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Help. Need Advice please.

max

Hi


I'm mailing on behalf of my son, who is a first year undergraduate student at University. He has a diagnosis of Aspergers Syndrome, dyslexia and dyspraxia and receives DLA and DSA. He is aware of this mail.

The academic support from the University itself has been very good - better than experiences with schools had led us to expect. He has a 2 support workers, a named contact in student wellbeing, support software (recording equipment for lectures etc) and his College (the Business School) has been generally supportive. He is enjoying his studies and even regularly attends several student societies.

The only serious problem he has is with his accommodation, provided by private student accommodation suppliers who provide a large accommodation complex next door to the Business School. They placed him a student flat with 5 other students and facing towards the Central Courtyard.

They were informed at least twice in writing and at least twice during phone calls about my son’s condition before he signed their contract. They have failed to make any adjustments to allow him to fully access the services provided - even ignoring his stated preferences for a smaller flat (max. 3 other students) and a room facing away from the central courtyard (as he is very sensitive to ambient noise). We have subsequently found out that he is not the first Aspergers student to have problems at the current accommodation. They haven't anticipated or implemented any adjustments to help students with my son’s disabilities.

For example, even though there were locks fitted to the 6 kitchen cupboards they didn't issue keys and when the other students "took his cupboard, fridge and freezer space" his condition meant that he wouldn't 'stand up for himself' and ended up trying to store his kitchen equipment and food in half the cupboard under the sink and with no space in the fridge/freezer (except the ice cube tray). When his flatmates told him to 'be quiet' (we overheard one of them knocking on his door telling him to be quiet when he was simply making a phone call to us at about 10pm) he started whispering in his room at all times.

These along with other similar incidents have led to tension with his flatmates resulting in him refusing to use the kitchen, flush his toilet or interact with the others in his flat. There is now no chance of re-integrating him into his current accommodation.

His support worker has approached his current accommodation to see if there is a possibility of moving within the accommodation but they have said there is not. The University Accommodation office has found him a studio flat that he could move to but it is with a different accommodation provider. He has been told that his current accommodation provider will hold him to his contract and that he can only move if he re-lets his current accommodation otherwise he will be liable for rent on both rooms.

Does he have grounds to cancel/leave his contract with his current accommodation provider and how would he need to go about it?

Without moving we are sure he will give up his course and leave the University. He intends to hand back his keys on 18th December (when the current term ends). He won't return to the flat after that (and there seems to be very little we can do to change his mind).

If he has his alternative accommodation in place by or near the start of term in January, he will go back (we can help him commute from home in the short term only - we live in a rural location approx. 35 miles from the University with very poor public transport links). This gives us a potential timeframe to the end of January to sort the accommodation. If there's a realistic chance of getting the contract cancelled we would advise him to default on the January payment of his current accommodation provider contract and take the studio flat.

Could you please advise us/him on what we should do?

Parents

  • There is a way forward. All universities should have an equal opportunities policy. These do vary a bit and it is difficult to make a generic statement about where to find the policyy on their website and what it should contain. I looked up University of Reading, where I found it oddly under "Health and wellbeing" (not the obvious place I'd have thought). It is in the Tutor's Handbook, so one way Max's son can act is to ask his personal tutor to show him the Equal Opportunities guidelines given to staff.

    It specifically addresses this under Harassment (this may be different at other universities, but it will be somewhere).

    "Allegations of harrassment or bullying are one of the more complex problems that a student may bring to his or her Tutor, or an employee may confide in a colleague. Such actions may relate to the actions of a student or a member of staff".

    "The University's anti-harrassment policy is clear and is contained in the policy statement on harrassment which says that incidents of harrassment will be regarded extremely seriously, and may be grounds for disciplinary action, which may include expulsion or dismissal."

    They then cite the Equality Act of 2010 which refers to anyone engaging in unwanted conduct related to the other's characteristic or where the conduct has the purpose or effect of violating the other's dignity...... also covers sexual harrassment....and anything that creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment as a result.

    All universities MUST have something like this enshrined in their EO policy statement. I don't think a distinction can be made because it was in private sector flats, as many universities now rely on private sector flats, there must be a carry over. And I know some universities would suspend studies in the case of what Max's son's fellow students have done to him.

