Stammering and UCAS forms

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UCAS has made it easier for students who want to tell universities that they stammer when applying, after we contacted the uni admissions service.

Summary

Up until now it wasn't too clear for prospective students where to mention their stammer on UCAS forms, if they wish to do so. 

This was brought to our attention by Dan, who was filling out his UCAS form. He ended up mentioning it in a place that wasn't picked up on by his preferred university, so the entrance interview wasn't adjusted for his needs. 

After we persisted, we got UCAS to add stammering to its disabilities & conditions dropdown list. As a result, students can more easily tell universities they stammer, so that admission interviews, and life at uni, can be adjusted to accommodate their stammer. 

Background

Dan contacted the STAMMA Advocacy Service after an admission interview with his favoured university left him dissatisfied.

He complained that the university didn't make adjustments for his stammer, even though he mentioned it on the UCAS (the Universities & Colleges Admission Service) form when applying. As a result, hurdles faced during the interview made things more difficult for Dan because he stammers, and he subsequently wasn't offered a place.

The problem

Up until now, if you wanted to notify universities about your stammer on UCAS forms, the only place to do it was on the question 'Do you have a disability?'. Legally speaking, stammering can be classed as a disability (see Is Stammering a Disability?), so if you stammer you're entitled to tick that box if you want to.

Dan didn't regard his stammer as a disability, and as stammering wasn't in the dropdown list of categories, he ticked the box saying he did NOT have a disability. Instead, he mentioned it in passing elsewhere in the form and it wasn't picked up on.

Under equality law, organisations have a legal duty to ensure they don't disadvantage people with disabilities. They can do this by making 'reasonable adjustments' to their ways of working which level the playing field. However, this responsibility only applies if the organisations knows that the person stammers. In this case, the university was able to claim that they couldn't have changed their process because on the UCAS form Dan hadn't let them know. 

The wider issue

A complicating factor is that many people who stammer don't know that stammering can be classed as disability within the law. So lots of students out there aren't aware that they can tick the disability box and get adjustments that would help them.

While some people would say stammering doesn't affect their everyday life enough to meet the legal definition of disability, for others it does. And it's often the situation that disables us rather than the stammering itself. For example, interviews that have strict time limits for responses can mean that it's harder for students who stammer to demonstrate their knowledge to the interviewers.

What needed to change?

We wanted to make it easier for students to give this information when applying for a place at university. Doing this paves the way for adjustments to be made to interview processes, and to teaching and assessment methods once students who stammer have landed a place at uni. That way, they can get as actively involved in general university life on the same footing as their fluent-speaking peers. 

We wanted to ensure that either 'speech, language and communication differences' or 'stammering' was mentioned as a response option on the UCAS form. 

Actions & outcome

After speaking with Dan, one of our amazing Advocacy Service volunteers contacted UCAS to explain what had happened and followed it up doggedly. Our contact at UCAS was very supportive in finding a solution and eventually they agreed to amend their application form to include specific reference to stammering. 

The UCAS form currently asks applicants to indicate whether they have a 'disability, special needs or a medical condition' and applicants can select an answer from a dropdown list of categories.  

For future application years, UCAS have confirmed they will add the following (in italics) to the dropdown list to that question:

'A social, behavioural or communication impairment (eg an autistic spectrum condition or Tourette's syndrome, or speech and language difficulties, including stammering.)'   

Final words

As with many steps forward, there's often a degree of compromise. Some of you might be uncomfortable with the use of the word 'impairment' in relation to stammering on the UCAS form. Or aligning yourself with the concept of disability. For others, one or both of these concepts will feel an accurate description of your experiences. 

However, we're definitely pleased that stammering is being recognised and that students who stammer will, hopefully, feel 'seen' in the university application process. And, crucially, that universities will act on their legal duty to ensure that students who stammer have as much chance as their fluent-speaking peers of getting the university place that they want. 

As we go forward, we hope to continue working with organisations such as UCAS to further improve the wording of the options.

Dan is really pleased that his experiences have led to constructive, systemic change and e-mailed to say:

"I am delighted with the changes that are being made to help fellow people with stammers, thanks so much for your help in achieving this".