the
institution.
Disability office
VP Equality &
Diversity
Systems are in place to encourage and implement anticipatory adjustments, but there continue to be occasions
where these are not implemented and some disabled students continue to be discriminated against. There is a
lack of buy-in on some courses and inconsistency of practice in supporting disabled students. The Disability
Office is working with individual Schools to improve practice.
The University has produced and adopted a Disability Equality Scheme and Plan and produces an annual report
on the Scheme. (From April 2011 the University will be producing a Single Equality Scheme in line with the
Equality Act 2010). See http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/disability-office/legislation/disabilityequality-scheme/des-2009
Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation:
3. Information is collected by institutions on
disclosure of impairments and is used
appropriately to monitor the applications,
admissions and academic progress of
disabled students.
Disability office
Disability office
The University has a range of planning and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. The Disability Office
carries out and publishes an annual evaluation of the service here, which also contains information on whether
or not students' adjustments have been implemented. We also carry out additional monitoring exercises on
issues such as on students' satisfaction levels with their Support Assistants. See link to last evaluation:
http://www.ed.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.50263!fileManager/Disability_Office_Evaluation_Report_2009-10.pdf
See point 3. other systems which I can comment on are the Equality and Diversity Committee and local E and
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