Policies aimed at accommodating disabled students may be failing the very people they were designed to support.
Only 37% of disabled students in the UK felt they received adequate support from their universities to study on equal terms with their nondisabled peers, a 2024 survey by Disabled Students UK revealed.
A Cheese Grater interview with solicitor Emily White of Bolt Burdon Kemp discussed several ways in which universities are institutionally failing to support disabled students.
Unclear processes leave students fighting for basic support
White told The Cheese Grater that universities across the country suffer from a lack of clear, transparent processes regarding adjustments for disabled students.
She explained that this lack of transparency leaves disabled students stranded, forced to “advocate and fight for reasonable adjustments and support themselves.
“In order to do this effectively, it requires an understanding of what support is available, but often students don’t know what support is available and they are entitled to — you don’t know what you don’t know!”
Additionally, large universities like UCL often have a number of separate wellbeing and disability support teams, which can not only further hamper clarity, but also “lead to students feeling like they are being passed around, with no one taking responsibility or giving conflicting information”.
A student told The Cheese Grater about how the lack of clarity around the support they could access from UCL during a time of crisis left them forced to submit a rushed draft of an assignment.
Experiencing a mental health crisis close to a deadline, the student struggled to find the best way to obtain an extension for their work: they first attempted to submit an Extenuating Circumstances claim (EC), but were unable to file evidence.
“I get that I could’ve just done a DAP [Delayed Assessment Permit], but I was in my first year and very clueless — all of this happened so fast.”
Staff bias and ableism make things worse
White also explained that ableist biases from teaching staff can make it even more difficult for disabled students to access reasonable adjustments at universities.
“More than 1 in 5 students surveyed in the DSUK Access Report 2023 said they believed staff had stated or implied that their accessibility needs were a nuisance or unreasonable, and shockingly, 15% said it had been stated or implied that they were trying to “cheat the system”.”
A similar culture is arguably prevalent at UCL: a number of students have reported to The Cheese Grater over the years that reasonable adjustments, while usually similar for students across departments on paper, are inconsistently applied.
While students in certain departments can easily access lecture recordings, those in other departments are forced to repeatedly chase lecturers and academic staff for these recordings.
White added that these inconsistencies may be due to insufficient training for academic staff regarding the day-to-day impact of disabilities and chronic conditions.
This varied application of accessibility policies across departments “leads to risk of non-compliance” with legal duties as outlined in the Equality Act, White told The Cheese Grater.
Moving towards better Reasonable Adjustment frameworks
Improving outcomes for disabled students in higher education requires greater proactivity, transparency, and flexibility, White explained.
“Information about what is available and how to access it needs to be clearly and repeatedly communicated. The onus needs to be on the university rather than the student to ensure they provide reasonable adjustments that actually meet the needs of the students.
“It’s already so difficult for these students who are trying to meet the demands of their course whilst struggling with the impact of symptoms from their condition or disability — it’s too much to expect them to navigate these confusing and complex procedures.
“There also needs to be greater education and training for staff to ensure they are aware and understand the way different disabilities can impact students and the types of support and adjustments that will help ensure they can complete their studies successfully.”
A UCL spokesperson said: “We are committed to creating a welcoming and supportive environment for all our students. Delivering an excellent student experience and strong academic outcomes for disabled students is a top priority for us. To achieve this, we offer a wide range of Student Support and Wellbeing services tailored to meet individual needs.
“Our dedicated practitioners form part of a specialist disability, neuro- diversity, mental health and wellbeing team. They work closely with academic departments to ensure students receive reasonable academic adjustments, which may include exam and assessment arrangements and access to lecture materials.
“We recognise the importance of consistency across departments. Earlier this year, we launched the Beyond the Summary of Reasonable Adjustments programme, a major new initiative designed to streamline the reasonable adjustment process. This gives students with disabilities and long-term conditions greater autonomy and visibility over their adjustments, while reducing administrative burden. The programme is already delivering positive results.
“Student Support and Wellbeing Services also provide daily drop-in sessions, specialist counselling and psychological services, and 24/7 online support. Students in UCL-managed accommodation benefit from additional assistance from wardens and residence advisers.
“Our approach goes beyond compliance. For example, we accepted presentations of a disability or long-term condition that causes a barrier to learning before the Equality and Human Rights Commission advised Higher Education Institutions to do so. We will continue to review our inclusive practices to ensure we remain ahead of sector guidance.”
