Disabled students have voiced serious concerns about their welfare at the University of York this week. Vision can reveal that some of these students are struggling to do their degrees because of their treatment.
Students have claimed that the reasons for problems have stemmed from the “lack of communication” with the University’s outsourced company; ‘Neuro Partners.’
Students spoke to Vision about their different concerns, ranging from one calling their situation “catastrophic” and another labelling their experience a “crisis.”
Bob Hughes, YUSU welfare officer, explained to Vision that he “feels uneasy about the outsourcing of vital services like this.”
Four students have chosen to speak to Vision about their experiences with disability support. One student, who is visually impaired and has chosen to remain anonymous, told Vision: “People are just not getting the support they need.
“This year I have experienced huge delays and miscommunications.”
The student continued: “I have to deal with at least three different organisations to receive the same service, but with delays of up to eight weeks.
“This year I have been forced to apply for mitigating circumstances to sit my exams because I am so behind through no fault of my own. These mistakes are stopping me doing my degree.”
Another student, who has autism, explained how the company had not been suited to their needs: “I was told that I had to meet my helper on the bridge. All I was given was a name. This was not enough detail for someone who was already anxious.”
They went on to illustrate that they had stopped using any help from the University, telling Vision: “Last year it was so incredibly unhelpful that I stopped using Neuro Partners.
“They didn’t help me and I was taking time to do this. It is the only help I have known at York, but it wasn’t helpful.”
A third student described their issues: “I have a hearing impairment and so I lip read. However, I find it really hard to follow because I get prone to tiredness.
She explained that there had been a long drawn out process before she was finally assigned the note-taker she was entitled to: “After I got a note taker I was told that I wasn’t allowed to have direct contact with them which I thought was a bit iffy. The whole thing seemed a bit chaotic.”
She claimed that even the note-takers were unimpressed by the process: “they say that they have had a lot of problems with Neuro Partners. They have said its not really on.”
The third student explained that there was also a huge difficulty in obtaining notes as she was not allowed to have direct contact with her note-taker, and could only get the notes when her supervisor was available.
She continued: “My first term here was really difficult for me.
“I fell seriously behind with work, sometimes I got notes after I had to do an essay, and then I missed out on the most important info in my essay which was a bit dodgy.”
The final student we spoke with explained his problems of being dyspraxic and having organisational difficulties, claiming: “The continuity has been pretty awful.”
He added: “I get the impression that some of the mentors were very inexperienced. The advice was flaky and obvious. The quality is unacceptable. It is a bit all over the place. They don’t have a clue what your needs are.”
Emma Hersey, who has held the position of Disabilites Officer at York, spoke of the problems she saw last year: “The main problems are communication.
“When things are going wrong, people don’t know who to complain to. There is no complaints system available.”
Bob Hughes commented that he had “heard of several students’ dissatisfaction with Neuro Partners, and we have been chasing these up with the University’s Student Support Services.
“It is disappointing to hear of issues like this that can seriously hamper a student’s ability to study properly. I would encourage anyone who has issues with this service to get in touch with YUSU and Student Support Services as soon as possible to ensure that your studies aren’t affected by any issues you may experience.”
A University spokesperson stated: “Details of the number of students receiving support from Neuropartners are confidential. The University is satisfied that Neuropartners provide a high quality service.
“The number of adverse comments we have received from students about their services is very small. If any students do have concerns they should raise them directly with Disability Services.”
At the time of publication, Neuro Partners were unavailable to comment on the matter.
This is atrocious. Stop discriminating against disabled students who are in a vulnerable position.
Of all the many problems at York, the fact that the educational opportunities of disabled students is being hindered…. leaves me speechless.
My soul is deeply affected by this.
My son, at Leeds University, has an outsourced service – Spectrum First Ltd – for support in relation to his needs as an autistic student.
But his experience is entirely the opposite.
The service is fantastic, all the tutors are well qualified and highly skilled and they work in partnership with the in-house ASC service which provides his mentors and communicates with his department and the university. We have always had immediate responses and excellent communication and they are extremely adaptable to his complex needs. I couldn’t ask for a better service for my son.
Outsourcing is often necessary – in the area of autism, for example, there are not enough experienced and qualified professionals available for every university to have its own in-house service. The way Leeds does it, using in-house mentors (who have received training from Spectrum First as part of the partnership), and a qualified ASC Disability Coordinator who makes sure everything runs smoothly and good communication is maintained in partnership with the outside company seems to be a really good solution.
I am absolutely appalled that York is failing its disabled students like this when there are companies out there that have the skills and experience to do the job properly. I suspect the university is looking at the cost of the service rather than its ability to meet the students’ needs, and you simply cannot skimp on support services if you want the job done properly.