ABSTRACT
From January 2003 to December 2004, the Equal Opportunities Centre at University College Worcester (UCW) was responsible for the management of a Higher Education Funding Council for England-funded disability project, Academic Standards and Benchmark Descriptors: Developing Strategies for Inclusivity (HEFCE 2002). The project explored the quality agenda and its impact on the experiences of disabled students. Within the framework of the Quality Assurance Agency’s Benchmark programme (Jackson 2002: 139-151), the project examined the use and perception of Subject Benchmark Statements by the academic community, and their potential for supporting inclusive practice. This chapter explains the background, process and outcomes of this project and the description is supplemented by the ‘voice’ (boxes) of Dr Val Chapman, project leader, as a participant observer working from University College Worcester. These interjections provide a live commentary on our discussion of the funded project.
