Education and training

The DDA as amended by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 (SENDA) prohibits discrimination on grounds of disability, which includes deafness. Providers of education and training will nearly always see the implementation of the spirit of the Act as part of their mission, but that awkward legal word "reasonable" tends to crop up in discussions and disputes.

A college, university or training provider must make reasonable provision for anybody who is deafened. What is reasonable can be determined, to some extent, by the costs involved.

The trauma involved in becoming deafened is likely to cause a person to radically rethink their own qualifications and ambitions. It may be that a career change presents new opportunities, but this may mean going back to being a student. Thanks to the changes in attitudes and aspirations that have taken place over the last half century, universities are no longer the preserve of the idle rich, playing juvenile games in their late teens and early twenties. All universities will now positively welcome mature people with hard gained experience of the real world.

If you are considering applying for a course, you should contact the Local Education Authority for the area in which you live if it is in England or Wales (see Factsheet 1 for which is the LEA). If you live in Scotland you should contact the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS), and if you live in Northern Ireland the Department for Employment and Learning (Northern Ireland) (DELNI). (See Factsheet 1 for contact details.)

Following this route should ensure that you are given an "assessment of need" which makes sure that you will have equal access, in terms of personal support, financial support and any special equipment you may need.

You may also find it useful to:

• Contact the Adviser for Students with Disabilities at your intended college or university
• Get details of the Barclays/RNID Headstart programme. See Factsheet 1 for RNID contact details)

Students in higher education, either as undergraduates or postgraduates, who are deaf or deafened may be eligible for a Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA). Unlike other forms of student award, this is not means tested and it is not a loan which will have to be repaid. It can be used, for instance, for the employment of a Language Service Professional (see later section explaining this term). (See Factsheet 3 - Education and Training for more information about DSA and other sources of financial help for students in higher education.)

The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) publishes two booklets each year: Financial support for higher education students and Bridging the gap: a guide to Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs) in higher education. These can be obtained, free, from LEAs, SAAS, DELNI or DfES. Other sources of help and advice are Skill, the National Bureau for Students with Disabilities and the National Union of Students. (See Factsheet 1 for contact details.)

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