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Help on DDA for education and training organisations

A series of regional events are being run by the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA) to help education and training organisations to get to grips with the new legislation on disability. The events are designed for any staff working in further education colleges, local education authorities, adult and community learning and work-based learning, such as private and voluntary-sector training organisations, who have responsibility for implementing the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).

"It is important to understand the new disability legislation and how to interpret it," said Sally Faraday, research manager at LSDA. "This goes far beyond providing wheelchair ramps and accessible learning resources; it requires changes to the way students are recruited, taught and supported. Our events and resources are designed to help people working in a variety of roles to understand the needs of disabled students. If there is any single message it is to listen to what disabled students say and act on it."

The focus of each event will be on the lessons learned from more than 90 action research projects that were set up by the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA) to help education and training providers to tackle the changes they will have to introduce as a result of the DDA. Issues include how to provide access to premises for disabled learners (students), the disclosure of confidential information and how to involved disabled learners in decision making.

The events are being run by LSDA in partnership with the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) and Skill: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities, on behalf of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), in each of the nine English regions.

Events have already taken place in the West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humberside and in the South East. The next event takes place on 17 November in Peterborough with further events planned for 2004 and 2005.

LSDA has also produced two new leaflets offering guidance on the DDA - A guide for trainers in work-based learning provision and A guide for managers of work-based learning provision. These leaflets explain the rights of disabled people under the DDA and the duties of learning providers. They also include a good practice checklist and useful question and answer section.

Issues covered include how to avoid discriminating against disabled learners and the provision of reasonable adjustments such as extra support. These two leaflets complement the nine leaflets already produced for staff in further and adult education. The leaflets and events build on a programme of research, materials (leaflets, booklets and DVDs) and other events, managed by LSDA, which started in September 2002. The aim is to help staff working in further education and training - learning providers - to get to grips with the DDA and to ensure that all providers can make reasonable adjustments for disabled people.

The goal is to enable disabled learners to have access education and training and to ensure that learning providers do not discriminate against a disabled person by treating them less favourably than other people for a reason related to their disability. More than half a million disabled adults and young people are involved in some kind of post-school education or training.

External links

For further information about LSDA's work on the DDA vist: www.LSDA.org.uk/programmes/dda/index.asp

Skill: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities gives information and advice to thousands of disabled students every year on how to maximise their experiences in education (higher and further), volunteering, training and employment. For more information contact the Skill information service (Monday to Thursday, 1:30pm to 4:30pm) on 0800 328 5050 (voice) or 0800 068 2422 (text) or visit the website at: www.skill.org.uk

For more information about the DDA and about disability visit the website of the Disability Rights Commission at: www.drc-gb.org

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