In the resources intersections of disability and other identity aspects constantly collide within the lives of the interviewees. Paralympian Ade Adepitan faces discrimination intersecting disability and race, impacting job opportunities and societal acceptance. He advocates for universal accessibility to enable everyone to thrive (Adepitan, A. and Webborn, N, 2020). Christine Sun Kim, a deaf mother and artist, encounters barriers in education and art due to lack of accommodations such as ASL interpreters (Art21, 2023). Chay Brown, navigating as a transgender, gay, and neurodivergent individual, struggles with nonverbal communication within the gay community (Brown, C, 2023). Despite diverse experiences, all interviewees confront systemic societal challenges.
In the UAL annual report (figure 1) 18% of students declared a disability, being higher amongst Home and EU students (UAL, 2023) .
The UAL dashboard data (Figure 2) on Student Profiles by Disability shows in 2022/2023, 10.4% of students on the MA Biodesign program declared a disability on enrolment this is 5 out of a combined cohort of 48. The data presented fails to account for the various nuances and intersections of disability, data only shows declared disabilities on enrolment and not throughout the course. I have witnessed a rise in the numbers of students declaring a disability near the end of the course, often from international students. And with international students making up 72.9% of the cohort in 2022/2023, (Figure 3) this is alarming. How many more students keep hidden disabilities undeclared until the intense pressures of University life escalates their conditions?
Students with declared disabilities have adjusted assessments for assignments and an Individual Support Agreement (ISA), more time to submit work or alternative tasks (UAL ,2020). Students who don’t declare a disability will not benefit from any Individual Support Agreements (ISA). Stigmas around hidden disabilities and mental health still exist and it is not easy to discuss this openly and for people to come forward especially those from international backgrounds (Advance HE, 2013).
Technology can be a powerful tool to make things more accessible (Zero Project, 2022), in my teaching observation I noticed international students using live translation apps, Artificial Intelligence powered live transcriptions not only benefit students where English is not their first language but also those with hearing difficulties. I have also utilised digital platforms like ‘Mentimeter’ in my teaching to help give a voice to students who are anxious. Yet technology can’t be a one stop solution and the various nuances of student needs must be understood.
I try to show empathy and care in my approach towards students with disabilities and mental health difficulties, yet I don’t have adequate training or the lived experience to do so, student health teams are also over stretched and limited. Talking to my colleagues, they mention they are told time and time again not to feel obliged to take on mental health support themselves, and they were offered training when they first joined but this is no longer available. This doesn’t go far enough to help mitigate issues and recognise early signs where support is needed.
Current measures fall short in identifying and addressing early signs of support needs. Ultimately, fostering an inclusive environment that promotes student well-being and empowerment is paramount. As Ade highlights in the interview, the ultimate goal should be to create environments where people can shine (Adepitan, A. and Webborn, N, 2020).
References:
Adepitan, A. and Webborn, N. (2020). Nick Webborn interviews
Ade Adepitan. ParalympicsGB Legends [Online]. Youtube. 27 August. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnRjdol_j0c
Advance HE (2013) Disability services: supporting international students [Online]. Available at: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/disability-services-supporting-international-students
Art21 (2023) Christine Sun Kim in “Friends & Strangers” – Season 11 | Art21 [Online]. Youtube. 1 November. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NpRaEDlLsI
Brown, C. (2023) Interview with ParaPride. Intersectionality in Focus: Empowering Voices during UK Disability History Month [Online]. Youtube. 13 December. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yID8_s5tjc
UAL (2020) Adjusted Assessment guide for students [Online]. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0038/249698/Adjusted-Assessment-Guide-for-Students-2020-21-PDF-565KB.pdf
UAL (2023) Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Annual Report 2022/2023 [Online]. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/432141/SPCB23435-EDI-report-2022-23.pdf
Zero Project (2022) Artificial Intelligence [Online]. Available at: https://zeroproject.org/tools/artifical-intelligence
Hi Jon,
Your blog is very well informed in the way you are critical of the UAL disability representation data and I enjoyed reading your observations. The statistics are eye-opening, particularly the observation of a higher prevalence of undeclared disabilities, especially among international students. This shows that you understand the stigma surrounding hidden disabilities and mental health issues are real, especially within culturally diverse communities, I will be considering this going forward in my teaching.
It’s wonderful to see you taking an active approach to accommodate students with Mentimeter, I am also curious about the kind of things you teach. However, it’s evident that UAL needs to supporters staff by training them with basic student needs when it comes to disability- and this includes the technicians, especially because there may be a language barrier for technical teaching. Technology, as mentioned, can be a powerful tool in enhancing accessibility, but it must be complemented by a deeper understanding of individual student needs, which the university should research on a deeper level.
Like you, I often feel ill-equipped due to the lack of adequate training and support from student health teams. It’s crucial that universities invest in comprehensive training and resources to address the early signs of support needs and foster an inclusive environment where every student can truly shine, as Ade Adepitan advocates.
Kind regards,
Leila
The analysis of the UAL dashboard data regarding your course is insightful, where you highlight in fig. 2 the data not accounting for the various nuances and intersections of disability, and only showing declared disabilities on enrolment and not throughout the course. During personal tutorials (mid-way through the course) students may declare their non-visible disabilities and as you rightly point out this isn’t factored in on the current data, and how many students feel they’re unable to declare their non-visible disabilities for whatever reason.
Again, as you rightly say ISA’s are in place for those that declare a disability, this made me think about how the current support services puts the onus on the student to approach the disability services, not all students want to be ‘labelled’, not all students are able to self-diagnose – it becomes more problematic when funding for that specific support / service is based on diagnostic labels.
Your point on mental health support and absence of training is equally poignant. Additionally, your approach of offering empathy and care to students with disabilities and mental health challenges enriches their learning experiences.
This is a very thoughtful piece of writing that balances data-driven insights with larger reflections.
I appreciate the way you dig into the data to asses the issues of disability, self-reporting and visibility. Talking about these issues in the abstract is useful, but being able to show the concrete numbers makes action much more likely.
I also appreciate the examples you provide to make your class more inclusive. I haven’t heard of Mentimeter, but I’ll definitely consider it for my classroom next term. I also agree that technology can not serve as the only solution and we need to seek additional avenues to address these issues.
Finally, I respect your admission about the difficulties of navigating mental health issues in the classroom. I agree that we are not sufficiently trained to handle this caliber of student issues, but the external resources we can point students to often feel lacking.