Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA)

SENDA strengthens the right of children with SEN to attend mainstream schools and places new anti-discrimination duties on bodies responsible for education, including schools, Local Education Authorities (LEAs), colleges, universities and providers of adult education.

Responsible bodies, including LEAs, all schools, Further Education (FE) colleges, Higher Education (HE) and youth services (as defined by the Act) are required to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to ensure students with disabilities or learning difficulties are not discriminated against or placed at a substantial disadvantage in all areas of school or college life and associated services to students.

this includes access to IT facilities, on-line teaching and learning resources, e-learning environments and e-assessment. Becta provide more in depth information.

What does SENDA mean in practice?

Nowhere providing education can treat someone who’s disabled less favourably than anyone else because of their disability. You can’t turn a disabled person away from a course, or refuse to provide teaching materials appropriate to their needs.

SENDA also requires adjustments to be made in anticipation of those who might need them. This means that development plans must include plans outlining how anticipatory adjustments are to be made and paid for in both the short and long term.

The question colleges or ‘responsible bodies’ must now ask is to what degree are they able to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to ensure they comply with the new legislation.

SENDA and IT provision

In practical terms, IT needs to be usable by students with disabilities, including all teaching and learning materials provided online. Examples of steps to take would typically include:

being able to alter the display settings to suit a students visual or specific learning needs
altering the accessibility options with the computer
a core kit of alternative access technology (keyguards, alternative keyboards, trackerballs joysticks or mice, text to speech facilities for those with visual or literacy difficulties
the opportunity to save customised settings on a computer or network
provision of teaching and information materials in an alternative and accessible format (such as electronic)

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