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Disabled Students' Commission

The Disabled Students’ Commission (DSC) was announced by the former Universities Minister in June 2019 and was funded from 2020-2023.

This independent and strategic group takes responsibility for advising, informing and influencing higher education providers to improve support for disabled students.

Through a competitive process, Advance HE was awarded funding by the Office for Students to support the Disabled Students’ Commission for three years. Advance HE has responsibility for providing secretariat support, as well as overseeing the management, coordination and dissemination of research and other DSC outcomes.

This includes assisting with the group’s annual report which builds a picture of disability in higher education in England, in order to identify and promote approaches which work well for disabled students.

Disabled Student Commitment

The purpose of the Disabled Student Commitment (the Commitment) is to secure an enhanced experience for disabled students within higher education.

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Disabled Student Commitment

The purpose of the Disabled Student Commitment (the Commitment) is to secure an enhanced and improved experience for disabled students within higher education. The Disabled Students’ Commission (DSC) calls upon higher education providers (HEPs), Government, funders, agencies, regulators and professional, statutory and regulatory bodies (henceforth referred to as other organisations) to adopt and promote the Commitment.

The Commitment does not seek to replicate or replace legal duties but asks organisations to do more by focusing on how they can improve the disabled student experience. This version is finalised based on responses from our consultation and mirrors the existing principles. 

Read the Disabled Student Commitment report
DSC COVER PAGE

Disabled Student Commitment Members

Universities, colleges, sector bodies and other organisations signed up to the Disabled Student Commitment.

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Publications and Guidance

Disabled Students' Commission: Annual report 2022-2023

29/06/2023
This report, the final report of the Disabled Students’ Commission (DSC), which was established for three years by the Universities Minister in 2020, looks at the key achievements of the Commission over the 2022-23 academic year.
Download report

Disabled Student Commitment Report

24/04/2023
The Disabled Students’ Commission (DSC) calls upon higher education providers (HEPs), Government, funders, agencies, regulators and professional, statutory and regulatory bodies (henceforth referred to as other organisations) to adopt and promote the Commitment.
Download report

Joint Ambition - Health Education England and Disabled Students' Commission

01/02/2023
This statement reflects their joint ambition to help develop and promote support for health learners successfully transition into employment in the National Health Service (NHS) and wider health and social care economy.
Read the statement

Disabled Students’ Commission Annual Report 2021-2022

04/04/2022
The DSC have published the second annual report, Enhancing the disabled student experience, which provides a summary of all the guidance the Commission has published to date and looking ahead to the next phase of work.
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Disabled Students’ Commission Annual Report 2020-2021: Enhancing the disabled student experience

21/01/2021
The report covers how the Commission adapted its original work plan to help disabled students access higher education during the pandemic. The review also shows how the Commission will return its focus to the student life-cycle model for the next academic year, while continually assessing the impact of Covid-19 on disabled students.
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Exploring the use of automated captioning and its impact on disabled students in higher education

10/02/2022
The DSC recently held a roundtable to explore the issues surrounding the use of automated captioning in teaching and learning in higher education. This report provides an overview of the current challenges and looks forward to how automated captioning could possibly become an informal, embedded component of inclusive learning and teaching provision, while mitigating the potential negative equalities impacts among staff.
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Qualitative report on impact of Covid-19 on the experiences of disabled students published

01/02/2022
Advance HE has published the qualitative report to the Disabled Students’ Commission research investigating the impact of Covid-19 on disabled students’ experiences.
Download report

New guidance on disabled graduate employment from the Disabled Students’ Commission

29/09/2021
A guide designed to help disabled people access the workforce and to transition into employment has been published by the Disabled Students’ Commission. The guidance sets out 13 recommendations for universities and colleges, Chambers of Commerce, CBI, Institute of Directors and employers to improve the experience of disabled graduates entering the workforce.
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Exploring the impact of Covid-19 on disabled students’ experiences

12/08/2021
The Disabled Students’ Commission commissioned a survey to take place between May and June 2021 to gain an understanding of the impact of Covid-19 on disabled student experiences, particularly investigating the transition into university, remote learning, mental health and support provided. This report details the findings from an interim analysis of the responses.
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Considerations for disabled applicants to higher or degree apprenticeships

