Supporting Disabled Students

The end of August marks the end of school holidays, the beginning of many college courses and the start of the new university year.  

However, if you are a student with a Disability, some planning many have to go into the start of your academic year in order to facilitate the support you need to stay on course. 

First of all, it is important to remember that you are just as entitled to attend school, college or university as everyone else.

It is also important to always believe in yourself, you can do it.

Dyslexia as an Example

At times, the society we live in may make education difficult.

For example, if you are dyslexic and have difficulty reading, remembering and writing - the three "Rs" as far as Dyslexia is concerned - the need to hand in written work, read through pages of black and white text and then to sit a written exam on the subject, educational achievement may seem like a challenge.  However, it need not be.

In this case, you may be entitled to additional time with your course work, to additional time with written exams, to use a scribe, to additional toilet breaks if you need a breather, the use of a computer and assistive technology.

This list of support described above is by no means prescriptive nor is it exhaustive.

What the list reflects are the potential "reasonable adjustments" that can be put in place for you to help you stay on course.

Personal approach is necessary

It is also important to remember that no one person with a disability - whether it is dyslexia, a mental health condition, a physical support need or something else - is the same.  We are all unique, and with that, each of us may have different support needs.

Unfortunately, many school administrators like to group disabled students, misunderstanding that the support needs for one person may not be the same as those you require.  This can lead to some difficulty in determining what is "reasonable" in terms of the adjustments that any institution may have to make.

The Medical Model of Disability

For example, a number of years ago the issue of student mental health - as a disability - was hotly contested within the education sector.  There was, and still is, to some extent, a lack of understanding concerning mental ill health.

Many educationalists preferred to focus on the medical model; always seeking a diagnosis and determining from that whether or not mental health fell within the scope of "disability" in order to make any reasonable adjustments.

The over reliance on the medical model, is something that many more experience disabled activists will be familiar with.  For the sake of brevity, the medicalisation of a disabled person removes the personal, it dehumanises and it predominately sees the disabled person as a problem.

The Social Model of Disability 

This approach is contrasted with a social model of disability.  Under this model, it is society, with its focus on maintaining utility for the majority, that is actually the problem.

The majority of people are able bodied, do not use wheelchairs and  do not have support workers to enable day to day living.  This is why, amongst other things, buildings, services, educational assessments and the way our society operates are all designed to accommodate the utility for the majority.

The social model articulates that society is actually the disabling factor.  Unlike the medical model, the societal understanding of accommodation is the problem.  Importantly, the problem is not the disabled person themselves.

Mental Health as an Example

Returning to the example of mental health, the medical model almost entirely ignores the problems created by society in providing appropriate support - and reasonable adjustments - for people with mental ill health.

Additionally, the medical model also seeks to categorise - through diagnosis - the mental health problem in hand.  This means that people with depression, anxiety, bi-polar disorder or some other category are often grouped together rather than being looked at as individuals with personal support needs.

What is essential to providing support to any disabled person is that you have an understanding of the support needs for that person; not as a homogenised group of persons with a particular category code or diagnosis.

A student with a mental health problem may experience problems with motivation, concentration, memory and also experience fatigue and general ill health.  In order to support someone in this context, a support worker may be necessary, additional time for assessments allowed, no penalties for handing in work late or absence.  Again, this is not an exhaustive list.  

The Law

The legal position concerning reasonable adjustments is found in the Equality Act 2010.

The Equality Act is lengthy and for this reason, a summary of what it says is provided here; 

1. Disabled students are protected from discrimination - discrimination can either be direct or indirect.
2. Protection also extends to acts of harassment or victimisation for a reason connected with the disability (in some circumstances, the criminal law also provides protection).   
3. You do not need to be disabled yourself to benefit from protection; you are also protected from discrimination by association or a reason connected with the disability.   

Education providers, whether schools, colleges or universities must make reasonable adjustments to provide support for disabled students.  There is no prescribed list of what is reasonable and what is not, as this is always context and person specific.

In some cases, an education provider may decline to make a reasonable adjustment, if it is felt that the request is not reasonable.

If a dispute arises concerning a School, there are specific tribunals established to resolve a dispute.  Unfortunately, the tribunals do not have jurisdiction over colleges and universities.  In these cases, a dispute would have to be resolved through the local crown or sheriff court.

Getting Support

It is important to make contact with your education provider as soon as possible. 

The institution should then refer you to an appropriate service to seek support and discuss reasonable adjustments.  In many colleges and universities there is a dedicated student support service with disability advisers who can make recommendations.

It is important to be as open as possible about what support you may require.

The discussion you have is a two way process.  You do not simply have to accept what someone tells you, if you want something else or do not feel that it is appropriate.   

You may also be asked to provide evidence.  This is a reasonable request, but it should not be made too onerous.  For example, in the case of dyslexia a report summary from a Psychologist should suffice.  In the case of a mental health issue, a letter from a G.P.   

Please note, if you are told that the recommendations do not have to be accepted by the course provider, then this could constitute an unlawful act of discrimination, harassment or victimisation.  

