A free e-learning course to help Higher Education (HE) staff to better understand and support disabled learners has been collaboratively developed by Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY), a consortium of 13 HE providers in West Yorkshire.

*The training responds to the number of disabled students in HE almost quadrupling in the decade to 2023-24. It is estimated that, if the current growth rate continues, disabled learners could make up over a third of home student enrolments by 2033.

The overall attainment gap between non-disabled and disabled students has decreased to 1.3% in recent years but there remain barriers to access, success, and progression. These include additional financial pressures, administrative requirements, and non-accessible course materials.

Addressing HE barriers faced by disabled students

Much of the work to address the barriers faced by disabled students has focused on raising awareness of the support that exists for them in HE. This includes the role of disability service teams and encouraging individuals to share their support needs at the application stage, where possible.

However, GHWY identified that there is a gap in staff confidence around supporting disabled students. This can lead to delays in the implementation of reasonable adjustments, with staff members often thinking they need to gain approval from disability services to make them.

This lack of confidence can mean that students suffer from delays in getting access to the support they require to study, often needing to speak to multiple teams to have it put into place. This can have a negative effect on their wellbeing, which can in turn impact on success and progression. It can also lead to already overstretched disability service teams having to handle enquiries that are within the power of staff members in other facilities or departments to resolve.

These findings led us to develop a collaborative e-learning course to help all student-facing HE staff to better understand and support disabled students. It is an approach that is underpinned by a recommendation from University Stats which called for HE staff to be trained in disability awareness and inclusive teaching.

About the course

The free course, which takes about 45 minutes to complete, considers the challenges that disabled individuals may face, including financial difficulties and accessibility issues. It also offers practical tips on how HE staff can support these students.

Topics covered in the course include understanding definitions of physical disability, mental disability, and neurodivergence; transition from Further Education to HE as a disabled student; and the impact of disability on HE access and success. In addition, it includes a section that is designed specifically for academic staff that considers inclusive curriculums.

Student voice from across the partnership is included throughout to illustrate many points and to encourage staff to be led by the needs of their learners. It also incorporates quizzes and scenarios to encourage active learning.

We know that staff are time pressured, which is why the course can be completed in a non-linear fashion and over multiple sessions. This allows individuals to undertake the training at a time that suits them and to focus on modules that are most beneficial to them.

An evidence-based approach was taken during the course’s development, drawing on the expertise of our members as well as research to identify needs and ensure content was informed by literature. It was also designed with inclusivity at the forefront and can be accessed through screen readers with standard web design.

In addition, lessons and good practice were taken from the success of our collaborative e-learning to help HE staff understand and support care-experienced and estranged students. The evaluation of this course indicated the need for training on specific underrepresented groups, including disabled students, to equip HE staff with knowledge to help improve attainment outcomes.

Access GHWY’s e-learning course to help all student-facing HE staff to better understand and support disabled students.

Regional partnership work

GHWY works to reduce inequity in HE access and success in West Yorkshire. We convene networks of staff to understand the experiences of students in groups that are most likely across our member institutions to experience inequality of opportunity. This includes disabled students.

It was hoped that by working collaboratively to address a common issue we could help to remove barriers to success and success for disabled students. There were several benefits to this approach, which include:

• We could use economies of scale to produce an e-learning resource that no individual member of the partnership had the capacity to do.
• By jointly marketing the resource, we could achieve a wider reach. Almost 100 people enrolled on the course within a few months of its launch in 2024.
• The training uses good practice to encourage staff to collaborate with disability service teams to overcome the multiple barriers disabled students can face in HE.
• The e-learning draws on the knowledge and expertise of staff based across our 13 diverse members. This means that content and design could be informed by evidence-based practice
• Being completely impartial, the course can be used by staff at any HE provider across the country to empower them to better support disabled students.

These benefits far outweighed the logistical challenges of collaboratively producing the resource with 13 members, such as managing different expectations and obtaining equal buy-in from all stakeholders.

Feedback from course participants

The e-learning has been well received by participants and, based on quantitative feedback, it has demonstrated an increase in knowledge and confidence.

Data taken from pre- and post-completion surveys indicates that the number of participants who reported they had a good understanding of the experiences of disabled students in HE rose from 5.95 to 8.95 (out of a possible 10). Those who reported they felt confident they can effectively support disabled students studying in HE rose from 5.95 to 9.03. Similar increases were found across all metrics that were measured.

Positive qualitative feedback has also been received. One person said the training helped them to learn, “about several options that I can now bring into my work being an initial point of contact for students who may have additional needs.”

Another participant said: “Excellent course. It was easy to follow and did not overwhelm me with complex information. I really liked the knowledge checks throughout.”

We will continue to evaluate the resource and to update it based on feedback, as well as to reflect sector and governmental priorities.

Find out more about GHWY

GHWY is a partnership of 13 HE providers in West Yorkshire that represent a huge range of higher education options, from universities and HE-in-FE provision, to a specialist training provider, and conservatoire.

We strive to help improve the life chances of students and learners, with a focus on underrepresented groups, helping them better understand the benefits of, and options for HE, the available support, and all the various pathways to becoming a HE student.

Find out more about GHWY and access our resources.

Written by Susan Darlington, Go Higher West Yorkshire Partnership Assistant