Higher Education Advice for Students with Disabilities

Aimhigher Norfolk funded this research into the information, advice and guidance (IAG) available to students with a disability who were studying at the FE level and wished to progress on to HE. The study identified that, while students with significant disabilities and a Special Educational Needs statement came under the remit of the specialist Connexions Learning Difficulties and Disabilities team, many other full time and part time students with disabilities accessed advice in the same way as students without disabilities. This raised particular issues for part-time students who were less embedded in the tutoring system. Teaching staff, tutors and support staff in advisory and specialist disability advisory posts often worked beyond their job roles to encourage and advise students about HE progression options, but there was a lack of coherent structure.