Most people with disability can be admitted to a course in the same way, and using the same criteria, as any other applicant. In some cases, however, it may be necessary to consider adjustments to the program, so it is important to ensure that course requirements and expectations are clearly documented.
It is unlawful under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) for a university to refuse to admit a person to a course on the basis that they are unlikely to be able to obtain work because of disability. Universities are not permitted to pre-empt the decisions of any registration or qualifying body. Concerns regarding limitations of employment opportunities should be discussed with the student, but they should not influence the selection process.
Important questions to ask:
- Do admissions policies make clear how applications from disabled applicants will be handled?
- Are offers made to students on academic grounds alone (unless there are overriding health and safety concerns or barriers relating to professional requirements, or because necessary reasonable adjustments cannot be made)?
- Do selectors and admissions tutors know how to respond to applicants with disability? Do they know who can provide additional advice if required?
- Are admissions criteria relevant to the course? Have they been reviewed to ensure they do not create unnecessary barriers?
- Where appropriate, are admissions criteria sensitive to the different experiences of applicants? Are applicants allowed to demonstrate their abilities in alternative ways, if the standard audition or interview is not accessible?
- Are adjustments (for example, extra lighting for an applicant with a visual impairment, additional time for an applicant with a speech impairment) made to interviews, auditions or written tests where these are required?
- Do selectors take into account that applicants with disability may have had fewer opportunities, for example, to undertake extra-curricular activities?
- Are arrangements made to ensure that any interview/audition process caters for the needs of people with disability?
- Does the admission/selection process provide opportunities for students to disclose any disability-related needs? Does it give information on disability services and support available within the institution?
- If applicants are tested in any way during the course of their application, is the method used accessible to people with disability?
- Is funding set aside to provide sign interpreters for interviews, information in alternative formats, and accessible transport between venues?
- Are selection criteria clear about the inherent requirements of a particular course and whether adjustments can be made to meet the needs of individual students without reducing academic standards?
- Have selection criteria been reviewed to ensure that they do not unfairly affect students with disability?
- Are applicants given information about disability support services and any documentation about their disability that may be required?
International students
International students have the same rights under the DDA as domestic students.
- Are there appropriate procedures for meeting the support needs of international students?
- Are international student officers and other staff sensitive to different cultural attitudes to disability?
- Do international students officers know about access and provision for students at the institution?
Monitoring and review
No admissions procedures can be perfect, but regular review can ensure that they are as inclusive as possible.
- Are students and applicants with disability asked to give feedback on different aspects of the admissions process?
- Does the institution monitor the ratio of applications to acceptances for disabled applicants to different courses?
- Are complaints monitored so that problem areas can be identified and addressed?
Adapted from Skill