Creating Accessible Teaching and Support

Under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), universities are liable for the actions of its employees and agents. If an agent or employee is found to have discriminated against a person with a disability, the institution’s primary defense is that it took all reasonable steps to prevent discrimination occurring. Staff development is clearly a key risk-minimisation strategy.

Disability-awareness training is also an excellent starting point for improving access for students and staff with disability throughout the university. If staff understands its responsibilities under the DDA and has the knowledge and resources to implement practical teaching and support strategies, not only is risk of litigation minimised, but outcomes for students are improved.

Staff also has a responsibility to ensure that appropriate standards of behaviour are maintained in the areas they manage or supervise. The university can be held legally accountable for harassment as a result of the action or inaction of staff. Students may sometimes exhibit patterns of behaviour that are outside the bounds of accepted norms: there are strategies that staff can implement to prevent and respond to disruptive behaviour, and reduce the likelihood of harassment or discrimination.

There are a number of strategies you may want to use to encourage staff development to take place.

• Disability awareness training should be presented by people with disability and include the experiences of students.
• Include disability issues in induction training and make basic level training a requirement for tenure.
• Provide encouragement and recognition of development in this area through review and/or appraisal processes.
• Ensure part-time, contract and casual workers can include training in their paid hours.
• Take training to departments by adding short sessions on to existing departmental meetings.
• Involve the vice chancellor, principal or director in inviting people to attend, or introducing speakers.
• Provide a free lunch!
• Charge training to departmental budgets (this encourages their attendance).
• Target staff who are about to receive a disabled student into their department.
• Make sure disability issues are incorporated into all appropriate training, not just disability-specific sessions.
• Make sure resources are available in other ways, on the intranet, through good practice booklets, etc and that staff know how to obtain these.
• Involve staff in audits of provision or expertise, so that they become aware of their own development needs.

Many people have an emotional response to disability, based on fear or pity. They may have entrenched attitudes based on prejudice or previous negative (or positive) experiences. For this reason, it may be harder to change attitudes and behaviours relating to disability than on other issues.  The presentation of staff development by people with disability and the involvement of students can have a powerful impact and in itself can help to challenge entrenched attitudes. 

Disability-awareness training can be provided by most disability organisations but should, if possible, be integrated into the university’s own professional development programs.  Any disability training is much more effective if it is conducted by or with a person with disability.

High workloads will sometimes get in the way of staff training, as will negative attitudes to disability. Strong leadership is crucial if cultural change is to occur.  A number of on-line training packages are available, but these are most effective when combined with experiential training, once again preferably conducted by a person with disability.

Different staff groups will need to cover different aspects of the DDA or of good practice. Wherever possible, it is useful to tailor training to individual needs. For instance managers and heads of departments need to have a thorough understanding of their legal responsibilities while other staff may need only a brief outline of the law. 

Most disability training should cover:

• facts and myths associated with disability
• the social model of disability and political realities
• disability legislation and legal requirements
• communicating with people with disability
• accessibility for people with disability
• information access and assistive technology
• specific implications of disability for security staff eg evacuation procedures
• university policies and services available.