An expert on disabilities awareness, Professor Alan Hurst, heightened the University of Dundee's awareness of disability and disability legislation at a one-day workshop entitled "Supporting Students with Disabilities and Learning Difficulties" at the University of Dundee yesterday (8 March).
Over 50 departments within the University sent representatives to the workshop where Alan Hurst, Professor in the Department of Education and Social Science at the University of Central Lancashire, alerted the representatives to take into account all the aspects of disability in higher education. He focused on how to cope with the demands of disabled students and forced the participants to own up to their own prejudice and rethink disability.
Di Shaw, co-ordinator for students with disabilities at the Universities disability support centre said; "We currently have 260 registered disabled students with disabilities ranging from dyslexia, mobility and visual impairment, mental health and deafness. With the advent of the QAA (Quality Assurance Agency) Teachability Project and the expected passage of the Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disability Rights in Education Bill, this training workshop could not have been more timely."
Professor Hurst was so impressed with the attendance at the workshop from such a variety of departments, he expressed that he would be delighted to return to the University of Dundee to do further training.
Photograph: l-r
Anne Scott, staff development
Alan Jones, director of staff development
Prof Alan Hurst
Di Shaw, co-ordinator for students with disabilities
Anne Gosling, disability support centre