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Covid-19: Disabled Students in Higher Education: Student Concerns and Institutional Challenges Report by the National Association of Disability PractitionersAuthors: L. Wilson, Dr J. Conway, Prof. N. Martin & P. Turner.Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u About Us PAGEREF _Toc40175530 \h 3Introduction PAGEREF _Toc40175531 \h 3Key Findings PAGEREF _Toc40175532 \h 4Working from Home PAGEREF _Toc40175533 \h 4Equipment Concerns for Disabled Students PAGEREF _Toc40175534 \h 4Current Teaching PAGEREF _Toc40175535 \h 6Deaf and hearing-impaired students PAGEREF _Toc40175536 \h 6Neurodiverse Students PAGEREF _Toc40175537 \h 7Blind and visually impaired students PAGEREF _Toc40175538 \h 7Mental Health PAGEREF _Toc40175539 \h 8Other Impairments PAGEREF _Toc40175540 \h 8Disability Support from University Services PAGEREF _Toc40175541 \h 9Assessment PAGEREF _Toc40175542 \h 10Coursework PAGEREF _Toc40175543 \h 10Remote Examination Arrangements PAGEREF _Toc40175544 \h 11New Students Applying for Places in Higher Education PAGEREF _Toc40175545 \h 12Conclusions PAGEREF _Toc40175546 \h 13Recommendations PAGEREF _Toc40175547 \h 14References PAGEREF _Toc40175548 \h 15About UsThe National Association of Disability Practitioners (NADP) is the professional association for members of staff at colleges and universities working with disabled students. Our 1600 members include academic staff, staff working inclusively with students and those working in individual support either within the institution or externally. Staff from most universities in the United Kingdom are members, as well as several from Europe and across the world. We have members in many colleges in the UK and in independent or company support roles. IntroductionCovid-19 has created a challenge for everyone. Higher education institutions are no exception and have rapidly moved much of their teaching and assessment online. Most universities have included their disability service managers as part of their emergency response team which has ensured that disabled students have been considered from the start of arrangements. NADP offers a support network for our members in various formats including a networking opportunity through an interactive JISC email forum. Members are able to ask questions and share experiences and advice through this forum which has proved invaluable during the Covid-19 pandemic.NADP can also request information from members using this helpline and many offered information on their new Covid-19 policies and volunteered case studies to assist with the preparation of this report. All case studies have been anonymised to ensure that no disabled students can be identified. NADP has been conducting a preliminary research study on mental health concerns of disability professionals. The conclusion of data gathering was in March 2020 and so we have been able to include comments from the beginning of home-working in this report. The aims of this report are:to enable the good practice developed within higher education institutions to be shared more widely; andto highlight areas where more work needs to be undertaken urgently.Key FindingsWorking from HomeMembers of NADP report significant challenges whilst continuing to perform their professional roles. They highlight technological problems and family commitments as their main concerns. “I had to buy a new computer so I could access all the things I need for work.”“The school was putting really unreasonable demands on my 6 and 8 year olds. Both classes wanted them in different online classes from 9am to 2pm every day. We had one computer which I needed for work. It got better when all the parents objected but we still have to share.”“Working at the kitchen table was our only option for all four of us” [two professionals, 1 student and a 15-year-old]. “I was struggling with the children at home and a colleague told me about the NADP fact sheet on home education. It really helped.” [Reference: NADP, 2020a]“My young son has auto-immune problems and a mental health condition. I was told I could send him to school but I was too worried about his health so kept him at home which was very difficult to manage.”“The university IT team has been great but I don’t always understand their instructions when I need to rescue my computer.”“Team meetings and a once-a-week personal catch up with my manager have been great to keep me motivated.”“Connection problems and useless captions have meant that I cannot attend team meetings. It’s so lonely.” [Deaf member of staff]“The automatic captions in Microsoft Teams have worked well for my Deaf team members” [Manager, university in urban area]“Thank you so much for the NADP mental health videos; they have really helped when I was struggling.” [Reference: NADP, 2020b]Equipment Concerns for Disabled StudentsThe National Unions of Students (2020) have conducted a Covid-19 student survey which reports that 20% of all students have limited or no access to online learning and personal academic research and 33% don’t believe it to be of good quality. They will be further analysing the data to provide information concerning disabled students. Case Study: One London university contacted NADP to say that many of their disabled Masters and PhD students are reporting that they normally work at university in their offices or in the computer rooms and libraries. Now that they are self-isolating at home, they are having to do their academic research and write notes and chapters of their thesis on their mobile phones.Higher education institutions are reporting difficulties identifying students requiring support with IT resources. Many HEIs have asked all academic and professional staff