Summary of DSC Survey Results May - June, 2005

Survey Summary

The DSC Client Survey (“Evaluation of Services to Students with a Disability at the ANU”) was conducted to seek some qualitative feedback on the experiences of students with disabilities at the ANU. The survey was conducted online through May and June, 2005 using the Apollo online polling system.

The Survey consisted of three sections:

· Section 1: General Background Information

· Section 2: Disability Services Centre

· Section 3: University Community as a Whole

The 69 respondents to the survey provided a good cross-section of demographics including, disability type, age, gender, level of study and area of study. As such, it may be considered representative of the students with disabilities at the ANU, and provides a good basis for qualitative feedback on the experience of students with disabilities at the ANU.

Disability Services Centre

Overall, respondents were very positive about the quality of services provided by the DSC, the attitude of DSC Staff and the facilities and resources provided for their use. 94.2% of respondents felt the services provided by DSC staff were appropriate and 95.65% of respondents rated the attitude of DSC staff as “Good” or “Very Good”. Most respondents ((90%) felt they were able to access the DSC in a timely manner, although from some of the comments, even though they are mostly positive, it is apparent that timely access to DSC staff is vital for some students, and lack of access can be very stressful. Over 91% rated the Quality of DSC services as “Good or “Very Good”. The provision of Special exam Arrangements, Note-taking and the DSC Email List Server all received very positive evaluations from users of these services.

Some areas with slightly less favourable responses were the understanding of information on DSC processes and procedures and the students’ understanding of requirements for mid-semester and departmental exams. DSC staff will be examining strategies to improve this understanding.

A very high proportion of respondents were very positive about the Special Exam Arrangements they received with 81% saying they understood the process for final exams and 91% saying the organisation of their exams ran smoothly.

Areas such as the DSC Resource Room, the range of technology available, the Rest Room and the provision of Note-taking service all received high approval ratings.

Whilst most people understood the Disability Parking provisions, quite a few expressed difficulty in finding appropriate parking spaces, and 70% of respondents said that the number and location of disability parking spaces were inadequate.

The ratings and comments were positive, informative and constructive, with a number of identified issues already addressed, and others being considered. It is very pleasing to see such a high approval rating for the DSC and its services and resources, especially in an environment of rapidly escalating demand.

The University as a Whole

Academic Areas

Whilst the overall approval rating for Academic areas being approachable and amenable to providing appropriate adjustments was quite good at about 70%, respondents pointed out that the performance of different Academics was variable and inconsistent. Some Academics were helpful, approachable and co-operative, whilst others were very difficult to deal with. This inconsistency is an issue that will need to be addressed to reduce the risk of litigation.

Special Exam Arrangements for Faculty-run Exams

Similar to negotiating adjustments with academics, this section was quite mixed in response. 70% of respondents indicated they had experienced difficulties when organising SEAs in exams run by Faculty areas. This is the area which produced the most significant negative response in the survey and will need to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

Digital Lecture Delivery (DLD) System

Respondents were overwhelmingly positive about the DLD system, with comments such as “Brilliant,” “Fantastic” and “I think this is the most helpful device in the university.” Suggestions for improvement in the system included the need to adopt the system more widely, with some respondents indicating that it should be used in all courses. Other students suggested the incorporation of text transcripts and PowerPoint presentation should be included.

Positive Responses:

Quality of DSC Services
Notetaking Service
SEA Examinations run by Examinations Office
Equipment, Resources & Technology
Digital Lecture Delivery (DLD) System
Appropriate Responses of some Academic Areas
Issues to be Addressed:

Inconsistency of responses by Academic areas to request for adjustments
Inconsistency of responses by Academic areas to SEAs for Faculty-run exams
Number & Location of Disability Parking spaces
Headphones on all Resource Room computers (done)
Storage Space in DSC Chifley Resource Room (done)
Further developments and wider acceptance of DLD system
Better understanding of Mid Semester & Faculty-run exam requirements & processes
Better understanding of Special Consideration processes.
Improved information dissemination by DSC.

Conclusion

The DSC Survey has been a very worthwhile exercise. The demographics and numbers of respondents have provided a good cross-section of students, covering different disabilities, age groups, gender, types of programs and permanent and variable disabilities. The predominantly positive feedback is very encouraging, and demonstrates that the DSC and ANU generally, are doing a lot of things right for students with disabilities. The responses regarding the DSC and the services provided have been very positive, and the DLD lecture recording system has been a great success for students with disabilities.

Along with the positive responses have come some more critical ones, which have identified areas and issues that need to be addressed. Straightforward issues like headphones on Resource Room computers and some storage space have already been addressed, but others, such as the inadequate understanding of processes for Mid-semester and departmental exams are the source of some concern. The difficulties some students experience in negotiating adjustments with some academic areas reinforces the need for continued information dissemination, awareness training and enhanced liaison between the DSC and the academic areas. The imminent introduction of the DDA Disability Standards for Education is another source of potential risk which will need to be managed carefully, particularly in academic areas.

Trevor Allan,

Manager, Disability Services Centre