{"id":229,"date":"2017-11-23T15:00:07","date_gmt":"2017-11-23T15:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/?p=229"},"modified":"2017-11-23T15:00:07","modified_gmt":"2017-11-23T15:00:07","slug":"breaking-cuts-to-funding-for-disabled-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2017\/11\/23\/breaking-cuts-to-funding-for-disabled-students\/","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: CUTS TO FUNDING FOR DISABLED STUDENTS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lancaster University Disability Service released a statement yesterday (22 November) about the use of Educational Psychology Assessments:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018The university recognises that assessments for Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) (including dyslexia) can be expensive and we currently provide funding towards the cost of assessments undertaken on campus. Due to limited funds and the numbers of students seeking diagnosis the university contribution towards the cost of an SpLD assessment will be reduced to a 50% contribution from January 2018. This change will allow us to continue to support as many students as possible with the cost of an assessment. However as the total financial contribution towards these assessments each year is limited, there will be no financial contribution available once all funds for the academic year have been used. We will still be able to arrange an appointment for an SpLD assessment, but no financial contribution will be available.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Disability and equality representatives and LUSU and UCU have not been consulted and we are not aware of any equality impact assessment taking place regarding this decision to cut funding for assessments. Obviously, disabled students who can\u2019t afford the assessment will be worst hit, and losing this support can have a massive impact on their life chances. While we recognise the current scarcity of financial resources, what with the essential new lighting and fountains on campus, it seems a highly dubious decision to make disabled students take the brunt of it. We are very familiar with the old \u2018non-disabled fraudsters mean cuts for real disabled people\u2019 myths, and we hope that that tired old nonsense isn\u2019t playing a part in the decision.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are other ways to triage need and provide lower cost assessments than the ones provided by expensive for-profit dyslexia consultants. Even if we had to make cuts, and the case for that has not been explained or backed up with figures or evidence, then there are a number of people in this University who would be very happy to work with the University to advise them on a more sensible path to follow. The way the University has gone about this is not good and looks unintentionally discriminatory at best.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lancaster University Disability Service released a statement yesterday (22 November) about the use of Educational Psychology Assessments: \u2018The university recognises that assessments for Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) (including dyslexia) can be expensive and we currently provide funding towards the cost … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":568,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[157,155,123,156],"class_list":["post-229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-cuts","tag-disability-service","tag-issue-169","tag-splds"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p99sHo-3H","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":723,"url":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2018\/09\/13\/disabilities\/","url_meta":{"origin":229,"position":0},"title":"DISABILITIES","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"September 13 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"It hasn't been a great year for disabled people who study and work at the University of Lancaster. We started the year, in issue 166, complaining about a disabled toilet in Bowland North being filled with dust due to a combination of building works and a window that wouldn't close.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "history"","block_context":{"text":"history","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":937,"url":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2019\/03\/01\/subtext-186-stumbling-towards-a-no-deal-subtext\/","url_meta":{"origin":229,"position":1},"title":"subtext 186 – \u2018stumbling towards a no deal subtext\u2019","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"March 1 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Every so often during term time. Letters, contributions, & comments: subtext-editors@lancaster.ac.uk Back issues & subscription details: http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/about\/ In this issue: editorial, Leipzig, annual meeting, fascists, LUSU hustings, fpsp, ads, widden, letter. ***************************************************** EDITORIAL The students' union VP Education, Ian Meeks, has scored a major win in his campaign for anonymous\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "editorial"","block_context":{"text":"editorial","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/editorial\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":640,"url":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2018\/06\/07\/special-report-whos-calling\/","url_meta":{"origin":229,"position":2},"title":"SPECIAL REPORT: WHO’S CALLING?","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"June 7 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"It's hard to keep up with how Gary Neville is getting on with his university, UA92, what with the lack of information or active verbs on its website. We usually rely on the national press, local election results, and Twitter meltdowns (subtext 177) to keep abreast of what he's up\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "news"","block_context":{"text":"news","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1072,"url":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2019\/11\/01\/letters-25\/","url_meta":{"origin":229,"position":3},"title":"LETTERS","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"November 1 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Dear subtext, On the backfilling of Professional Services roles... Despite knowing the given, valid, reasons why the University felt the need to authorise any backfilling of PS roles and consequently save money, it still seems a bit odd. Effectively, we undertook a PS Review that was supposedly never about cutting\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "letters"","block_context":{"text":"letters","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/letters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":925,"url":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2019\/03\/01\/what-was-that-all-about-then\/","url_meta":{"origin":229,"position":4},"title":"WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT, THEN?","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"March 1 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Once in a while something amazing happens. The University decides to engage with its Professional Services (PS) staff (albeit mainly those located in the Faculties) about their working lives in a way that's pretty good: a huge consultative exercise about how things can be made better, a listening exercise where\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "news"","block_context":{"text":"news","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":379,"url":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2018\/03\/01\/letters-9\/","url_meta":{"origin":229,"position":5},"title":"LETTERS","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"March 1 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Dear subtext, Mr. Fleming\u2019s letter (subtext 173) is factually inaccurate, and shows complete disregard for the strength of staff feeling on this issue at his alma mater, which had the highest turnout in the ballot in England and third highest in the UK, with over 88% endorsing strike action. I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "letters"","block_context":{"text":"letters","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/letters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/hrKIJMLUIO4\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/568"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":230,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229\/revisions\/230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}