DISABLED STUDENTS STAKEHOLDER GROUP
DIAGNOSIS & EVIDENCE
REMIT, TIMESCALE AND MEMBERSHIP OF SUBGROUP
Purpose
1. To seek members' approval of the remit, timescale and membership of the DSSG subgroup on diagnosis and evidence.
Background
2. The Equal Opportunities Committee's report 'Removing Barriers and Creating Chances' commented that "the Committee considers the situation where students are forced to pay for an assessment to confirm impairments that the SQA has already accepted for the purpose of special arrangements during examinations as unacceptable and one which does not benefit any student who is making the transition from school to college or university".
3. During the information gathering phase of the Review of the DSA a number of institutions and students have also raised the issue about diagnosis and evidencing. In particular there were comments made about:
- the difficulties and varying costs in obtaining a diagnosis;
- the quality of evidence that this diagnosis may provide for the assessors for the needs assessment; and
- the limited and specific types of qualified people that SAAS accept a diagnosis from.
Remit of Workstreams
4. The Secretariat suggests the following remit of the subgroup.
To examine and provide recommendations on the need of having a diagnosis of a disability for the purpose of claiming DSA. In particular members will examine :
- the purpose and value of requiring a diagnosis;
- would other forms of evidence other than formal diagnosis eg by an Educational Psychologist be suitable for the DSA application;
- what types of qualification a person who provides a diagnosis must have to fulfil SAAS's requirements;
- whether or not the information contained in the diagnosis report should form part of the needs assessment;
- in what circumstances a diagnosis obtained when a student attended school is admissible/relevant for the purpose of DSA; and
- what on going support arrangements would be reasonable for the institution to put in place for students prior to applying for DSA eg learning support arrangements.
Timeline of Subgroup
5. The evidence and the recommendations of this subgroup will be extremely valuable to the Review of DSA. The provisional aim would be to complete the work of this sub group by Summer 2008.
Membership of the Subgroup
6. Having spoken to members of the DSSG, we suggest the following membership for the working group:
Chair - TBC
Secretariat - Victoria Beattie, Scottish Government
Pat Geddes, University of Edinburgh
Alan Scott - SAAS
Cyril Hellier, Scottish Government
Shirley Hill, University of Dundee
Alison Cox, BRITE
Colin Flynn, University of Strathclyde.
Jill Hammond - Glasgow School of Art
Norman Ritchie, Jewel and Esk Valley College & Skill Scotland
Action
7. Members are invited to approve the remit, timescale and membership of this subgroup.
8. Members are invited to discuss how often they would like to meet and agree future dates.
HELS
Scottish Government
December 2007