The law says that reasonable adjustments must be made.  The law also prohibits discrimination.  Education providers are not given a choice about the law; it is there to protect you.

In Higher and Further Education, the Government provides a scheme called the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA).  The DSA provides funding for you to buy equipment, software and to access non medical personal help.  In order to access DSA funding, your education provider may have to refer you to a specialist assessment centre.

Once you settle into your academic year, you should be able to enjoy your course and fingers crossed, that with a little planning in advance, you get the support you need.     

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has prepared various guidance notes concerning Equality in the Education sector.  For more information, visit: 
http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/advice-and-guidance/new-equality-act-guidance/equality-act-guidance-downloads/
         
Caveat:  This article is not legal advice. 

Fish Fingers and Law

On Sunday 14th July a Highland Restaurant refused to sell a portion of Fish Fingers to a man because they were on the Children's menu.

The Man has Down's Syndrome and according to his family, can only eat small portions.  Fish Fingers are his meal of choice.

The Family have claimed that they were kept waiting for an unacceptable length of time and that the refusal to sell the Child's portion amounted to discrimination.  

The Restaurant have denied discriminating against the man and have stated publicly that they apologise and wish to make amens.  They have also launched a formal investigation into the matter and a representative of the family is currently in touch with the Regional Manager for the Hotel, of which the Restaurant forms part.  

Although, this case has been more widely publicised for the 70 thousand or so followers of the Facebook campaign which followed the incident, the facts here highlight the potential Equality and Discrimination law challenges within the Hospitality Sector.  

This article explores the some of the legal and practical issues faced in hospitality sector when presented with a potential case of discrimination.  

Legal Issues

It is important to remember that the Equality Act applies to the hospitality sector.  

Employment

The sector is an employer and a provider of goods, facilities and services.  The Equality Act states that it is unlawful to discriminate on grounds of disability and that discrimination can be both direct and indirect.  It is also unlawful and in some cases criminal, to victimise or harass someone because of their disability.  In order to avoid discrimination, there is an obligation as an employer to make "reasonable adjustments" for any disabled members of staff.

Reasonable adjustments for staff may include changes to a working pattern or the provision of auxiliary aids to enable a disabled employee to stay in work.  There is no prescribed list of reasonable adjustments because making the adjustments and understanding the support needs of disabled employees is very person specific.  

Providing Goods, Facilities and Services

There is also an anticipatory duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people as visitors, guests, clients or customers.  

This may mean ensuring that a building is fully accessible (wide enough corridors for wheel chair uses, the use of ramps and suitably sized lifts, appropriately located accessible toilets etc.). It may also mean that a conference venue is equipped with a hearing loop and suitable audio visual technology to allow disabled delegates to fully participate; not to mention that the venue itself is accessible (accessible does not mean requiring someone in a wheel chair to go around the back and use the servants entrance!) This is by no means an exhaustive list and should not be interpreted as such.  

The crux is that it is for providers of goods, facilities and services to anticipate the use of those services by disabled people, and to have make suitable adjustments in advance to allow that to happen.  

"DDA Compliant" does not exist

It is also important to keep in mind that there is no legal concept known as "DDA compliant" - and there never has.  This unfortunate use of phrase has been used by many to advertise that their services comply fully with the (former) Disability Discrimination Act.  

First of all, there never was a legal test of compliance within the Disability Discrimination Act.  It was and remains impossible to say that you are "DDA Compliant".  

The duty to make reasonable adjustments, whether for employees or as a provider of goods, facilities and services was an evolving one, continuing (it did not stop) and subjective (be it person, building or service specific).

There was no tick box list of what was reasonable and what was not.  There was no exhaustive list of what was a disability and what was not.  

Secondly, the Disability Discrimination Act has now been replaced by the Equality Act.  The duties under the former legislation continue in the new legislation.  

If something is described as "DDA Compliant" is usually means that it is not.  It demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the relevant legislation and the legal obligations contained therein.  

Staff Training

Regular staff training is also important as part of the anticipatory duty.  For example, understanding that disabled people are not a homogeneous group, the term "accessible" does not just incorporate wheelchair users, that assistance dogs are not just for blind or partially sighted people and that some disabilities may in fact be hidden and not obviously apparent are all important to keep in mind.  For the avoidance of doubt, this is not an exhaustive list of items to be included in a training exercise.  

Taking this background into account, where does it leave the present case?  Is it discriminatory to refuse to sell a children's portion of fish fingers to a man with Down's Syndrome?

First all all, it is important to be clear that these cases of potential discrimination are rarely clear cut.  The approach taken below will be multi-faceted; examining arguments presented by both parties.  

The Duty not to Discriminate 

The Length of Time the Family had to Wait

One version of events suggests that from the outset, the group of three customers were kept waiting because one of their party was a man with Down's Syndrome.  

In this case, it is implied that the waiting time amounted to less favourable treatment.  

This would mean that the group were treated less favourably than the restaurant would treat another group of three people who did not have a man with Down's Syndrome within their party. 

If this was the case, then this would amount to unlawful discrimination.  

