Government's postgraduate review is a missed opportunity to remove barriers for disabled students

ECU welcomes the findings and recommendations in One Step Beyond: making the most of postgraduate education that relate to flexible learning, which have the potential to make postgraduate study more inclusive for older people and people with childcare and caring responsibilities.

However, the government has missed an opportunity by sidestepping the issue of disability within the report. The proportion of disabled postgraduate students (4.8%) is much lower than the equivalent proportion of disabled undergraduates (8.3%)[1] and significantly lower than the proportion of disabled people in the working age population (estimated at 18.6%)[2].

Levi Pay, ECU's Policy Director, said:

'A significant factor contributing to the under-representation of disabled students in postgraduate study is the low level of financial assistance available to postgraduate students for academic disability support services, through Disabled Students Allowances (DSA). Disabled postgraduate students are only entitled to around half of the level of disability support funding that disabled undergraduate students receive.

Without adequate financial support in place, significant numbers of disabled students will be put off from undertaking postgraduate study. This report should have included a commitment to review postgraduate DSA - perhaps to explore bringing the arrangements in line with the more effective arrangements in Scotland.'

You can read ECU's response to the postgraduate review consultation following the link below:

• ECU response to the postgraduate review
  

Notes:

[1] Equality in Higher Education: Statistical Report 2009

[2] Office for National Statistics labour Force Survey, Jan-March 2009