    If the university doesn't act on a complaint it risks damaging its credibility as a safe place for students, including overseas students, and at the present time that it a risk they cannot afford.

    I think Max should a s a p, contact the University on behalf of his son to make a complaint of harrassment. Nominally his son should do it through his tutor, but this case of harrassment needs brought to the attention of the Vice Chancellor.

    If, and it is a possible interpretation, the university knows of the circumstances and hasn't upheld this part of the act, the university could be in serious trouble. That's why Max should ideally contact the vice chancellor.

    OK Reading University is Russell Group high profile, and there are some universities not as diligent, but I think this needs pursuing.

    I also looked up Reading University's policy statement on harrassment, which more wordily expounds these issues. It asks for mediation in the first instance and students to use a Students' Complaint Procedure, and gives guidelines for this. Reading between the lines Reading University would like it kept low profile and quickly resolved, and a lot of universities will play it that way. The university provides harrassment advisers as a first port of call.

    As I say this will vary from university to university.

    I don't agree with other posters suggesting these fellow students aren't evil. What Max describes, even if the definition of autism doesn't properly cover this aspect of the disability, what the flatmates have done is vile. They have created a degrading (making him keep his food in the cupboard under the sink) humiliating (making him do everything quietly) and offensive environment. Any responsible university would be well rid of such students.

Reply

  • There is a way forward. All universities should have an equal opportunities policy. These do vary a bit and it is difficult to make a generic statement about where to find the policyy on their website and what it should contain. I looked up University of Reading, where I found it oddly under "Health and wellbeing" (not the obvious place I'd have thought). It is in the Tutor's Handbook, so one way Max's son can act is to ask his personal tutor to show him the Equal Opportunities guidelines given to staff.

    It specifically addresses this under Harassment (this may be different at other universities, but it will be somewhere).

    "Allegations of harrassment or bullying are one of the more complex problems that a student may bring to his or her Tutor, or an employee may confide in a colleague. Such actions may relate to the actions of a student or a member of staff".

    "The University's anti-harrassment policy is clear and is contained in the policy statement on harrassment which says that incidents of harrassment will be regarded extremely seriously, and may be grounds for disciplinary action, which may include expulsion or dismissal."

    They then cite the Equality Act of 2010 which refers to anyone engaging in unwanted conduct related to the other's characteristic or where the conduct has the purpose or effect of violating the other's dignity...... also covers sexual harrassment....and anything that creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment as a result.

    All universities MUST have something like this enshrined in their EO policy statement. I don't think a distinction can be made because it was in private sector flats, as many universities now rely on private sector flats, there must be a carry over. And I know some universities would suspend studies in the case of what Max's son's fellow students have done to him.

    If the university doesn't act on a complaint it risks damaging its credibility as a safe place for students, including overseas students, and at the present time that it a risk they cannot afford.

    I think Max should a s a p, contact the University on behalf of his son to make a complaint of harrassment. Nominally his son should do it through his tutor, but this case of harrassment needs brought to the attention of the Vice Chancellor.

    If, and it is a possible interpretation, the university knows of the circumstances and hasn't upheld this part of the act, the university could be in serious trouble. That's why Max should ideally contact the vice chancellor.

    OK Reading University is Russell Group high profile, and there are some universities not as diligent, but I think this needs pursuing.

    I also looked up Reading University's policy statement on harrassment, which more wordily expounds these issues. It asks for mediation in the first instance and students to use a Students' Complaint Procedure, and gives guidelines for this. Reading between the lines Reading University would like it kept low profile and quickly resolved, and a lot of universities will play it that way. The university provides harrassment advisers as a first port of call.

    As I say this will vary from university to university.

    I don't agree with other posters suggesting these fellow students aren't evil. What Max describes, even if the definition of autism doesn't properly cover this aspect of the disability, what the flatmates have done is vile. They have created a degrading (making him keep his food in the cupboard under the sink) humiliating (making him do everything quietly) and offensive environment. Any responsible university would be well rid of such students.

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