However, it is important to explore other potential reasons for the wait.  For example;

(a)  Was the restaurant short staffed?  

(b)  Did the staff know that group of customers were waiting to be seated and ultimately served?  

(c)  Could there have been a breakdown in communication between the front of house and the waiting staff?  

(d)  In all the circumstances, was the waiting time reasonable?  

Additionally, poor customer service, in itself, does not necessarily amount to unlawful discrimination.  

The Hotel management have stated that the party were seated and told that there would be approximately a 20 minute waiting time for food (15 minutes to cook and 5 minutes lay over in case of a problem).  

The Family do not dispute that they were told about the waiting time, but have argued this was because one of their group had Down's Syndrome and the Restaurant did not want to serve them.  

It is unlikely, that the waiting time on its own, would have amounted to discrimination.  

In order to be discriminatory, the group would have had to have been treated less favourably than others in the same circumstances.  A 20 minute food service window is not unreasonable if food is cooked from fresh and this has been brought to the attention of all customers.  

The Choice of Menu - Adult versus Child

The Children's menu is printed on the same card as the Adult menu.  It stated that Children eat for free on a Sunday and the restaurant's tills were programmed accordingly.  Children is defined by the restaurant as under 12s.  

The Family asked to order from the Children's menu because it had (1) smaller portions and (2) fish fingers - a food which the man with Down's Syndrome could eat without issue.  There was no fish finger option on the Adult menu.  

The Hotel claims that the server explained that because of the difficulty with the programming of the till, they could not offer a Children's portion of fish fingers but would ask the Chef to prepare a suitable alternative (Goujons) in a smaller portion.  

The duty to anticipate

It is reasonable to anticipate that some would be diners may have specific dietary requirements; some of which would be in consequence of a disability.  

In this sense, any restaurant would have to anticipate the possibility of offering non-menu item alternatives.  This may include, for example, offering something from a different menu, if available, or arranging for limited bespoke cooking depending on the circumstances of the case.  

In the circumstances, what is reasonable?

In determining whether or not a particular course of action is reasonable, it is important to consider a range of factors such as the proportionaility of making the adjustment, the availability of any alternatives, the practical difficulties posed amongst other factors.  

In this example, the Hotel did offer an alternative.  However, this has to be contrasted against whether or not making the requested adjustment (providing fish fingers from the Children's menu) would have posed any particular difficulty for them.  

The Children's menu was available in this case, notwithstanding potential difficulties with the Till system.  There does not seem to be any reason there for why the Hotel could not have offered Fishfingers as requested.

Equal treatment may still discriminate

The Hotel's point of view here is that the guest presented to them as an adult.  The staff in the Hotel therefore treated the man as an adult and explained that the Children's menu was reserved for the Under 12s.  

The Hotel is adament that no discrimination took place; they treated this guest in the same manner as any other adult guest.  

In these circumstances, a well intentioned stance of equal treatment for everyone, may have amounted to indirect discrimination.  This is where a provision, criteria or practice which applies equally to everyone places a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non disabled person.  

The potentially discriminatory provision here is that the Children's menu is only available to under 12s; notwithstanding that some disabled would be diners may seek to order from that menu.

The Hotel did not make any adjustment to this provision and potentially, because the specific dietry requirment of this guest arose in consequence of his disability, could be said to have discriminated (even if that was not the intention).  

The Importance of Staff Training

As highlighted above, poor customer service in itself does not amount to discrimination.  However, ignorance of the law and in this case the multi-faceted obligations of the Equality Act 2010 is not an excuse either.  

This view is echoed by the Chief Executive of the Institute of Hospitality Peter Ducker:

“Good induction practices and staff training are essential to ensure your staff are diversity-aware.  Research shows that many of us are afraid of causing offence or not knowing what to do when interacting with a disabled person.
You might think that none of your guests are disabled so there is no real need for you to tailor your service to meet their needs.  But you would be overlooking the fact that, according to the 2011 UK census, one in six people has an ‘activity limiting’ health problem or disability.  In fact, many of your existing customers are likely to be in this group but you may not realise it.  Impairments such as arthritis, poor eyesight, back problems and autism are invisible and most people will not mention them when booking a room with you.
There is a common misperception that to become fully accessible requires investing huge amounts of money in widening doors and building ramps, but less than 10% of disabled people are wheelchair users.  If we think of accessibility in its broadest sense, some small changes can lead to your business being more welcoming to a wider range of people.
VisitEngland research shows that disabled people and their travelling companions spend over £2bn a year, accounting for 11% of all domestic overnight stays in the UK.   Disabled people stay longer on average (3.6 nights) than non-disabled people (three nights) and are more likely to travel with carers, relatives or friends and stay during quieter times.”

Useful Resources

For more information on the Equality Act and the legal obligations of the providers of goods, facilities and services, please visit the Equality and Human Rights Commission website: www.equalityhumanrights.com

The Hospitality Institute has also prepared three short training videos about valuing diversity in the sector.  These can be viewed online here: http://www.youtube.com/VisitEnglandBiz