NADO Technical Briefing 1/2001 : Disability Officers in Higher Education
A report about Disability Officers and their work roles, written and investigated in the context of Higher Education Institutions.
[The full document is available from the NADO Office for £4.50 or FREE to all Members.]
[Please note: These Technical Briefings are currently being updated. More info to follow soon.]
Conclusions
The bulk of the conclusions are drawn from the discussions following the results of each survey question. To draw conclusions from the interviews and dis-forum analysis would not be appropriate since they reflect individual viewpoints which may not be possible to generalise. However, where the same issues emerged in a number of interviews they have been included.
Definition and variations in the role of Disability Officer
Current occupants of the role show a broad mix between male and female with a wide age range - suggesting mature entry. This is confirmed by their reference to a variety of prior qualifications.
The number of different job titles shows that there is still uncertainty about the role and its authority in the eyes of senior management. This is confirmed by the salary range, (from below £16,000 to over £30,000 per annum) and the location within the institution.
In 1999 HEFCE published the results of a survey it had commissioned into what it described as Base-Level Provision. (In effect, the minimum level of support that could be expected to exist in a given HEI e.g. 1 FT Disability Officer for every 5000 FTEs or every 200 disabled students).
On the basis of the evidence, Base-Level Provision recommendations cannot be said to be met without knowing the '000s of FT students.
Disability Officers' responsibilities cover a wide range of duties common to over 85% of the respondents, with a smaller set clearly associated with service management e.g. liaising with funding bodies, providing support services, purchasing equipment, managing a budget and reporting to senior management (see question B11).
The role of a DO is isolated with over half (55%) of respondents stating that they were the only Disability Officer within their institution.
There are some Disability Officers who themselves have a disability.
Three quarters of those who responded to the survey are prepared to take a disability related qualification. The vast majority are already graduates.
Recommendations
Please note that the numbering does not denote order of priority of the recommendations.
It is recommended that NADO:
- Works with HEIs to reduce the variety of roles currently placed on the individual Disability Officer and create a team of Disability Officers working within an Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) supported by administrative and technical staff.
- Works towards clarifying and standardising the DO's role in terms of status, salary etc. across the sector.
- Investigates the ratio of DOs to students in an institution and presses for HEFCE's Base-Level standard.
- Investigates the responsibilities of Disability Officers in different salary bands to see if there is consistency.
- Examines the effect of part time working on Disability Officers and ultimately the disability provision within HE.
- Investigates the particular interests of Disability Officers who themselves have disabilities.
- Promotes the creation of appropriate courses and qualifications to meet the professional needs of its members.
- Supports and encourages networks between DOs to reduce isolation.
[The full document is available from the NADO Office for £4.50 or FREE to all Members.]