Disabled Student Support for England in 2017. How did we get here and where are we going? A brief history, commentary on current context and reflection on possible future directions.

Provision for disabled students studying in England’s HEIs is at a crossroads with the simultaneous review of the DSA and push towards embedded inclusive practices governed by social model principles of universal design for learning. The National Association of Disability Practitioners (NADP) has come of age at a time of huge change and now seems to be the the perfect moment to reflect on its underpinning values and ask where the organisation has come from and where it is going in relation to promoting disability equality in post compulsory education. The authors of this paper have condensed the history of disability support in England from the early 1980s to the present time. During this time NADP has grown into a powerhouse of social model thinking focussed on disability equality in post compulsory education. NADP’s success is surprising given that the infrastructure is tiny and the Board of Directors is made up of unpaid disability and inclusivity practitioners who work for NADP in their spare time. NADP has grown to over 1300 members in 2017 and their lively contribution contributes to the success of our professional association. This paper contextualises the challenges which face the HE sector in 2017 and considers the areas where NADP could help, in relation to ensuring equality of access and parity of experience between disabled and non-disabled students.