The Office for Students (OfS) referred to the Disabled Students’ Commission (DSC)’s challenge to universities and colleges to urgently improve support for disabled students before the new academic year starts.

The seven key areas for change identified by the DSC are:

• providing disabled applicants with support and guidance in the clearing process that reflects the current circumstances
• providing funding to deliver reasonable adjustments for disabled students
• ensuring student support meets the requirements of disabled students during the pandemic
• considering disabled students when making pandemic-related adjustments to university campuses and accommodation
• facilitating disabled students’ participation in welcome and induction weeks and ongoing social activities
• ensuring that blended learning is delivered inclusively, and its benefits are considered in long-term planning
• embedding accessibility as standard across all learning platforms and technologies.