And when they get to university...

[niminypiminy]

this is what awaits. (Article from today's Guardian about the shocking drop-out rate for disabled students from universities that fail to make provision for them.)

Sigh...

Even more , since we do have hopes of DS1 getting into University, when the times comes, and it will most likely be a local uni. Durham is our most local. Our biggest hope is, that if he goes for a BSc in geekery of some sort (because he really does seem to have inherited his parents' tendencies, there), he'll be surrounded by people who are pretty like minded.

Still, we need to get him through primary school with all our sanity intact, yet.

Depressing. My understanding is that the funding is much easier to get agreed due to DSA (although the SLC mess meant that the getting hold of the money had a real impact on disabled students). But it's true that academics simply don't have training in SEN and aren't always willing to be flexible.

IME, the OU is brilliant for disabled students (or anyone who needs more flexibility) and it's something that I'd seriously encourage DS to consider when the time comes.

If DS chooses an interesting geeky subject, I'd be tempted to study as well with him and act like an annoying helicopter parent LSA.

I dunno, I'm in an inner city so the tutorials are full of fairly local people and the OU do encourage online discussions and for students to set up study meetings. I'm not certain that DS would meet like-minded folk anyway at uni - he hasn't made friends at all in mainstream school.

That makes me all the more determined to pass next year and not become a statistic

You'd think by uni level they'd sort this sort of thing out!

At my university we certainly are expected to make adjustments for our disabled students and to liaise with relevant student support when needed. But I believe we do have a good reputation for this. Always willing to learn more though.

I have DS at Uni at the momment (aspergers).

We've had no problems at all with DSA. A full assessment of needs was undertaken and the LA agreed to fund the recomendations.

He provided with 1:1, laptop, dictaphone, printer, consumables, mentoring....

No rpobalems at all from the lecturers once they realised why he needed 1:1

Big problems from 'fellow' students immature behaviour, name-vcalling and excluding him.

Start early to identfy options and PLAN.

Birkbeck is good, I believe - if you are in London. Mature students with a different set of priorities to the normal 18 year old and the course is taken part-time over 4 years, usually. I know the disability officer there - he is fabulous - really ferocious in getting what is due to students and suggesting all sorts of things.