Code is a good start

Claire Milne (Why I, THES, April 4) takes a narrow approach to disability discrimination legislation affecting universities. Institutions should act in the spirit of the law, not simply follow the letter of the law. This means that they should aim to provide equality for all disabled students rather than merely doing the minimum.

In Milne's opinion, the post-16 Code of Practice for the Disability Discrimination Act Part 4: Education, drafted by Skill on behalf of the Disability Rights Commission, is far from comprehensive. The code cannot consider every situation, given that every disabled person has different needs. It provides a general guide using examples to make the law easier to understand and apply. Only when the courts have ruled on specific cases will anyone be able to give clearer guidelines on how exactly the law should be applied.

Barbara Waters
Chief executive
Skill: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities