Blazing a trail for disability

Jul 26 2009 by David Old, Sunday Sun

She said: “You just end up thinking you can’t go because it’s going to be too hard. This is why we want to put a list together of the universities how accessible they are and what services they have.

“There are lots of disabled people who have qualifications from school and there shouldn’t be any reason they’re not going on to study for a degree. I just hope this will make university more accessible to disabled people. They should be able to go to university and train and we will do everything possible to help them. Services should be accessible to everybody.”

It is the second campaign carried out by Trailblazers and follows an effort to improve access to public transport.

Head of policy and campaigns at the network, Nic Bungay said: “When we launched Trailblazers, education was an issue many people with muscular dystrophy wanted to be investigated.

“A lot of young disabled people have to plan an awful lot when going to university. It’s not just a case of choosing the best location, they have to see what care packages are available, make sure halls of residence and lecture halls are accessible.

“There are other issues, such as the gap between A-level results and starting university is too small for young disabled students. Many simply do not have the time to investigate what the facilities are like.

“These people lead ordinary lives but need extra support and guidance.

“Unfortunately we’ve heard some negative stories, such as a girl who wanted to study genetics but the A-level labs were not accessible. And we’ve heard from a young man who wants to study in Manchester but has been told that to qualify for a support worker he has to have been a permanent resident. That is simply not true and just an example of social services trying to fob someone off.”

According to research, disabled people are half as likely to go to university.

Nic added: “Going to university allows people to have lots of fun, meet new friends and learn to live independently. But unfortunately a lot of disabled people are left stuck at home.

“We want that to end and see more disabled students go to university. Degrees are linked with future employment and better prospects. Not going to university is going to have a knock on effect on the rest of a disabled person’s life.

“Muscular dystrophy does not affect the mind at all. There are incredibly intelligent young men and women capable of studying and getting good degrees and the best jobs, but sometimes they are not able to do that.”