How can the tone of what we tell potential applicants have legal significance?
The DDA Part IV, Code of Practice revised 2007 says that institutions ought to be proactive in encouraging people to disclose a disability. This means providing opportunities for disclosure and ensuring that the atmosphere is open and welcoming, so that disabled people feel safe to disclose a disability. Course or programme information may convey such a welcome, or not.
The DDA Part IV, Code of Practice revised 2007 gives some useful direction about encouraging disclosure:
An education provider should be proactive in encouraging people to disclose a disability. This might involve:
asking applicants to courses to declare their disabilities on application and enrolment forms publicising the provision that is made for disabled people, or providing opportunities for students to tell tutors/teachers or other staff in confidence asking students once they are on course whether they need any specific arrangements because of a disability explaining to students the benefit of disclosure and how this information will be kept confidential ensuring that the atmosphere and culture at the institution or service is open and welcoming so that disabled people feel safe to disclose a disability.
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