to inform them of students who have mentioned that they are struggling to study but universities are reporting that many students are reluctant to disclose that they are having problems and this has been exacerbated with the fact that students are communicating with staff remotely. Overall, those living in families with a disabled member are more likely to be in low income categories (DWP, 2016). This result holds for children and working age adults but not for pensioners. This means that disabled students are more likely to have a low socioeconomic status. On top of this, the extra time and effort required to complete academic assignments are likely to have reduced part-time earning power throughout secondary school, college and university courses. Lang?rgen & Magnus (2018:15-16) report that disabled students require extra expenditure of time and energy for study. They also commented that extra time was involved when disabled students have to be their own coordinators and accommodators. This can either be by necessity or by their own choice to illustrate that they are adults who are capable of organising their own lives. The majority of higher education institutions have increased the amount of money available in their hardship funds. Many HEIs have waived some of their requirements for evidence of financial hardship so that they can assist students as quickly as possible. It is proving very difficult for students to obtain evidence of financial need whilst in lock-down.Hardship funds have been hard hit with a disproportionate effect on HEIs with a large proportion of students from lower income families, smaller HEIs and those with a large proportion of disabled students. HEIs have purchased laptops, software and, in some cases, dongles pre-loaded with money so that students can access the internet. These laptops have been loaned to students, often using an adapted library loan system. They have been couriered to students.There have been a few reports of HEIs having difficulty purchasing computer equipment with technology companies stating that they have been asked to reserve equipment for schools to supply to disadvantaged GCSE students.Disabled students are also reporting difficulties in getting their DSA-funded computer equipment repaired. This appears to be occurring due to several factors: stress and anxiety causing problems understanding instructions to attempt to solve the problems themselves; lack of packing material to wrap up the computer; and inability to leave the house to post the equipment. “My equipment company was great and did an online session with me which helped me to set up my computer better but I am so stressed that I didn’t understand it all.”“I am socially isolating and I was worried about my carer going to the post office so it took ages to organise getting the stuff back to the company.”“We realised that there was a problem with students returning equipment for repair and so we have organised couriered return but this is really adding to our costs.”Current TeachingThe move to asynchronous learning has benefitted some disabled students by allowing them to study more flexibly. Case Study: Student U has Myocardic Encephalomyelitis (ME) and she is in her first year studying for an English degree. She reports that she was considering abandoning her course because she struggled to get into university and attend lectures. ‘It takes so much energy to travel that I was exhausted and couldn’t even listen to the lecture let alone take notes. Nowadays, at home, I can really listen and understand. I listened from bed yesterday and still felt included’.However, other students are reporting severe problems with limited reports of disabled students with sensory impairments being requested to take leave of absence when staff are unable to make courses accessible. Many student complaints and concerns appear to be closely aligned with impairment-specific problems. Deaf and hearing-impaired studentsSome HEIs are authorising notetakers and BSL interpreters to attend online webinars to interpret for their students but there have been some difficulties accessing the systems with lecturers unaware of having to add extra people to their webinars. Deaf students using BSL have also used two devices. One with the lecture, and another with the BSL interpreter over Skype.Many Deaf and hearing-impaired students are struggling with poor captioning. HEIs using Powerpoint slides have reported that the automatic captions are very useful for straight lectures, but they turn off when the presenter moves away from Powerpoint to show another screen.Automatic captions are also available on Microsoft Teams and, lately, on Zoom. Those HEIs using automatic captioning are reporting variable success which seems to depend on bandwidth; microphone quality; the acoustics of room the lecturer/students are using; and accents. Case Study: Student V is a second-year Deaf student and uses lipreading and speech as her main form of communication. She reports frustrations with lack of captions and one lecturer suggesting that he would just send her a factsheet as it was a waste of her time being on the webinar. It is getting better now the university is having a paid captioner on her webinars but she is still finding it difficult as any social webinars do not have captions and she is becoming very lonely.Neurodiverse StudentsNeurodiverse students are reporting many concerns with online conferencing. There is a high degree of multi-tasking involved with online conferencing when all facilities are available for students to use: video, audio, whiteboard, Q&A, Chat, moving to polls etc. This is further complicated when disabled students are asked to use different platforms by different members of academic and support staff. Case Study: Student W is a second-year student. She is neurodiverse with a diagnosis of dyslexia and autistic spectrum conditions. ‘I hate webinars! Everything is happening at the same time and it is so distracting that I cannot concentrate.’ NADP have issued guidelines on the use of webinars with disabled students which include the use of one platform for webinars and suggestions on how to configure and use it to reduce stress for neurodiverse students.Blind and visually impaired studentsThe main concerns reported by visually impaired students are late supply of materials so that they do not have time to access slides before the webinar; poorly prepared Powerpoint slides that are inaccessible; and the lecturer or tutor not being specific when describing the slides. This is especially problematic in large sessions when the student cannot speak to the lecturer to point out the problem.Case Study: Student X is a second-year maths student with a visual impairment. He normally manages lectures on his own without specialist support but he is struggling with webinars. ‘Yesterday was very difficult. [the tutor] was saying that to derive the equation we had to cancel this with that. I wanted to tell him that I couldn’t understand but he had switched the voice bit off for everyone. It was so frustrating!’Mental HealthMany students with mental health concerns are reporting heightened anxiety levels. These may be connected with lockdown; the practical impact of reduced access to care, help or facilities, the ability to find the space and time for their own study alongside caring for children at home; and the media attitudes to disabled people. High levels of anxiety are known to reduce the ability to concentrate and learn. Stephen Krashen (in Wills, 2014) discusses an affective filter. This term describes an emotional state of stress in students during which they are not responsive to learning and storing new information.Despite repeated reassurance from all HEIs, many disabled students are reporting difficulty meeting deadlines and extreme worry about how this will affect their overall degree level or progression. Universities are also reporting excessive requests for extensions to deadlines for individual written work.Case Study: Student Y, with bipolar disorder, received a computer with his DSAs. He took this computer home with him to self-isolate and his parents said that it needed to be shared as they needed computer equipment to work from home and his younger siblings needed to use it to stay in contact with their schools. He was fighting for access to his own computer for webinars and staying up late at night to research and complete university assignments which was aggravating his condition. Stress and reduced sleep are well known to precipitate manic episodes for those with bipolar disorder and the doctor is currently organising increased medication levels.Other ImpairmentsHEIs are often having to create bespoke solutions for individual students. This is always best as a team effort involving the student, academic and professional staff.Case study: Student Z is a trainee teacher. He had a head injury a few years ago which has led to a condition where he experiences severe migraines when he studies online for any length of time. He is finding this particularly difficult during lockdown while he is writing his final assignment. The whole department at the university have suggested various options. The course administrator suggested consulting AbilityNet to configure his computer for his needs and also coloured overlays which are proving partially effective. His tutor has suggested writing his assignment on paper and submitting a scan or photo so he can spend his computer time on research.Disability Support from University ServicesColleges and universities are trying their best to keep in touch with all of their vulnerable students, particularly those who live alone and have mental health difficulties but there will inevitably be those who slip through the net.Disability services are setting up specific confidentiality and security arrangements and offering support online and by telephone. Most colleges and universities are offering the student their choice of method. Some students with heightened anxiety do not want support workers to see their home situation and they are reluctant to use video. Support can still be offered by voice or text, but this has proved to be less effective in building up relationships and thus students can be less inclined to disclose their needs. “I like to use video if possible but quite a few of my mentees are unhappy using video and prefer audio only. One said that my house looked so nice and her flat was a mess. She couldn’t see that it was only my office that was tidy!”There have been no reports of disability advisers furloughed as demand is high in current circumstances, but NUS (pers. comm.) are reporting that some disabled students are suggesting delays in contacting disability support as administrators have been furloughed.Many students with mental health difficulties (including students on the Autistic Spectrum) are really struggling with lockdown, worries about their own situation and that of their friends and relatives. The Student Loans Company (2020) have said that no extra mentoring sessions can be authorised to assist with stress due to Covid-19 as this is not a study-related concern. However, exacerbation of stress due to Covid-19 is having an effect on students’ mental health and their ability to complete academic work. Colleges and universities are supplying additional mentoring support, including that for complex/life threatening situations.Case study: One urban university is reporting a 