Page - 112 - in Radical Solutions and Open Science - An Open Approach to Boost Higher Education

118 J.Cullen and assistive technology; use of adapted content; organisational and governance support; awareness-raisingand training;post-qualificationsupport • Outcomesandimpacts—thelevelandqualityofavailableprofilingandevaluation dataondisabledstudents; theirneeds, and theeffectsofpolicyandpractice. Eachaspect is assessedon thebasisof theevidence,on the followingscale: Level 1 –Not covered or very low 2 –Variable 3 –High Table7.1 shows: • In terms of policy, on thewhole, the provisions of theUNCRDPhave been, in principle ratified and endorsed. However, there is much less evidence that key EUpolicy instruments on disability and education are being addressed. In turn, nationalpolicyaimedatpromotingsupportfordisabledstudentshasbeenrelatively well-developed in theUK,Greeceand Italy. • In terms of implementation, the least-developed areas here are in the phases of the study course that comebefore and after studying itself, that is, the pre-study phase (focusing on helping disabled young people to apply forHEI places) and thepost-qualificationphase (focusingonpreparingdisabledgraduates for the job market).Measures to provide financial support for disabled students have been relatively well-developed, with the exception of Slovenia. Similarly, measures andpractices for studysupport are relativelywell-developed, thoughprovision is variablebetweenandwithinEUcountries.MostcountriesandmanyHEIsarenow routinely using ICTs to support study for disabled students, through digitisation of teachingmaterial, onlinedigital libraries and theuseofassistive technologies. • Adaptations to the built environment and to accommodation facilities are two areas that are relativelywell-developed across the EU, although again the level andqualityofprovision isuneven,anddependsonanumberof factors, including the lengthof time theHEIhasbeenestablished; the interpretationof theUNand EUdirectives innational legislation; the spatial configurationof theHEI. • Conversely, awareness-raisingandstaff andstudent training inprovidingsupport for studentswithdisabilities rates relativelypoorly. • With the exception of a small number of initiatives operating at the trans- national level—for example, the ANED (Academic Network of EuropeanDis- ability Experts)—and ad hoc research operating at the national level (e.g. the UKHEFCEsurveyofuniversities) there isvery little systematicdatacollectedat transversalornationallevelsontheprofilesandneedsofdisabledstudents—partic- ularly‘prospective’students—andevenlessontheeffectsoftheimplementationof policyandpracticesaimedat supporting their integrationandactiveengagement.