Access to Basic Skills for People with Physical Disabilities 57. There are several million adults in England with physical disabilities. Many students who have physical disabilities do not have a cognitive impairment. These students will be able to access the general basic skills curriculum as long as their support needs are met and they are allowed to study at a pace which is appropriate for them. Some students will also have cognitive impairment or a secondary disability and other sections of this report will also be relevant to them. 58. The main barriers for people with physical disabilities are made worse by their complexity. Transport, physical access and accessible information all play a part but there are other significant barriers. In some cases inadequate funding and lack of inter-agency collaboration mean that other barriers, such as lack of motivation, response to previous negative experiences and cognitive ability too low to access basic skills as currently structured, are difficult to overcome. For most people with physical disabilities, the properly paced, resource intensive, specially structured programmes and curriculum are not available. 59. The quality of current provision depends largely on arrangements for access and support. Technology which enables people to have access to basic skills teaching wherever they are is underused even when access to classrooms is poor. Existing good practice centres around an inclusive approach to learning which caters specifically for people with physical disabilities and is relevant to individual needs, status and aspirations. Provision is enhanced when there is a multi-agency framework in place involving education, training, social services, health, employment service and voluntary sector. Other key determinants are access to resources, flexibility in arrangements for teaching and attendance, strategies for building learners, the use of real life situations to enhance teaching, and the celebrating of achievement. 60. The views of learners, trainers and teachers were as follows. The key issues for learners centre round the need for choice, consultation, flexible delivery and good access. For trainers and teachers the key issues are access to specific training on disability, effectively sized teaching groups and access to, and use of, the most effective technologies and resources. 61. The main priorities for improving access to basic skills for these students will include providing courses at times and venues which suit the student; ensuring the availability of specialist equipment and enabling technology; developing flexible individual programmes which enable the students to study when they feel physically able to do so and to take breaks when they need them. A student at a residential specialist college who had brittle bone disease, was funded by the FEFC, social services and the health authority, and received additional support from local community services. As a result of his time at the college, he was able to successfully master an acceptable level of basic skills and through the access centre to go on to mainstream education and employment He regards this opportunity as one which enabled him to lead a full and productive life. Recommendations specific to this group Basic skills for this group of learners should be redefined as the ability of an individual to a) communicate both verbally and/or non-verbally b) use numbers as an integral part of communication. The government should continue to promote initiatives to increase access. Publicity and promotional materials should make it clear that all learners are welcome no matter what their prior level of learning. New learning materials need to be researched and developed for learners with multiple disabilities. Initiatives to increase home-based learning, including the provision of peripatetic teachers, should be supported. The good practice which is promoted should centre around an inclusive approach to learning. This means making programmes of study directly relevant to the individual's needs and priorities, building on a multi-agency framework, creating programmes and curricula which are flexible, providing the necessary access to resources, ensuring that the pace of programmes meets the needs of those with physical disabilities, placing a high priority on the development of practical skills, and teaching basic skills in real life situations.

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