Staff training is fundamental to ensuring successful transition into HE. This group of activities explores options for proactively engaging with HE staff to increase their knowledge of their legal duties, good practice, disabled students’ needs, the support available and ultimately encourage and enable them to signpost students to in-house support. Staff should be encouraged to work towards creating an inclusive learning environment and inclusive practice for students.

It is recommended that staff activities include disability awareness training, as part of which HEPs provide guidance on universal design and adjustments that can support students to help build staff knowledge and experience in this area. It is also important to educate Student Union (SU) staff about the needs of disabled students, as well as promoting SU accessible activities to reduce the risk of social isolation experienced by disabled students. Any activities completed should be referenced against clear learning outcomes (such as, increased understanding of the different types of disabilities), so that staff understand what the HEP requires of them in creating enabling environments for students. [Type 1 evidence]

Timing

For staff in relation to pre-offer, offer-holder or post-entry student transition

Activities

  • Provide all staff with case studies on disabled students’ learning needs and outcomes, including information on any HEP tools available to support them. 
  • Provide all staff with guidance on compassionate communication and affirmative approaches that recognise the existing strengths of students, moving them away from so-called ‘deficit’ approaches.
  • Distribute longitudinal observations of personal academic tutorials to staff during the first academic term to strengthen their understanding of disability-specific needs. 
  • Encourage staff to develop a data collection and monitoring system for their engagements with disabled students by drawing upon or building up, where possible, existing data sources. 

All these activities should be underpinned by targeted training for student-facing staff to raise awareness of the challenges disabled students may face and support for academic tutors on existing inclusive practice standards.

Change Mechanisms

Tailored staff awareness and training → increased staff confidence in supporting disabled students → improved student access to and use of support services 

Assumptions

1.1 We assume that students have time available and invest it to actively engage with HEPs and to take up the support on offer to them during their transition journey. This is based on Type 1 evidence from HEPs delivering transition support for disabled students.

1.5 We assume that disabled students experience their engagement with staff and other stakeholders as being supportive and trustworthy. This is based on Type 1 evidence from HEPs delivering transition support for disabled students.

2.2 We assume that education providers are proactive with supporting students with a disability and reflect their commitment through activities such as staff training, student access to disability services / resources. This is based on Type 2 evidence from Baker et al. (2021).

2.3 We assume that education providers identify appropriate interventions / adjustments aligned with specific disabled student needs. This is based on Type 2 evidence from Baker et al. (2021).

2.4 We assume that staff and other stakeholders (such as peers involved in interventions / programmes) form supportive and trustworthy relationships with disabled students in all engagements conducted. This is based on Type 2 evidence from Hillier et al. (2019).

2.5 We assume that faculty members understand the importance of their role in the academic success of students with disabilities and the reasons why transition into HE might be more difficult for students with disability. This is based on Type 2 evidence from Markle, Wessel, and Desmond (2017).

2.6 We assume that staff will engage with training workshops and resources, and that this training will lead to a change in behaviours or attitudes towards students. This is based on Type 1 evidence from HEPs delivering transition support for disabled students.

2.7  We assume that parents and supporters are receptive to the idea of transition support and understand the benefits it can accrue for students as they enter HE. This is based on Type 2 evidence from Markle, Wessel, and Desmond (2017).

3.3 We assume that there are sufficient resources available for implementing a programme of transition support at HEPs. This is based on Type 1 evidence from HEPs delivering transition support for disabled students.

Additional assumptions underpinning staff and other stakeholder related activity include:

  • Professional, statutory and regulatory bodies (PSRBs) support staff clarity about reasonable adjustments or anticipatory inclusive design.
  • Professional, statutory and regulatory bodies (PSRBs) provide clear information on fitness to practice in a way that supports disabled applicant knowledge of the benefits of a professional course of study. 
  • Staff have appropriate approaches to sharing information about disability with key colleagues and these do not put undue burden on students.
  • Schools, uniconnect partners and other involved in outreach provide their activities in ways that are accessible or are supportive to the approach laid out here.