5% increase in university supplied mentoring for March and April 2020 in comparison to the same period in 2019.AssessmentCourseworkThe Student Loans Company (SLC, 2020) have agreed that non-medical help can be changed to remote support, if the student agrees and this support can be authorised by email remotely. However, many courses will need to be extended to compensate for HEIs having to move courses online and many universities have granted blanket mitigation to all students. In addition to this, many students moving from practical-based courses are having extra coursework to complete and the result is that disabled students are running out of allocated NMH hours.The SLC (2020) have stated that they recognise that support may need to continue but they are insisting on an individual case being made for each disabled student that requires continuing support or increased hours. Student disability departments are reporting that this is extremely time consuming as well as stressful for disabled students who are waiting for a result.Some universities have previously opted to supply their own non-medical help (NMH) rather than use DSAs to fund this service. “We employ our own mentoring and specialist teaching staff and have been able to sanction increased provision of support for students affected by the current situation.” In contrast, some students receiving DSA-funded support are reporting difficulties in obtaining their normal NMH support as some agency staff have been furloughed.“They [the agency] eventually found someone to support me but it was someone different who did not understand how I work. We are getting there now but it is taking time away from my MA that I don’t have to spare.”Many HEIs have changed their examination arrangements so there is an increased assignment component which has led to many more students requiring extra NMH.Case study: One arts-based university has altered performance-based assessments to include self-recorded audio and video performances.Many HEIs have altered their processes for coursework extensions so that students can apply for up to 14 days extension without requiring any evidence. This has been extremely helpful for disabled students who are self-isolating due to their medical conditions and cannot obtain evidence.Remote Examination ArrangementsAll students were very concerned about examinations and HEIs moved rapidly to remove that anxiety. However, this does mean that arrangements vary between different institutions as they were unable to wait for guidance.Many universities have removed exams for first year undergraduate students and some for second-year students as well. The benefit of this for some disabled students is that, if reasonable adjustments were not in place at the start of the year, they are not penalised for the lack of support. Most institutions do not count marks in the first year towards the final degree level and this has reduced anxiety tremendously.There are many benefits of online examinations for disabled students. There are less adjustments required and, in many cases, more relaxed time restrictions. Arrangements vary between HEIs but commonly include:Normal 3-hour exams moved to 4 hours to account for technical difficulties with an extra hour for those entitled to additional time.48 or 72 hours to download, answer the exam questions and submit their answers. In these cases, no additional time is generally given.7-day essays (marked like an exam paper; essay questions issued in advance)Some difficulties have been encountered in ensuring examination support is available for disabled students. Many HEIs have collaborated via the NADP JISCMail interactive forum to create innovative solutions. Reader – HEIs are supplying questions in audio format or using web conferencingPrompter – students who need prompting to move to the next question can be reminded via phone, automatic alarm or in person via web conferencing. HEIs have supplied training on how to use their phones for this purpose.Amanuensis/scribe – web conferencing has been used to connect student and scribe or the student has recorded their answers on their phone and submitted them to the HEI for transcription.Students are reporting a much lower level of exam stress when institutions are using a ‘no detriment’ policy. This tends to be where an average of the year’s marks are calculated and exam marks can only increase this mark, not decrease it. If students are not satisfied with their results, then they will be able to take the examination at a later date with no penalty.Case study: “Our measures also include several 'safety nets' for students. These include the existing regulations on compensation and our methods of calculating degree classifications, the actions our Assessment Boards can take in adjusting marks and the no detriment retake offered to students. We have not adopted the use of average marks in our measures to ensure no detriment because this kind of approach would not apply equally for all students.”New Students Applying for Places in Higher EducationDisabled students who are applying to HEIs for the first time need to apply for Disabled Students’ Allowances. They need to complete a form and supply evidence of their impairment. It is proving very difficult to obtain medical diagnoses as doctors and consultants are very busy or have been deployed to assist with Covid-19 cases. The SLC have recommended that students apply with what evidence they have currently and they will be asked to supply extra evidence, if this is needed. This is leading to concern and confusion with students unsure whether to apply at present or whether it would be better to wait.There are also concerns being raised with diagnostic assessments for specific learning