TO BE PUBLISHED March 2025
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This conference will focus on priorities and next steps for supporting students with disabilities in higher education, improving their student experience and graduate outcomes.
It will be an opportunity for stakeholders and policymakers to discuss key considerations for the Disability in Higher Education Advisory Panel announced by the Office for Students, as it reviews how disabled people are currently supported in HE and formulates guidelines on priorities for improving experience and outcomes. Lucy Merritt, a member of the panel, will be a speaker at the seminar. The potential impact of the recent High Court ruling in the Jacob Meagher and Cambridge University High Court Trial for disabled students seeking reasonable adjustments will also be considered.
Delegates will consider potential reform to the provision of non-medical help funded through the Disabled Students’ Allowance, following DfE’s call for evidence on Improving non-medical support for disabled students in higher education. They will examine implications of recent changes introduced by the Student Loans Company, such as the new DSA application process, the involvement of the private sector in delivering needs assessments and assistive technology, and concerns over communication and cohesive provision.
Sessions will examine strategies for implementing best practice, enhancing support systems, ensuring equity and financial sustainability of provision, and improving disabled students’ engagement in the HE community. Progress since Disabled Students UK’s Access Insights 2023 report will also be assessed, with their more recently published 2024 Access Insights Report finding that approximately 40% of disabled students had their agreed-upon support implemented.
There will also be a focus on next steps for the Disabled Student Commitment in light of the Year One Report highlighting that 15 HE providers have signed up so far, looking at approaches and responsibilities for HEIs and local authorities, and how barriers to wider take-up can be addressed.
Further areas for discussion include preparing students for life after HE, looking at priorities for improving recruitment and careers advice, provisions for ongoing study, and opportunities for progression into high-skilled employment and leadership positions. We expect discussion on coordination of policy in this area in light of the Government establishing Skills England, the recently published Get Britain Working white paper and the forthcoming Lifelong Learning Entitlement. With the Public Services Committee recently finding that the disability employment gap has remained at about 30% for the last 10 years, delegates will explore the way forward for breaking down barriers to employment and bridging skills shortages.
We are pleased to be able to include keynote sessions with: Katherine Bayliss, Team Leader, Disabled Students’ Allowance, DfE; Jo Nuckley, Head, Outreach and Insight, OIA; David Thomson, Senior Manager, SLC; and Andrew Hamilton, Disability Lobbyist; Founder, Just Include; and Campaigns Officer, Disabled Students and Carers Association, Durham University.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those due to attend include officials from DfE; DfE, NI; DFHERIS, ROI; the Welsh Government; and The Scottish Government.
