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News1 November 2023

Mapping reasonable adjustments and transition support for disabled students

TASO is partnering with Advance HE to map the kinds of transition support and reasonable adjustments used in the higher education (HE) sector and build an understanding of the existing evidence HE providers hold on the effectiveness of these interventions.
Disabled students

Earlier this year TASO published a report on ‘What works to reduce equality gaps for disabled students’. This report summarises the evidence on the effectiveness of interventions to address inequalities in HE among disabled students in the UK.

Despite the legal requirements and funding, there is little research on what support is effective and there is no clear overview of what reasonable adjustments are currently in place. There is a need for better evidence on reasonable adjustments and transition support: on how they are delivered and their impact on disability inclusion.

This project will map the kinds of transition support and reasonable adjustments used in the HE sector and build an understanding of the existing evidence HE providers hold on the effectiveness of these interventions. Without comprehensive research on reasonable adjustments, we cannot assess whether or to what extent they are achieving their intended impact for students.

Advance HE is carrying out a sector consultation exercise, administering a survey to capture the implementation and impact of reasonable adjustments and interventions in place to support disabled student transition to HE. They are also holding a series of focus groups with staff and students which will explore the issues in more detail.

Dr Helen Lawson, Research Manager at TASO said: 

“I am delighted to be working with Advance HE to research this key area of support for disabled students. The existing evidence suggests that transition support can be effective for enabling disability inclusion, but this evidence, particularly Type 3 research, was often based on experiences in the US. This project will shed light on how transition support is provided in the UK, which reasonable adjustments are most common, and how far students feel adjustments ensure their equal participation and inclusion in HE.”

Amanda Aldercotte, Head of Knowledge and Research at Advance HE said:

“Recognising and supporting inclusive excellence in higher education is our shared mission, and the collaboration between Advance HE and TASO underscores the importance of working together to map the paths of disabled students’ experiences and highlight equitable, empowering, and transformative provision where possible and identify areas where we can continue to improve.”

Get involved

Are you responsible for designing and implementing these support measures? To support the initial research phase, we invite you to take part in a brief survey covering common approaches and effectiveness assessment.

Participate here.

If you have any questions regarding this project, you can get in touch with us at info@taso-db.robin.thebureaulondon.com.