differences (SpLDs). The Student Loans Company (2020) have said that organising bodies need to confirm whether remote diagnostic assessments are appropriate. The SpLD Assessment Standards Authority (SASC) have concluded that remote assessment is not appropriate but the British Psychological Society and the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) have announced that online assessment using certain tests is possible. This appears to suggest that psychologists can conduct online tests but teachers with additional qualifications to assess dyslexia cannot do so. The SLC have not yet announced whether it will accept any of these tests. Students with SpLDs are generally recommended to wait until their final term at school or college before having a full assessment, or top-up assessment, for SpLDs. This has not been possible to arrange this year due to Covid-19. If the SLC were to agree that a remote assessment would be acceptable, it would allow schools and colleges to continue to organise assessments for their students. If a decision is not made in the immediate future, the disabled students may not be able to obtain support for the start of their undergraduate course. There will also be an increased detriment to disabled students from under-represented groups as those students are likely to have less support to obtain a diagnostic report once schools and colleges have completed their summer term.ConclusionsThe Covid-19 pandemic required an immediate response from higher education institutions with very little advance notice of closure which necessitated the establishment of emergency teams with a remit for very fast action. Advisory bodies were also working on documentation, but many students were confused and distressed so HEIs needed to issue their own reassurance and new policies before this was available.This has resulted in a difference in policies across HEIs but networking has given the opportunity to share good practice and this has been especially beneficial for small institutions and those with less experience at supporting disabled students.Over the last years, higher education institutions have been working hard to ensure that inclusivity has been embedded across their teaching. The HEFCE report suggested that ‘progress is varied across the sector, and there is also inconsistent practice within providers’ (Williams et al., 2017)Covid-19 has stimulated fast and effective progress. There are still areas to address but it is positive that many more people throughout HEIs are now considering inclusion. One particular area which has proved to be a real sticking point has been inclusive assessment. Now, the whole sector is beginning to see real progress in this area. The Covid-19 pandemic has enforced adoption of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles (CAST, 2020). These positive gains regarding multiplicity of modes of teaching and learning, should be highlighted, retained and embedded within the overall options for all students.RecommendationsAll higher education institutions issue further guidance to academic staff for best practice in online teaching for all students which would ensure the inclusion of all disabled students.The Department for Education re-analyse the effect of the ?200 premium that disabled students have to pay to obtain a DSA-funded computer in the light of research showing the socio-economic status of disabled students and the inability for vulnerable students to access computer facilities at HEIs during the length of the Covid-19 pandemic.The Student Loans Company reconsider the decision not to offer additional mentoring support for students where circumstances surrounding studying with Covid-19 has increased their stress and anxiety levels.The Student Loans Company introduce a quick and efficient route for students to obtain extra non-medical help for courses continuing until the end of August 2020.The Student Loans Company issue firm guidelines on what diagnostic evidence they will accept for qualification to receive Disabled Students’ Allowances.The Office for Students should highlight the positive gains regarding multiplicity of modes of teaching and learning to ensure that HEIs are encouraged to embed this practice within the overall options available for all students. ReferencesCAST (2020). About Universal Design for Learning. Available from: [Accessed 6th May 2020]Department for Work and Pensions (2016). Households below average income: an analysis of the income distribution 1994/95 to 2014/15. Available from: [Accessed 6th May 2020]Lang?rgen, E. & Magnus, E. (2018). 'We are just ordinary people working hard to reach our goals!' Disabled students' participation in Norwegian higher education. Disability and Society. Volume 33, Number 4. pp. 598-617(20) Available from: [Accessed 6th May 2020]National Association of Disability Practitioners (NADP, 2020a). Working from home and educating your family. Available from: [Accessed 12th May 2020]National Association of Disability Practitioners (NADP, 2020b). Covid-19 Resource Hub. Available from: [Accessed 12th May 2020]National Union of Students (2020). Student Safety Net. Summary and full report available from: [Accessed 7th May 2020]Student Loans Company (2020). Covid-19 Stakeholders Questions v.3 published on 9th April 2020. Available from: [Accessed 6th May 2020]Williams, M., Pollard, E., Langley, J., Houghton, A. & Zozimo, J. (2017). Models of support for students with disabilities. HEFCE Commissioned Report. Available from: [Accessed 12th May 2020]Wills, J. (2014). The neuroscience behind stress and learning. George Lucas Educational Foundation. Available from: [Accessed 6th May 2020] ................
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