My son with asbergers has just started university and despite getting disability services at university involved the support is totally inadequate. He is feeling isolated, disorientated and anxious after less than a week. Does anyone else have experience of this and strategies to help I him get through this so he can stay to do the course he has worked so hard to get on to?
Before going to see them, look up the university's equal opportunities policy and their disability accessibility policy. Both of these documents can be very revealing, and could give you an argument to follow up that they cannot throw back at you with the comments you've described already.
Equal Opportunities policies are a sore point with me. A lot of universities grabbed at the "over-arching" policy option. This means that a generic statement is made about equal opportunities, and very little is said about individual subsets. So disability ends up with no more said than religion or maternity. This might be why the university concerned is behaving this way. The generic content is so diluted to fit everything that it amounts to nothing at all.
Ideally the equal opportunities policy should address disability specifically and in detail and demonstrate understanding of the issues.
With the disability/accessibility policy, look at whether it starts with the social model of disabuility, and then goes straight in to providing levellers - coloured paper and sans serif text in handouts, extra time in exams. If so the provision is likely to be poor. Ideally you want to see a policy that demonstrates understanding of each of the disabilities they provide for, with a named person who advises them on that disability, and evidence of training.
If both the equal opportunities and disability policies are feeble, look for the mission statement in their about box, usually under vice chancellor's office (may be an introduction by the vice chancellor). If that is weak or lacklustre on equality, tghey aren't a good university.
But knowing their competence may prepare you for how much "bullshit" you get....hope Mods are alright about me using that but it best describes it.
Remember they accepted your son with his disability. It is their responsibility to ascertain his needs and make "reasonable" adjustment - woolly but arguable. The Disability Discrimination Act was clear on this - that the consequuences of having to withdraw from a course and restart elsewhere, because a university failed in its obligations, entitles you to compensation. Unfortunately there have been few test cases so it is a but harder to demand. But the principle is they cannot take on a student with a disability and then come up with excuses and nonsense stories about what they can and cannot do.
Armed with that, you might have more chance of making a good case tomorrow.
Unfortunate that the student mentor was just a campus guide and not a real helper, but that might be down to a poor mentor. Raise that point with them.
In terms of what your son can do, there may be alternative eating arrangements, like buying something to take away to a quiet place, or using facilities where he is staying. The noise levels in student careing is horrendous, and if I had to use student facilities I always found somewhere to sit with a wall or window beside me so the sound comes from one direction.
Depending on what rules have been imposed on the tutors he may be able to come to some arrangement with his academic personal tutor. Technically tutors mustn't do anything without consulting strudent services but the rules do get modified as far as teachers can get away with. The academics can be helpful, as long as your son appreciates their time is precious (having to support lots of students, and prepare teaching materials, and mark, and research)..... But his subject tutors may have experience of supporting students on the spectrum and be able to be more constructive.
Before going to see them, look up the university's equal opportunities policy and their disability accessibility policy. Both of these documents can be very revealing, and could give you an argument to follow up that they cannot throw back at you with the comments you've described already.
Equal Opportunities policies are a sore point with me. A lot of universities grabbed at the "over-arching" policy option. This means that a generic statement is made about equal opportunities, and very little is said about individual subsets. So disability ends up with no more said than religion or maternity. This might be why the university concerned is behaving this way. The generic content is so diluted to fit everything that it amounts to nothing at all.
Ideally the equal opportunities policy should address disability specifically and in detail and demonstrate understanding of the issues.
With the disability/accessibility policy, look at whether it starts with the social model of disabuility, and then goes straight in to providing levellers - coloured paper and sans serif text in handouts, extra time in exams. If so the provision is likely to be poor. Ideally you want to see a policy that demonstrates understanding of each of the disabilities they provide for, with a named person who advises them on that disability, and evidence of training.
If both the equal opportunities and disability policies are feeble, look for the mission statement in their about box, usually under vice chancellor's office (may be an introduction by the vice chancellor). If that is weak or lacklustre on equality, tghey aren't a good university.
But knowing their competence may prepare you for how much "bullshit" you get....hope Mods are alright about me using that but it best describes it.
Remember they accepted your son with his disability. It is their responsibility to ascertain his needs and make "reasonable" adjustment - woolly but arguable. The Disability Discrimination Act was clear on this - that the consequuences of having to withdraw from a course and restart elsewhere, because a university failed in its obligations, entitles you to compensation. Unfortunately there have been few test cases so it is a but harder to demand. But the principle is they cannot take on a student with a disability and then come up with excuses and nonsense stories about what they can and cannot do.
Armed with that, you might have more chance of making a good case tomorrow.
Unfortunate that the student mentor was just a campus guide and not a real helper, but that might be down to a poor mentor. Raise that point with them.
In terms of what your son can do, there may be alternative eating arrangements, like buying something to take away to a quiet place, or using facilities where he is staying. The noise levels in student careing is horrendous, and if I had to use student facilities I always found somewhere to sit with a wall or window beside me so the sound comes from one direction.
Depending on what rules have been imposed on the tutors he may be able to come to some arrangement with his academic personal tutor. Technically tutors mustn't do anything without consulting strudent services but the rules do get modified as far as teachers can get away with. The academics can be helpful, as long as your son appreciates their time is precious (having to support lots of students, and prepare teaching materials, and mark, and research)..... But his subject tutors may have experience of supporting students on the spectrum and be able to be more constructive.
