Information for students with disabilities

Abstract

Eleven UK medical schools still do not provide adequate disability related information on their websites despite being made aware of this a year ago, according to a new report the Sequel to Pushing the Boat Out .1 The study, which also included dental and veterinary schools, is the follow up study to Pushing the Boat Out ,2 which was published a year ago. Both studies are part of the DIVERSE project (funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England), which aims to improve the provision for disabled students in veterinary medicine, medicine, and dentistry. The focus of Pushing the Boat Out was how UK medical, dental, and veterinary schools differ in the information offered on their websites to potential applicants with disabilities. At that time, only 13 schools had information that could be considered anywhere near adequate for an applicant seeking disability related information. (Having information on a website can be considered a proxy for taking disability seriously.) This led the author, Anne Tynan, to undertake the follow up study, the Sequel . Pushing the Boat Out was widely distributed. A copy was sent to every dean of all the UK medical, dental, and veterinary schools; professional bodies for medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine; disability organisations; and a wide range of other related organisations and individuals in the United Kingdom and abroad. It is therefore disappointing that although some improvements had been made, …