Creating Accessible Teaching and Support

University accommodation services are subject to the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and Disability Standards for Education. The university is still responsible for ensuring that students are not discriminated against even if residential accommodation services are contracted out to a third party.

Physical access is the most obvious area requiring attention in order for student housing services to make their services accessible.  However contracts must also be explicit about allocation procedures, charging policies, prevention of harassment and any adjustments that may be needed to accommodate the needs of individuals.

The DDA requires that access is as non-discriminatory and dignified as possible. This means that a person with disability has access to a building in a similar way to a person without. Many universities mandate that a proportion of new and existing housing stock will be made accessible.

Preventing discrimination against students with disability also means that attention must be paid to policies and procedures, and information provided to students. Similar obligations apply to services designed to help students find private accommodation. 

It is essential to review services periodically to take into account any changes in good practice or advances in technology. Student satisfaction surveys and complaint systems (available in accessible formats) are also good sources of information.

A DDA Action Plan is a useful strategy for changing practices which might result in discrimination against people with disability. It should include a physical access audit.

Improving the accessibility of buildings and taking into account standard occupational health and safety provisions (such as handrails on stairs) will help meet the access needs of residents with disability and make life easier for many without. Physical accessibility also relates to recreational facilities, access between residences, parking bays and linkages with public transport, fire, evacuation, health, safety and security provision.

Accessibility can be in-built at very little additional cost, during refurbishment and new construction. Accessibility features might include, for example, any of the following:

• accessible rooms for wheelchair users or those with mobility difficulties
• full access to leisure and other facilities, for example, adjustable-height work surfaces in kitchens
• accessible rooms situated in and among other rooms in a range of accommodation so that students can both choose the style of accommodation they prefer, and live near their friends
• larger rooms for those with additional technology, with plenty of power points
• ensuring televisions in common rooms have Teletext
• contrasting paint colours for doors and corridors
• accessible parking spaces.

It is unlikely that every need can be anticipated, so set funds aside for extra adjustments such as:

• hoists
• private fridges to store drugs
• Braille markings on microwaves etc
• extra shelving for Braille materials
• flashing light or other alerts for hearing-impaired students
• run for a guide dog
• adaptations to fire and other emergency procedures
• training for staff and other students in, for example, supporting someone having an epileptic seizure.

Institutions are expected to take reasonable steps to find out if a person has a disability so that their needs can be determined and adjustments made. Not knowing about someone’s disability cannot be used as a defence if an adjustment could have been anticipated.  Remember that it is the implications of the disability or health condition that are important rather than the impairment itself. See the Determining Student Need section for more on this.

Institutions are also expected to ensure that appropriate information is kept confidential.

• Do accommodation application forms ask people whether they have a disability or any particular needs regarding accommodation?
• Is it made clear why this information is being requested, and that it will be kept confidential?
• Do hall wardens, cleaners and others know how to respond if a student discloses a disability to them? Do they know to whom, with the student’s consent, information should be passed?
• Are there procedures in place to ensure that information is kept confidential to relevant staff, or completely confidential if the student requests this?

Ensuring that students with disability do not experience discrimination means that their needs must be anticipated in policies, procedures and information provided to prospective residents.

• Is information about accommodation accessible to students with disability? Is it available in alternative formats (electronic, Braille, large print)?
• Is web-based material accessible to those using assistive technology, such as screen-reading software, or those who cannot use a mouse?
• Does information about accommodation make clear what adjustments are already in place?
• Is it clear to students that additional adjustments can be made on an individual basis without additional charge (for example, en suite rooms or flashing doorbells)?

Some standard procedures may need reviewing and adjusting to ensure they do not discriminate.

• Are students with disability given priority access to accessible rooms, en suite rooms or rooms close to teaching buildings?
• If other students are allocated adapted rooms, is it made clear that they may need to move?
• If a student with disability needs more expensive accommodation simply because of a disability, is he or she charged only the standard rate?

Accommodation services also have a responsibility to ensure that appropriate standards of behaviour are maintained in the areas they manage or supervise.