Blazing a trail for disability

Jul 26 2009 by David Old, Sunday Sun

HEADING off to university is a rite of passage for thousands of youngsters. Living independently and making new friends offer important life skills alongside learning. But many disabled people are missing out on the chance because facilities are not up to scratch. David Old looks at an investigation which is underway to force institutions into change.

FOR Jenny Gallacher, going to university was a chance to launch a career and boost her prospects.

Luckily she found a course near enough to allow her to stay at home in Middlesbrough. And she found reasonable access to the new buildings at Durham University’s Queen’s Campus, in Stockton.

But the 26-year-old had a much harder time when she started looking at institutions further afield to do a post-graduate course.

In the end she decided not to pursue the further training, and is now working as a teaching assistant at a primary school, in Middlesbrough.

But she is keen to help make it easier for other disabled people to choose a suitable university.

She has become an ambassador for Trailblazers - the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign’s nationwide network of 16-30-year-olds fighting for the rights for young disabled people.

Jenny, who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy, said: “It’s a worrying and stressful time going to university then you have the added pressures of making sure you can go through doorways and get into lecture theatres, or sorting out a carer to accompany you as well.

“It can put you off wanting to go.

“When I went to the Stockton campus, it was a relatively new building and access wasn’t too bad. But when I started looking at Newcastle and Manchester I found the facilities weren’t as good for access. If I had taken on this other course I would have had to move away from home and needed a room for a carer. In the end I just found there were too many issues.”

Jenny will be ringing Student Unions at universities in the region and asking 15 questions regarding the access and services that are available.