NEWS
SUCCESS!
The Q4S project came to a successful conclusion on September 30th 2011, but the Q4S website will continue to function in order to support disabled learners in post-16 education and training.
World Report on Disability
To find about more about global disability trends read the World Report on Disability published by the World Health Organisation and the World Bank.
Finding the way for Disabled Students in Further Education
Click here to find out more information about the campaign run by the NUS (National Union of Students) that aims to increase the number of disabled students in further education .
SKILL: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities
| It is with great sadness that Skill: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities announced that it has ceased operating on 7th April 2011. Following a period of financial difficulty, Skill’s Board of Trustees has decided that it is no longer viable to keep the charity open. |
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Skill is the only pan disability charity that focuses on promoting equality for disabled people in education, training and employment. It is hoped that others may step in to fill the gap this has left in the support available.
All Skill's website resources and information booklets are still available at www.skill.org.uk
Testing of the Q4S Web Resource
| In March 2011 we piloted our web resource with disabled students in Worcestershire. The sessions with support from Ludlow College and the Job Path programme at Worcester College of Technology, have been very successful. Here are a couple of comments from some of the students: |
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"Having the [Disability and Skill] Guide in a downloadable printout would have been great to take to my teachers to show them what I needed" (Blind ex-student)
"The Guides are a very good idea especially if you are going to a college where they do not know you and they will help the college prepare for my arrival" (Partially sighted student with dyslexia)
"I think this is a very good resource and I will definitely use it in my teaching" (Further Education Tutor)
Accessible Workplace
| The ‘Accessible Workplace’ project is funded by the University of Worcester under its Knowledge Transfer and Enterprise Grant Scheme. The project aims to reduce discrimination and enhance the employment of disabled people. It will run from February 2011 until January 2012. |
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Following a needs analysis and market research, the project team will create a simple, easy to use, practical resource that will help employers to implement reasonable adjustments for disabled applicants and disabled employees.
The resource will allow employers to search a bank of sector-specific work activities to see which disabilities may affect different work related functions or skills. Where such potential difficulties are identified, practical advice and recommendations for adjustments to the working environment and/or practices will be offered to enable the disabled person to work effectively and safely.
For further information, please contact Matt Smith, CILS Researcher at email: matt.smith@worc.ac.uk or telephone: 01905 542181
Review of Vocational Education
| In September 2010, the Secretary of State asked Professor Wolf to investigate how to ensure that vocational eductaion provides for progression to higher learning and employment. The Wolf Report presents the reviews findings and makes a number of recommendations. |
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Click here to read more about the report
Successful Q4S National Event Held in Bulgaria.
The conference entitled "Quality and Accessible Education for Children and Youth with Disabilities” was held in the Press Club Hall of Plovdiv Fair on 7th December 2010.
For further details please click here
Life Opportunities Survey
| On 6th December 2010 the UK Office of National Statistics (ONS) issued the interim findings of a major survey, which explores disability in terms of social barriers to participation. |
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3 December 2010 is the UN International Day of Disabled Persons
For further details visit http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1540.
Turkish Initiative contributes to Q4S Research
| The Turkish partner, BCD, visited an organisation called Bizimköy in Kocaelì, Turkey to administer the Q4S research questionnaire to service users. Bizimköy was funded with an EU grant of 1.3 million Euro to set up initiatives that offer employment opportunities for disabled people. Some of the ventures disabled people can become involved in include: |
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- mushroom production
- greenhouse cultivation
- bee keeping
- food processing
- rabbit breeding
- fruit and vegetable cultivation
- creating mosaics
In 2006 the organisation was selected as the most successful EU project of that year. To find out more information about the project, go their website at www.bizimkoy.org.tr.
G’day from Melbourne!
| Dr Val Chapman, the Q4S Project Coordinator, was invited to give a keynote presentation at the ‘Including Inclusion’ conference held in Melbourne on March 22nd 2010. This conference launched a web based resource called CATS (Creating Accessible Teaching and Support), and Val’s presentation focused on ‘Inclusion, past, present and future’ to set the context for the CATS project as well as her own national and EU funded projects including, of course, the Q4S project. |
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Participation in the conference was by invitation only and included members of teaching and general (support) staff, senior managers, disability professionals and disabled students from Australian universities.
The feedback on Val’s presentation was very positive. When asked to identify one highlight from the day, more than half the delegates cited Val’s keynote:
“I felt the keynote speaker (Dr Val Chapman) had a profound understanding of the subject and spoke about themes I am passionate about.”
“Dr Chapman’s use of language was empowering, in particular the use of the word “entitlement” vs. “needs”.”
“Val’s description of simple achievable ideas for staff development for inclusive practice.”
Volcano eruption affects Q4S partners
| On 15th April 2010 Dr Val Chapman flew to Cyprus where she presented at the inaugural International Conference on Special Education 2010 (ICOSE 2010) that was held in Kyrenia, Northern Cyprus 16th - 18th April 2010. |
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Researchers, academics, parents, teachers, trainers, and nongovernmental leaders from different countries participated in the conference to discuss problems and solutions and advances in Special Education. Over twenty different countries were represented; delegates came from Europe, the Middle East and Australia, the USA and Canada.
The content of Val’s presentation focused on the web based resources that had been developed by her Centre for Inclusive Learning at the University of Worcester during the last ten years – all as a result of funded projects. Three of these resources had been developed through European Commission part funded projects, whilst a fourth, Q4S, is currently in development with partial funding from the Leonardo da Vinci Transfer of Innovation programme.
Feedback from the delegates was universally positive. In particular, the teachers and academic present were very keen to explore the existing resources and looked forward to the new Q4S resource coming on stream towards the end of 2010. They particularly appreciated the inclusive philosophy and the conceptual framework which underpins the Q4S resource that focuses on capabilities rather than on disability linked deficits. Val has been invited back to Cyprus by the members of the Organising Committee to contribute to another conference on Education and Education Psychology which will be held in December this year.
Val was due to fly home on Sunday evening, 18th April, but had to stay in Cyprus until Wednesday 21st April. Fortunately, this was substantially earlier than the original date of 28th April she had been given by British Airways and allowed her to get home in time to chair the Q4S project’s second international partnership meeting in Cardiff between 26th - 28th April 2010.
