Deaf Students and Higher Education in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Abstract In the United Kingdom, 233 higher education institutions were surveyed in 1988 and 1989 providing 166 returns. The survey sought information on equal opportunities policies, provision of technical support, the availability of support personnel and interpreters, funding arrangements, and the numbers of deaf students within higher education (HE). With a few notable exceptions, the returns showed a generally poor level of services available to deaf students, an ignorance of the required support needs and a low representation of deaf people within HE. The need for positive action seemed to be least recognized within teacher training colleges. The study also highlighted the absence of any monitoring of deaf or disabled students within HE. Several suggestions are made on how policies and practices in institutions could be changed to widen access to this group of students.