An explorative study of the experiences of practice educators who have students with a disability on placement

Abstract

Introduction A government document entitled ‘looking beyond labels’ (2000) argues for the employment of more disabled persons within the National Health Service. The Disability Rights Commission report of 2007, which examined the professions of nursing, teaching and social work, also championed the rights of disabled people entering these professions. The existing literature indicates that students with a disability are likely to be more disadvantaged than non-disabled students within an off-campus setting (Brown et al, 2006) as they may face barriers such as hindrance of the physical environment and attitudes of staff (Baron et al, 1996). Given the paucity of literature pertaining to the experiences of practice educators who have students with disabilities on placement, this study explored the experiences of occupational therapy and speech and language therapy practice educators who have supervised a student with a disability, from their own discipline within the placement setting.