A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Enhancing academic and Practice

128 ❘
Teaching, supervising, learning
• coordination of the support available to students with disabilities, monitoring
institutional policy and compliance with legal requirements;
• administration of needs assessments (or making provision for assessment of needs
at a regional access centre) and administrative support for students claiming the
Disabled Students Allowance;
• a team of specialist tutors available to provide tutorial support – particularly for
students with specific learning difficulties (e.g. dyslexia);
• clearly understood and well-publicised referral by subject tutors;
• a systematic procedure for identifying students with disabilities at enrolment and
early diagnostic tests to identify unrecognised problems – particularly dyslexia;
• regular audit of accessibility to buildings, and safety procedures;
• provision of physical aids and facilities for students with disabilities, for example in
libraries.
Dyslexia typically accounts for between one-third and a half of all students reporting
a disability. For this reason alone it needs particular attention. Screening for students
needs to be available for both students who think they may be dyslexic and those referred
by their tutor. When screening suggests that a student may be dyslexic, an assessment
should be conducted by a psychologist or appropriately trained person. If dyslexia is
confirmed, an assessment of the student’s study needs must be administered, so that
an appropriate level of tutorial support and specialist equipment or software can be
provided. Adjustments to the student’s assessment regime may also be necessary. This
will need to be negotiated with the student’s subject tutors. Raising tutors’ awareness of
the needs of dyslexic students is an important role for the central service.
There is a growing awareness of the impact of mental health difficulties such as
depression, Asperger’s Syndrome and eating disorders. The aim here must be to be
supportive without necessarily labelling an individual. While some students will talk
about their disability, others may be less willing, or may not perceive themselves as having
a disability. Sensitivity to the individual’s feelings is essential, as it is possible to cause
stress by offering assistance which is viewed as unnecessary or intrusive (Martin, 2006).
Further advice on improving provision for disabled students is available through The
Disability Equality Partnership (Action on Access, the Equality Challenge Unit and the
Higher Education Academy).
THE MULTICULTURAL UNIVERSITY
Universities in the UK are becoming more multicultural for two main reasons. First, the
composition of the student body reflects the racial and ethnic diversity of multicultural
Britain (although the distribution of students from so-called ethnic minority groups tends
to be clustered in particular institutions). Second, higher education has become a global
market and the UK attracts many international students from virtually every country in
the world. The Race Relations (Amendment) Act (2000) requires institutions to have an