Published on 12, July, 2020
My 19yo is in their 2nd year at Cambridge, or I should say was at Cambridge as they were forced to leave a couple of weeks ago. They are so upset. They were told they should have asked for more help but their ASD makes reaching out to strangers for help almost impossible. My child is quite depressed now they are back at home and it’s really difficult trying to support them. Part of me wants to get legal advice as I don’t think the Uni have dealt with this situation well but part of me wants to just help my child to move on and try to start again elsewhere. Does anyone know where I could get advice on what the University’s obligations are towards their ASD students?
Get a lawyer. I can't stress that strongly enough. I know its very out of date but the NAS services directory has a list
You could also look for direct acess baristers with expertees in disability law. The advantages of direct acess is that you can effectivly pay as you go for the legal advice you need and handel a lot of the negotiation with the university directly if you prefer that (it is cheaper I think)
Thanks Peter. We are taking the first step of going through the uni complaints process. If that’s not fruitful, it’s good to know about the legal services directory. I am trying to limit the amount of detail disclosed here to respect my child’s confidentiality, but can say this is definitely a fitness to study rather than disciplinary situation.
then their position is fairly untenable isn't it? If he can study elsewhere (with reasonable adjusments) then he can study at cambridge. That's tantamount to admiting they won't make reasonable adjustments.