14/07/2021
The guidance aims to help disabled apprenticeship candidates navigate the support for reasonable adjustments provided by their employer and their learning provider and encourages applicants to ask questions about the learning element of their apprenticeship.
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Post Qualification Admission Principles

21/05/2021
Eight principles for the sector to consider to ensure the needs of disabled students are taken into account within a proposed move to a post-qualifications admissions system.
Download report

Considerations for disabled applicants applying to postgraduate courses

11/03/2021
This guidance aims to help postgraduate students with a disability to access information about learning, assessment, careers, mental health and other issues arising during postgraduate study.
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Guidance for captioning rich media

26/02/2021
This guidance from the Disabled Students' Commission outlines best practice and approaches for higher education institutions to support disabled learners.
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Considerations for disabled applicants applying to undergraduate courses

27/01/2021
This booklet is a practical toolkit which aims to support disabled students by providing questions to help ensure a smooth start to their higher education journey.
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Considerations for disabled students when applying to university in light of Covid-19

12/08/2020
This publication has been informed by a series of roundtables run by the DSC in July 2020, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. 
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Three months to make a difference

05/07/2020
The DSC ran a series of roundtables to inform this booklet which outlines key areas that present challenges for disabled students. 
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Next steps: what is the experience of disabled students in education?

This report by UCAS in partnership with Pearson, and the Disabled Students Commission calls for the journey of disabled students to higher education and apprenticeships to be made easier and earlier through the extension of Adjustment Passports.

Read more
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Spotlight Series

Here the Disabled Students’ Commission highlights blogposts and resources from the sector that showcase good practice in relation to disabled student support in HE.

What will the British Sign Language Bill do for deaf students?

As the British Sign Language Bill takes a major step towards becoming law, Susan Daniels OBE, Chief Executive of the National Deaf Children's Society, explores what this could mean for deaf students everywhere.

Read the blog

DSC guidance on disabled apprenticeships at LSBU helping to provide the best possible experience

Fiona Morey from London South Bank University Group demonstrates the impact of the guidance from the Disabled Students’ Commission on disabled apprenticeship students, and how it has been used in a University setting.

Read the blog

How can the HE sector achieve authentic change for disabled students?

Between May and June 2021, the Disabled Students’ Commission conducted a survey with a total of 473 disabled students, exploring the impact of Covid-19 on their student experience in higher education. Hannah Borkin, mixed-methods Researcher at Advance HE, looks at some of the key takeaways from the research.

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A new guide to support students who stammer

With a broad estimate suggesting there are between 24,000 and 71,000 students who stammer in the UK, a new guide has been produced to assist higher education (HE) professionals when they are supporting students who stammer to achieve a positive and inclusive HE experience.

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Avoiding ‘inclusion exclusion’ – keeping stakeholders on board

The Disabled Students’ Commission has published new guidance to help universities and colleges improve support for the digital experience of disabled students.

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Masked Out? The implication of using face masks for deaf students in HE

The recent publication by the Disabled Students’ Commission (DSC), Three Months to Make a Difference, explored the inevitable challenges with making campuses Covid-19 secure.

Read the blog
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Group Membership

Professor Geoff Layer, who was previously Chair of the DSSLG and a current Advance HE Board Member, was appointed Chair of the Disabled Students’ Commission in July 2019 as part of the ministerial announcement of the DSC. John Blake, the OfS’s Director for Fair Access and Participation was nominated as a commissioner by the OfS. 

Following a recruitment campaign, six expert commissioners have also been appointed, with two representing the student voice. Dr Sam Parrett, CEO and Group Principal of London South East Colleges, has been appointed as a further education (FE) adviser to the Commission. 

You can find out more about them here: 

Sean Cullen

Sean Cullen

Disability Officer, Brunel University
Susan Daniels OBE

Susan Daniels

Chief Executive, National Deaf Children's Society
Sarah Greer

Professor Sarah Greer

Vice Chancellor, University of Winchester
Patrick Johnson

Patrick Johnson

Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, University of Law
Professor Deborah Johnston

Professor Deborah Johnston

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education), London South Bank University
Piers Wilkinson

Piers Wilkinson

Digital Accessibility and Inclusion Consultant
Dr Sam Parrett

Dr Sam Parrett

London and South East Education Group
John Blake

John Blake

Director for Fair Access and Participation, Office for Students (OfS representative)