DEMOS Project News June 2000

29th June 2000

Universities Win Funding for Disability Initiative

Support for disabled students will be improved by a unique initiative which gives academic staff the opportunity to develop their awareness by using an on-line learning package.

Manchester Metropolitan University in collaboration with the Universities of Manchester, Salford and UMIST has been successful in obtaining funding from Strand 3 of the HEFCE initiative 'Improving Provision for Disabled Students'.

The DEMOS Project will develop on-line resources to assist academic staff in understanding the needs of disabled students in higher education. Materials that illustrate the barriers that disabled students face in the learning environment will be developed as well as suggestions for strategies to overcome them.

Particular emphasis will be placed on teaching and learning issues but the materials developed will also document the experiences of disabled students in all areas of university life.

Academic departments will be identified to act as pilot schemes in the first stage of the project and it is hoped that the project will be used as a model for staff development in disability issues, across the HE community.

Findings will be disseminated on an ongoing basis both locally and nationally and information will be posted on this website.

The Project Co-ordinator, Mike Wray, has recently been appointed and can be contacted at the this address.