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Wonkhe SUs · The 2026 webinar box set

Righting the wrongs for Disabled students

The issues faced by Disabled students – now more than a third of the student body – and what to do about them.

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With more than a third of students now self-identifying as disabled, we make the case that this is a strategic issue, not a niche one. We cover the live pressures – welfare reform, the DSA software consultation and rising numbers – the legal framework of the Equality Act 2010 and the anticipatory duty, why the liberation model struggles for disability, and how to convert individual incidents into systemic change ahead of the OfS statement of expectations. Throughout, we point to Disabled Students UK's Access Insights survey and framework (https://accessinsights.co.uk/). With Amelia McLoughlan, Senior Adviser, Disabled Students UK. Please note: this session refers to a student who died by suicide. If you are affected, support is available any time from Samaritans (call 116 123, free).

What we cover

  • The current pressures – welfare reform from April 2026, the DSA software consultation closing 18 June, and what the data tells us.
  • The experience gap – disabled students' anxiety, loneliness, belonging and "considered leaving" figures, the starkest gaps in the dataset.
  • Strategic, not niche – more than a third self-identifying in the survey data, and outcomes improving despite, not because of, support.
  • The Equality Act 2010 – what counts as disability (a substantial, long-term impairment), and the duty to remove the barriers that disadvantage disabled students.
  • Types of discrimination – direct, by perception, by association, indirect, and discrimination arising from disability.
  • Reasonable adjustments – the three areas, what "reasonable" means, and why assessment methods are rarely competence standards (Abrahart).
  • The anticipatory duty – planning for disabled students before anyone raises a hand, through universal design.
  • Why the liberation model struggles – rights, not suggestions, and why one part-time officer isn't a sufficient response.
  • The delivery gap – 80% have adjustments agreed but only 44% receive them all, and the exhausting business of chasing.
  • Big issues in 2026 – competence standards, the OfS disability statement, DSA software, welfare reform, and universal design for learning.

Things to read

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