The Dearing Report and Students with Disabilities and Learning Difficulties

The movement to promote improved levels of participation from groups under-represented in higher education which occurred between 1980 and 1990 neglected disabled people. The position has been addressed by the national higher education funding councils since 1992 and progress has been made. Therefore, it was surprising to find that, whilst certain social groups were highlighted, nothing was said about disabled people in the terms of reference of Sir Ron Dearing's National Committee of Inquiry. This paper describes attempts made to inform and influence the Committee. Next, it considers the Report itself. First, the recommendations for future policy which are directed specifically towards disabled people are discussed; secondly, the potential implications for disabled people of the general recommendations are explored; and thirdly, the supplementary report on students with disabilities is reviewed. The conclusion provides a brief overview of developments since the Report's publication.