New guidance released to improve support for visually impaired students at university

New research has made several recommendations on how higher education institutions can better support the socio-emotional needs of students with vision impairment.

The research contains short-, medium-, and long-term recommendations based on findings from interviews and surveys of visually impaired higher education students from across the UK. It has been published today (16 June) in the Journal of Inclusive Practice in Further and Higher Education (JIPFHE).

The study was conducted by the University of Birmingham in collaboration with Dr Fiona Barlow-Brown at Kingston University, Professor John Ravenscroft at the University of Edinburgh, Dr Mhairi Thurston from Abertay University, Sophie Temple Doctoral Researcher at Loughborough University, and Dr Joao Roe who is the Head of the Sensory Support Service at Bristol City Council. It was funded by Thomas Pocklington Trust.

Dr Ifigeneia Manitsa, from the University of Birmingham and principal investigator on the project said: “There has been a consistent rise in the enrolment of students with vision impairment in higher education. However, research indicates that the provision of clear guidance for addressing the social and emotional needs of these students, concerning their vision impairment, has not kept pace with the growing demand for support. We have set out several steps that universities can take to improve the experiences and outcomes of students with visual impairment.”

Short-term recommendations for interventions to support visually impaired students include:

• Adopting an active approach to implementing social support, such as peer-to-peer support and including verbal cues when presenting in lectures and seminars.
• Providing targeted support for the transitional period of going from school to university and finding out what the student needs in terms of reasonable adjustments.
• Promoting the development of student autonomy in seeking social and emotional support by reminding students to engage with the university on this issue.

Medium-term recommendations include:

• Improving the visibility, signposting, and awareness of mental well-being services to students through active engagement and open communication between staff and students.

The long-term recommendations are:

• Providing staff training in disability awareness and inclusive practices, including counsellors in mental health services taking the free RNIB course on Counselling for Sight Loss.
• Adopting policies that emphasise a personalised and person-centred approach, recognising that not every visually impaired student will have the same experience or needs.
• Defining professional frameworks within institutions to clarify the boundaries, roles, and responsibilities of staff.
• Adopting a collaborative, inter-departmental approach to supporting the social and emotional experiences of students with vision impairment.

Dr Rachel Hewett, Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of Birmingham, said: “Through our project, we found that many students with vision impairment experience anxiety and stress throughout their time at university, due to uncertainty about provisions for reasonable adjustments, social isolation, and exclusion from academic and social activities. Our report offers practical methods for universities and their staff to better support the social and emotional well-being of students with vision impairment throughout their higher education journey.”

Case study: Chloe’s story

Chloe, now 24, studies Special Educational Needs and Disabilities at university. She was born prematurely with cataracts and nystagmus, and as a result of surgery complications developed glaucoma. She then lost her right eye to retinal detachment at the age of six. Her sight deteriorated further in 2023 due to corneal decompensation. Of her experience at university, Chloe said: “I didn’t have the best experience whilst I was studying for my bachelor’s degree, particularly with regards to the placement element of my course. I was required to do a three-month placement as a teaching assistant each year of my course. I requested to do it at a school close to my accommodation or one that had an easy route, as it was winter, and I struggled to see in the dark and use public transport. To this, the lecturer, who was also the head of the course and my tutor, said that ‘the real world isn’t going to care that you can’t walk 45 minutes in the dark’, which upset me, and I ended up crying in the lecture. She also refused to reduce the number of placement days to four days a week rather than five. There were also issues with other members of staff not sending PowerPoints or ensuring printed materials were in the font size I needed. I had to remind them constantly in front of my course mates, which was embarrassing, and I felt like I was being a burden.”

Eventually, Chloe was allowed to reduce her placement days to four days a week, but she had to walk to and from the school every day in the dark. Her vision would be obscured by car headlights and there were multiple occasions where she was almost hit by cyclists or fell over roadwork signs. The university had refused to pay for taxis for her, so she had to arrange them with Disabled Students’ Allowance, which took a long time and meant she only got the taxis for two weeks of her placement. This destroyed what should have been a positive and valuable experience and a key part of her course. She added: “Advocating for myself constantly was tiring and made me feel awkward. I didn’t get the university experience I was hoping for. If my university had followed this guidance, my time in higher education would have been much better.”

Case study: Paul’s story

Paul was born partially sighted and became registered blind in 2008. Following the completion of two successful degrees in creative writing, in 2022, he began a law conversion course at the same university. From the outset he let the course provider know that he was vision impaired, but they constantly failed to provide access to the relevant materials. The university subscribed to a database called Westlaw that students were supposed to access and read case law from, however this was incompatible with Paul’s screen reader. The solution provided by the law department was for him to tell the librarian which cases he needed, and she would print them off. The problem was that he needed to access the database to tell the librarian which cases were needed.

Paul said: “I made a complaint to the university, but they did not uphold it, saying that they had not discriminated and had done everything they could to accommodate my needs. I disagreed and so escalated my complaint to the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman did uphold my complaint and said that the university had breached the Equality Act 2010, had put me at a disadvantage from the beginning of my course and had not fulfilled their duties under equality legislation.”

Paul was awarded £2500 compensation; a refund of his fees and he received a postgraduate certificate in law rather than completing the degree course.

He added: “Having successfully completed two other degree courses it was a shock to have such a negative experience at the same university. There seemed to be a lack of understanding, or a willingness to understand, what I needed to have a successful outcome at university and what their obligations were under the law. If there was better guidance for universities, experiences like mine would become much less common.”

Tara Chattaway, Head of Education at Thomas Pocklington Trust, said: “Thomas Pocklington Trust is delighted to have funded this study. We know the importance of social and emotional well-being whilst studying. We are pleased that this report has made clear recommendations on how to improve support for students with vision impairment whilst studying at university.”