Good verdict in disability survey

This article is published in today's Leicester Mercury:

Good verdict in disability survey

An undercover survey has found Leicestershire is better than average when it comes to providing disabled students with the things they need to get the most out of university life.

Campaigners from Trailblazers carried out investigations at 77 UK universities to find out whether halls of residence, lecture theatres and bars had disabled access.

They also wanted to know whether the universities had societies for disabled students, disability guides and accessible transport.

The universities were contacted anonymously and asked 15 questions about what they provide for disabled students and then given a percentage score.

The average was 73%, but De Montfort University scored 88%, and the University of Leicester and Loughborough University both scored 83%.

The survey was carried out because Trailblazers, part of the Muscular Dystrophy Society, is concerned many disabled people are missing out on the best university experience – or even being put off going – because of a lack of the things they need when they are there.

Nick Willis, of East Midlands Trailblazers, said that while the Leicestershire scores were higher than average, changes still needed to be made.

He said: "Some universities fell well short of having the right facilities for disabled people but the Leicestershire ones were quite good.

"There is, however, room for improvement and hopefully our report will lead to that."

The investigation found none of the three Leicestershire universities have an accessible toilet with a hoist in every one of their buildings.

The University of Leicester was found to have no group or society for disabled students and its website was given nought out of five because it lacked information on disability access, while not all of Loughborough's teaching rooms had disabled access.

Mr Willis, 25, a graduate who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and uses a wheelchair, said: "Although the facilities at universities may be good, sometimes the social side lags behind. It's a culture thing that needs to change."

University of Leicester spokesman Peter Thorley said: "We were pleased to see the University of Leicester rated well, but we're not complacent."

A spokeswoman for De Montfort University said: "De Montfort University is leading the way in the region and we are proud of the work we do."