SWANDS (South West Academic Network for Disability Support) Guides

The SWANDS guides are staff development resources covering SENDA (Special Educational Needs and Disability Act) compliance in Higher Education.

As well as areas of general importance, such as assessment and lectures, they also focus on topics specific to the biosciences, such as fieldwork, practical work and laboratories. The guides summarise the criteria for SENDA compliance and QAA recommendations for disabled students, short interviews with students and staff highlight current practice and the guides end with checklists enabling you to evaluate your teaching, the teaching environment and departmental practice with respect to SENDA.

The higher education student population is increasingly diverse, with disabled students, students from varying educational backgrounds, under-represented groups such as black and other ethnic minorities, and those from poorer social classes, being encouraged to participate in higher education. There are benefits associated with more diverse student cohorts but there are also challenges inherent in teaching such groups. In the bioscience disciplines issues often arise in relation to, but are not restricted to practical work and fieldwork. Addressing the challenges has the potential to lead to better learning opportunities for all students.