ABSTRACT
The decade of the 1980s has been marked by a number of special initiatives relating to people with disabilities. The 1987 White Paper 'Meeting the Challenge' set ambitious targets for student numbers in the next decade, and the Secretary of State for Education has signalled his hope of doubling the participation rate within twenty-five years. Some universities, polytechnics and colleges have specially adapted accommodation for disabled students. The minimal participation by disabled students was also a cause for concern. On a more international level a report commissioned by the European Community's 'Bureau for Action in Favour of Disabled People' published in 1986 comments: The opportunity to go to higher education is open to all with the relevant entry qualifications. Concern about the flow of graduate labour, coupled with some developments in the organization and provision of higher education, suggests potential for change in favour of disabled students.
