Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi All, my son should be going into his 3rd year at Uni but failed the year and is now having to go through a Special Cases Committee to try to get them to let him re-do his 2nd year. He chose not to disclose his Aspergers and so has received no support from the university which is what both he and I feel is the reason for his not passing his 2nd year exams. At school he had a SEN and then ECHP so received support and did well, but the lack of support at Uni has left him floundering on his own.
We have given the Uni a copy of his original diagnosis as well as his last ECHP from 2019, but they are saying he also needs to provide a professional option from a GP relating to his condition and how it has impacted him over the past year. Not sure how they will do that, he hasn't seen any medical professionals in the last year and his GP is where we live not 200 miles away where his uni is. He is trying to contact them virtually though.
It feels to me that his autism is being used against him over and over by the university who I would have thought really ought to have noticed his needs even if he didn't articulate them. As he is an adult, I'm not even able to easily advocate for him. Has anyone been through anything similar, and do you have any advice?
One thing to bear in mind if the worst comes to the worst. The OIA can only make recommendations. They are usually followed but they are not binding. The courts can force universities to do things.