Letter: Acting out equality

"Don't deny spice of life" (Soapbox, THES , March 15) points out that universities and colleges need to act now to ensure that they comply with the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 from September 2002. But institutions must consider more than just improvements to physical access for disabled students. They must look at adjustments in all provision, for example, in applications procedures, in teaching methods and in examination arrangements.

To try to explain the complex provisions of the act, Skill offers a guide and provides training sessions.

Institutions will be able to access further information in the statutory code of practice for the act and in a series of guides aimed at different groups of staff. The guides are being produced by the Disability Rights Commission with help from Skill and other parties in the sector. They are due to be published in May.

Sophie Corlett
Policy director, higher education
Skill ( www.skill.org.uk )