“What Problems? – No Problems! ” Disabled People Studying or Working Within an Engineering-based Environment

Despite a lack of data within the public domain it is clear that persons with disabilities are severely disadvantaged in their education choices and career decisions. Figures indicate that percentages of disabled persons in HE are generally 3-4 % of the overall student population (1). The LTSN Engineering Disability Project, established May 2001, has two main objectives. Firstly, the production of booklets for the benefit of both disabled and non-disabled students and employees. Each booklet will contain case studies of disabled people who study and/or work within engineering and also academics within the discipline who support disabled people. Secondly, a study day (Loughborough University, 8 April 2002) will allow disabled and non-disabled engineers alike, to meet and discuss the relevance of recent legislation on accessibility of education and careers in engineering to disabled people. Over the coming years UK universities must actively demonstrate that they can provide their usual range of services to disabled people. Current and intending disabled students need no longer be recipients of an institution’s good practice alone, but may begin to use the full weight of the law to force HE institutions to make reasonable adjustments in every area of the traditional student experience