DEMOS Project - Module: Admissions

The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (2001)

This act was passed by Parliament in May 2001 and is an amendment to the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)(1995). Previously much of the provision of HEIs in England was excluded from the DDA. However, the SENDA compels HEIs :

not to treat disabled students less favourably, without justification, than students who are not disabled.
to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that people who are disabled are not put at a substantial disadvantage to people who are not disabled in accessing further, higher and LEA secured education.

Provisions under the Act will be phased in from September 2002.

The Act is available from the HMSO at :
http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/
acts/acts2001/20010010.htm

We have also produced a more detailed guide to SENDA in another module.

Part 2, Chapter 2 deals with provision of Further and Higher Education.

A draft Code of Practice has been produced by the Disability Rights Commission. The Code deals with the implementation of the act and gives practical examples of what is considered to be a reasonable adjustment and what is meant by treating students less favourably.

It can be viewed at :
http://www.drc-gb.org/drc/InformationAndLegislation/
Page34A.asp

Admissions specific issues

For your convenience we have collated information from the Code of Practice which relates to admissions issues.

The Disability Rights Commission have also produced a guide to good practice for Admissions and Marketing:
http://www.drc-gb.org/drc/Documents/Marketing
%20&%20Admissions.doc

[Back to Dealing with disabled applicants]

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