Intervention text 

Needs assessment

Planning for the transition process begins as early as possible is important to the success of transitions support. It is also important that both pre- and post-entry needs assessments are conducted to identify key transition requirements so that they can be addressed with reasonable adjustments and other tailored activities / programmes. 

To clarify, needs assessments can be wider than an assessment specifically conducted for receiving a Disabled Students’ Allowance (which all HEPs may not be validated to conduct). To do this, it is advisable that key stakeholders are involved in the process, including disabled students themselves (for example, by declaring their disability), parents/supporters (for example., by supporting the transition), and HEP administrative and academic staff (for example, the Disability Service team).

Timing: pre-offer, offer-holder, or post-entry transition stages

Activities might include:

  • Parent / supporter-educator consultations at local schools to provide parents and supporters with information about the support available at HE as well as the life skills students need to develop during their first term. Type 3 research has shown that parents and supporters of disabled students prefer to be more involved in the transition planning process (Ruble, McGrew, Toland, Dalrymple, Adams and Snell-Rood, 2018). Parents and supporters are lifelong advocates for many students with disabilities and sharing that information with them can help maximise students’ readiness and competencies across the different life skills that are required when entering HE. [Type 3 evidence]
  • Direct referrals to the Disability Service team for tailored Disability Action Plans (DAPs) to be created. The Disability Service should proactively identify and contract all students who have shared a declaration of disability/permanent condition.  Students  who engage with Disability Service teams benefit from discussions and Disability Action Plans being implemented before the start of the academic year, may better engage with their academic department, complete more time-intensive and administrative heavy tasks (e.g., applying for DSA and the Needs Assessment process), and can apply for additional support such as specialist accommodation, funding towards additional ensuite costs, car parking permits or non-DSA funded support. [Type 1 evidence]
  • Self-reporting by students at the pre-entry stage or via an early assessment survey during the induction week at the HEP. This information can be used to better tailor staff training to individual needs and improve access to student wellbeing and self-help information (Baker et al., 2021). Once disability needs have been identified, the HEP should provide an individual appointment with a Disability Advisor at the pre-entry stage for the advisors to identify and share information with applicants regarding other transition interventions / programmes available at their institution. [Type 2 evidence]

Change mechanisms

  • Improved support for disabled students that is provided early on → in-depth understanding of disabled students’ needs by HEP staff / peers → better provision and increased use of support, confidence among disabled students and impact on progression after HE
  • Support by significant others (for example, parents/supporters) → increased student confidence (and, therefore, sense of empowerment) in navigating HE → maximisation of student readiness and competencies
  • Tailored staff awareness and training → increased staff confidence in supporting disabled students → improved student access to and use of support services

Assumptions

  • We assume that students have time available and invest it to actively engage with HEPs and to take up the support on offer to them during their transition journey. This is based on Type 1 evidence from HEPs delivering transition support for disabled students.
  • We assume that disabled students share information their disability/ies as early as possible so that appropriate adjustments can be made to teaching, assessment, and pastoral care. This is based on Type 2 evidence from Baker et al. (2021).
  • We assume that the interventions / programmes generate awareness and confidence among those that have not shared information about their disability to declare or seek targeted support. This is based on Type 1 evidence from HEPs delivering transition support for disabled students.
  • We assume that disabled students welcome the opportunity to learn about disability support from HEPs and related interventions / programmes and engage with them. This is based on Type 2 evidence from Markle, Wessel and Desmond (2017) as well as Type 1 evidence from HEPs delivering transition support for disabled students.
  • We assume that disabled students experience their engagement with staff and other stakeholders as being supportive and trustworthy. This is based on Type 1 evidence from HEPs delivering transition support for disabled students.
  • We assume that education providers are proactive with supporting students with a disability and reflect their commitment through activities such as staff training, student access to disability services / resources. This is based on Type 2 evidence from Baker et al. (2021).
  • We assume that faculty members understand the importance of their role in the academic success of students with disabilities and the reasons why transition into HE might be more difficult for students with disability. This is based on Type 2 evidence from Markle, Wessel, and Desmond (2017).
  • We assume that there are sufficient resources available for implementing a programme of transition support at HEPs. This is based on Type 1 evidence from HEPs delivering transition support for disabled students.

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