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Early Christmas present for CACS

Press release issued: 22 December 2004

Over £600,000 has been awarded to Bristol University's Centre for Access and Communication Studies (CACS) to fund three national projects to help disabled people find work and enter higher education.

Over £600,000 has been awarded to Bristol University's Centre for Access and Communication Studies (CACS) to fund three national projects to help disabled people find work and enter higher education.

The money has come from the Higher Education European Social Fund Unit, which supports projects that develop human resources.

Two of the projects will work with unemployed disabled graduates to increase their chances of securing employment.  Building on the support offered by the University’s Access Unit for Deaf and Disabled Students, the grant will enable CACS to develop courses for deaf and visually impaired people to find work, which will be an example of good practice once students have graduated.  The project will also reach out into the business community by providing equality training for employers.

The third project, Progress to Higher Education for Disabled People, will create innovative ways to make university-level education accessible to disabled adults, such as tutors changing the curriculum. 

The project will also identify study skills that disabled people need to enter higher education and provide them with the confidence to use their new knowledge.  One of the aims of the project is to produce a short guide on the needs of disabled adults who wish to pursue lifelong learning.  The guide will be made available to other education providers that wish to follow Bristol’s example.

The three two-year projects aim to recruit over 400 disabled participants who will be able to enjoy the learning opportunities offered by the University.

Claire Wickham, Director of CACS, said: “We are delighted with the money awarded.  The University already provides disabled students with high quality support while they are studying at Bristol.

“We are committed to making a real difference in disability-related areas and building on our national reputation.”

In 1982 the University of Bristol ran a one-week Archaeology course for visually impaired people.  Since then, CACS has built up a national reputation for the quality and range of courses it provides and the innovative nature of its approach.

The CACS team's specialist skills cover a wide range of disability-related issues.  They provide a range of educational opportunities including professional development courses, courses for the general public and activities to meet requests from disabled people.

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