Exploring concepts of Exploring concepts of access for people with access for people with

learning difficulties:learning difficulties:

Making “good things” Making “good things” happen or preventing “bad happen or preventing “bad things” from happening?things” from happening?

Dr Jane Seale, PCET presentation 23 January 2007

BackgroundBackground

ESRC Seminar Series Grant ESRC Seminar Series Grant – With Melanie NindWith Melanie Nind– £15 K£15 K– 2 years, 3 seminars a year2 years, 3 seminars a year

Aim:Aim: – to advance, through inter-disciplinary to advance, through inter-disciplinary

debate, our shared theoretical debate, our shared theoretical framework and understanding of the framework and understanding of the concept of access for people with concept of access for people with learning difficulties. learning difficulties.

ObjectivesObjectives To To bring togetherbring together, in ongoing, focused , in ongoing, focused

discussion, people with learning discussion, people with learning disabilities, practitioners and researchersdisabilities, practitioners and researchers

To engage in To engage in shared questioningshared questioning of the of the concept of access: concept of access: – For example, How do people with learning For example, How do people with learning

disabilities experience access? What is worth disabilities experience access? What is worth accessing? How can access be enabled and accessing? How can access be enabled and evaluated?evaluated?

To stimulate and To stimulate and enrich the debate about enrich the debate about accessaccess for people with learning disabilities for people with learning disabilities through input from presenters and through input from presenters and participants working on access across a participants working on access across a wide range of fields and disciplineswide range of fields and disciplines

Access ThemesAccess Themes

EducationEducation EmploymentEmployment HealthHealth Leisure, sports and cultureLeisure, sports and culture Community and belongingCommunity and belonging

FormatFormat

PresentationsPresentations WorkshopsWorkshops Roundtable Roundtable

discussionsdiscussions

FormatFormat

Mixture of Mixture of researchers, researchers, practitioners & practitioners & people with people with learning difficulties learning difficulties who give the who give the presentations, lead presentations, lead the workshops or the workshops or facilitate the facilitate the discussions discussions

The challengesThe challenges

For non-disabled For non-disabled presenters: making presenters: making their talk their talk accessible for the accessible for the participants with participants with learning difficultieslearning difficulties– But still making But still making

academics feel that academics feel that it wasn’t being it wasn’t being pitched “too low”pitched “too low”

The challengesThe challenges Making participation Making participation

for people with for people with learning difficulties learning difficulties genuinegenuine– Not inviting them so Not inviting them so

they can be “poked at” they can be “poked at” like an object on display like an object on display or “othering” themor “othering” them

– Finding empowering Finding empowering ways of supporting ways of supporting people with learning people with learning difficulties to present difficulties to present and share their and share their experiencesexperiences

– Having an expectation Having an expectation that they will contribute that they will contribute

The successesThe successes

Built a high level of Built a high level of trust and trust and acceptanceacceptance– To share positive To share positive

and negative and negative experiences and experiences and have them have them accepted as valid accepted as valid and importantand important

The successesThe successes

Opening up the Opening up the university as a university as a place for people place for people with learning with learning difficulties to feel difficulties to feel welcome and welcome and comfortablecomfortable

Emerging conceptsEmerging concepts

What kind of access do people with What kind of access do people with learning difficulties want?learning difficulties want?

REAL AND GENUINE

EQUITABLE

(Same as other people)

HOLISTIC

(Across all areas of life)

MEANINGFUL

(Authentic and of personal

importance)

SUSTAINED AND PROGRESSIVE

(Permanent and on-going)

What is involved in getting access?What is involved in getting access?

HAVING CONTROL

TAKING RISKS

(The chance to fail)

HAVING OPPORTUNITIES

(The chance to succeed)

MAKING CHOICES

(On own terms)

BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE

(To speak and to be heard)

HAVING RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

(Awareness)

BEING READY AND PREPARED

(Learning and practising)

Risk avoidance approach to granting or Risk avoidance approach to granting or facilitating accessfacilitating access

RISK AVERSIVE

INTERFERING

LOW EXPECTATIONS OF SUCCESS

BUREAUCRATIC

HIGHLY PLANNED

INFLEXIBLE

Risk embracing approach to granting or Risk embracing approach to granting or facilitating accessfacilitating access

RISK EMBRACING

EXPERTLY JUDGED?

HIGH EXPECTATIONS OF SUCCESS

TRUST

PREPARED TO TAKE A LEAP OF FAITH

FLEXIBLE

CO-OPERATIVE

TOLERANT OF SERENDIPITY

There is dignity in riskThere is dignity in risk

Finding a theoretical frameworkFinding a theoretical framework

Synergies with “possibility thinking” Synergies with “possibility thinking” (re Anna Craft seminar on creativity (re Anna Craft seminar on creativity in the curriculum)in the curriculum)– Experimentation and investigationExperimentation and investigation

Finding alternative routes to a barrierFinding alternative routes to a barrierEngaging with problems: Embracing Engaging with problems: Embracing

problems where there are no clear cut problems where there are no clear cut solutionsolution

The encouragement of risk taking- The encouragement of risk taking- committing to something when you can’t committing to something when you can’t predict what the outcome will bepredict what the outcome will be

Finding a theoretical frameworkFinding a theoretical framework

Potential links with Dan Goodleys’ notion Potential links with Dan Goodleys’ notion of “resilience” of “resilience” – Resilience often exists in response to a Resilience often exists in response to a

disabling society disabling society Not an individual attribute but a product of the Not an individual attribute but a product of the

contexts in which it can emergecontexts in which it can emerge

– Resilience refutes the view that people with Resilience refutes the view that people with learning difficulties are nothing more than their learning difficulties are nothing more than their perceived impairmentsperceived impairments

– Resilience is optimisticResilience is optimistic Encouraging supporters and professions to assume Encouraging supporters and professions to assume

the potential for resilient lives when developing the potential for resilient lives when developing collaborative work with people with learning collaborative work with people with learning difficultiesdifficulties

Finding links to PCET Research?Finding links to PCET Research?

Participation in HE:Participation in HE:– Equality of accessEquality of access– Helen Connors’ talk: Helen Connors’ talk:

Admissions Tutors: “tendency to be risk Admissions Tutors: “tendency to be risk aversive” e.g. ask for more Voc Quals than aversive” e.g. ask for more Voc Quals than Non Quals to be on the safe sideNon Quals to be on the safe side

Levels of Trust: e.g.“low trust, low ability” Levels of Trust: e.g.“low trust, low ability” educational systemseducational systems

– Assumes students with vocational quals are not Assumes students with vocational quals are not capable of significant academic achievementscapable of significant academic achievements

– In reference to work by Brown & Lauder 1992In reference to work by Brown & Lauder 1992

Dr Jane Seale, Post-Compulsory Dr Jane Seale, Post-Compulsory Education and Training (PCET) Education and Training (PCET) Research Group, University of Research Group, University of

SouthamptonSouthampton

J.K.Seale@soton.ac.ukJ.K.Seale@soton.ac.uk

http://janekseale.blogspot.com/http://janekseale.blogspot.com/