I think the thing I loathe the most about these utterly fake cosplayer conservative Blue Labour types is that they seem to have so little recognition or appreciation for the value of some things our modern economy *does* have, just because they're sniffy about the cultural vibe of them sometimes

Not that EDI initiatives should be a nice to have - but you get my point, in times of squeezed budgets, they can become that.

Plus, as we know, this isn't an opt-in thing. It's a legal requirement. I think there is still a lot of work to do in reshaping the narrative around supporting disabled students being a "nice to have" EDI initiative, when it's literally the opposite.

Completely agree. And I loved that the OIA report said this quite blatantly, that without a culture of accountability and clarity for staff, nothing will change. And that stuff has to come from leaders. Otherwise, nothing will change and we'll continue to be shouting into the void.

Yes, a lot of it is rubbish systems and a lack of training, but those things are fixable, with some investment and willing. But the biggest problem is still attitude, and that requires very firm and visible leadership. We can't do it all from our little corner.

Thanks for sharing the piece Harriet, I hear you loud and clear and this was very much written sharing yours and colleagues' frustrations. I sometimes feel I'm screaming into the void that adjustments recommended by disability services are perpetually ignored, despite literal legal obligations??

Particularly given the current climate (looking at you, last week's Sunday Times headlines) and scrutiny of franchised provision it would be great to get a sense of how we can protect students from ending up in similar situations and enabling them to seek independent redress.

It would be interesting to know how many of these students understand the difference between a non-university awarded route that received student finance to and a university awarded courses. Because I have a feeling there is probably a gap in understanding. But I'm a student, I need help etc.

The question that came up for me when reading this was how many of these students are aware of this seemingly subtle but actually quite big different in terms of their right to independent advice?

If a student is studying at a delivery partner that closes at short notice, and is on a course awarded by an organisation that isn't a member of the OIA, there is a risk they may find themselves at sea when it comes to finding an independent route for complaints and redress.

Thank you!! (i think this is acceptable to use exclamation marks in this context)