Public interest case September 2014 | Not Justified
Liverpool John Moores University
Universities have a duty to take reasonable steps to find out about students’ disabilities and provide opportunities for advice and needs assessment to support adjustments but this duty does not extend to routine screening.
Public interest case September 2014 | Not Justified
London Metropolitan University
We found a case Not Justified where a student at London Metropolitan University appealed against a decision to terminate her studies based on poor attendance due to a health condition. The student had successfully appealed against an earlier decision to terminate her studies and at that stage had been directed to the Disabilities and Dyslexia Service but had chosen not to use this service.
Public interest case September 2014 | Not Justified
Birkbeck, University of London
It is not unusual for university procedures to specify the type of evidence to be provided to support claims for mitigating circumstance on the grounds of illness. We consider this reasonable.
Public interest case September 2014 | Not Justified
University of Bedfordshire
A student at the University of Bedfordshire appealed against the University’s decision to require her to repeat part of an academic year, on the grounds that she had been unwell during the assessment period. She did not make a mitigating circumstances claim at the time of the assessments. She was unable to provide medical evidence covering the period of the assessments, instead providing a letter from a doctor in her home country, written before the assessment period, outlining her medical history. She indicated that she was used to self–prescribing and had not visited a doctor in the UK.
Public interest case September 2014 | Not Justified
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Cardiff Metropolitan University considered a stage one complaint about disability support in the summer of 2011. The University did not uphold the complaint and wrote to the student explaining that he had ten days to submit a written request for a stage two review.
Public interest case September 2014 | Justified
Oxford Brookes University
A student at Oxford Brookes University complained that her request for an extension to a submission deadline under the mitigating circumstances procedures had been rejected. The student had dyslexia but had forgotten to take all her IT equipment on an overseas trip at the time the assignment was due. This meant she did not have access to IT equipment and assistive technology that had been provided by the University.
Public interest case September 2014 | Partly Justified
University of Oxford
In considering a number of aspects to a complaint brought by a student at the University of Oxford, who had both disability and specific medical conditions, we found that the University could not demonstrate that it had looked at whether medical issues could have affected performance on the day of the examinations.
Public interest case September 2014 | Justified
University College London
In considering issues related to discrimination we do not act as a court. We don't investigate or make legal findings in the same manner as a court. However, we do refer to the law and guidance on discrimination to form an opinion as to good practice and to decide whether the University has acted fairly.
Public interest case September 2014 | Justified
City University London
City University was unable to provide evidence that it had taken full account of a student’s late diagnosis of dyslexia in considering her appeal against the marks awarded for her coursework and examination papers. We found that the University had no provision in its regulations for dealing with late diagnosis.
Public interest case September 2014 | Partly Justified
Falmouth University
We found a complaint from a student at Falmouth University Partly Justified because the University could provide only a copy of an email sent to the student’s academic department which gave a list of students with disabilities and generic advice sheets on supporting students with dyslexia and dyspraxia.
