SENDA
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The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 (SENDA) was introduced to bring education within the remit of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA). This means that it is against the law to discriminate against a disabled student or potential student on the grounds of their disability, in education, training or research. All student-related services are covered by the Act, including admissions, teaching, work placements, field trips, laboratory practicals and examinations and assessments.
Under this law, all providers of higher or further education (‘institutions’) are obliged to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to ensure that a disabled student is not placed at a ‘substantial disadvantage’ relative to other students because of their disability.
This may mean that institutions have to make changes to, for example, their overarching policies of admission, their course requirements, the physical features of buildings, or the provision of course materials. The nature of the legislation is such that institutions must be ‘anticipatory’ and cannot simply wait until a particular need becomes evident before acting.
