Disability Inclusion Statement (SSP A)

What is the purpose of this statement?

As soon as a student or offer holder has completed registration with the Disability Advisory Service (DAS), DAS now issues this disability inclusion statement to the student, the relevant department, college, and Bodleian libraries. The aims of issuing this statement ahead of a Student Support Plan are to promote anticipatory approaches to disability support and to provide faster notification of the need for the measures to be in place wherever reasonable.

The statement sets out the standard inclusive practices and reasonable adjustments that are currently recommended for disabled students. It also provides immediate notification that the student or offer holder is to be treated as disabled, and entitled to reasonable adjustments and to equal access to the services the university provides.

Many students will need further support and adjustments in addition to the practices set out in the statement. If this is the case, these will be communicated subsequently in a Student Support Plan.

The inclusive practices and standard reasonable adjustments recommended

1. Provide teaching materials electronically in advance (PowerPoints, handouts, etc), preferably in Canvas, at least 24 hours before the session (find out more: Introduction to Canvas and accessible teaching and learning resources).
2. Provide a structured reading list in advance of the start date of teaching. This means: distinguishing between core and further reading, including guidance on which chapters or sections to prioritise if applicable, and, where known, the required and optional reading for each week. Where a reading schedule is not available prior to the start of teaching, students should be given at least one weeks’ notice of reading required for a session (find out more: Oxford Reading Lists Online and the DAS Guide to targeted reading lists).
3. Access to lecture recordings until the relevant assessments have been completed AND permission to record presenter-led teaching sessions. See the University’s Educational recordings policy and students’ responsibilities (§26-30). If in a specific situation it is not reasonable to provide a full recording for disabled students alternative steps should be taken to capture the content of the session. For suggested alternatives, please see the relevant section of the Replay FAQs.
4. Flexibility with formative tutorial work if needed on occasion in order to accommodate disability impact. For example, extension of a deadline or adjustment to the nature or format of the submission (e.g. shorter essay or bullet points). This measure is intended to help manage short-term workload pressures relating to the impact of a disability. Flexibility with formative work should only be used on occasion to ensure students are able to meet minimum academic expectations at regular milestones.
5. Additional library support in Bodleian and college libraries, including extended loans, where applicable.

Measures 1-3 may be implemented as part of standard provision for all students. If the measures are not part of standard provision, systems should be in place to ensure that disabled students have easy access to these as reasonable adjustments. Measures 4 and 5 are recommended for implementation for all disabled students as reasonable adjustments.

It is recommended that departments, faculties and colleges review relevant policies and processes where needed. It may be appropriate in some cases for a department or college to take a different view on implementation, if different practices would more effectively remove disability-related barriers, or if the measure is not reasonable, given the local study context. Any alternative arrangements need to be proactively communicated to students, and suitable reasoning provided as to why this is the necessary approach.

Support for embedding inclusive practices

Information about further support and advice for embedding inclusive practice can be accessed at the Student Support Plan FAQs page.