Dear University of Hull,

I am writing to make a request for information to which I am entitled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Please send me:

• Why you consider it to be acceptable that you choose not to complete health assessments and use that as a reason for rescinding offers from disabled applicants (written evidence from your Head of Admissions Service, that you do so, has been obtained).
• The percentage of applicants for entry in each of the following years: 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2017 who were disabled under the Disability Discrimination Act/ Equality Act 2010.
• The percentage of students admitted in each of the following years: 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2017 who were disabled under the Disability Discrimination Act/ Equality Act 2010.
• For both of the above, the percentage of the disabled applicants or disabled students whose condition or impairment was not Dyslexia.
• The number of applicants who were rejected on the grounds of disability, for each of the following years: 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2017.
• The number of conditional offers made that were rescinded on the grounds of disability for each of the following years: 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2017.
• The number of unconditional offers made that were rescinded on the grounds of disability, thus preventing affected applicants from taking up their insurance offers, for each of the following years: 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2017.
• The number of offers made that were rescinded for each of the following years: 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2017 and the reasons.
• The Participation of Local Areas (POLAR) classification of postcodes or other measure of socioeconomic or educational disadvantage for the applicants who were rejected on the grounds of disability or who had offers rescinded on the grounds of disability, for each of the following years: 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2017.
• The academic performance of disabled students with Dyslexia who you did admit, compared to non-disabled students for the following intakes: 2010, 2011 and 2012 .
• The academic performance of disabled students, grouped by condition and impairment if possible, who did not have Dyslexia, who you did admit, compared to non-disabled students for the following intakes: 2010, 2011 and 2012.
• The percentage of your employees who are disabled under the Equality Act 2010.

If this request is too wide or unclear, I would be grateful if you could contact me as I understand that, under the Act, you are required to advise and assist requesters. If any of this information is already in the public domain, please can you direct me to it, with page references and URLS if necessary.

If the release of any of this information is prohibited on the grounds of breach of confidence, I ask that you supply me with copies of the confidentiality agreement and remind you that information should not be treated as confidential if such an agreement has not been signed.

I understand that you are required to respond to my request within the 20 working days after you receive this letter. I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have received this request.

I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully,
Miss Starr

Dear Kayleigh Wilson,

Thank you for your response. I wish to raise the following in relation to the information that you have kindly taken the time to provide:

1. Please can you evidence your claim that, 'Every endeavour is made to ensure that health assessments are completed in a timely manner', as I am in possession of evidence to the contrary. The evidence is from an applicant who had obtained occupational health clearance from the occupational health provider used by the applicant's insurance institution, but despite assurances of having fully cooperated, had her/his offer rescinded by The University of Hull's Head of Admissions, after the offer had been changed to unconditional on the UCAS system. I have, in my possession, a copy of a letter in which the following is stated, 'confirmation has not been received that the health assessment, required as a condition of your offer for entry to the February 2011 intake of the Advanced Diploma Nursing programme, has been completed and is satisfactory. We regret that without that confirmation we are not able to continue with your acceptance to the programme. ' (Mrs Sheila Dowling, Head of Admissions Service, 5 January 2011). Additionally, 'the advice offered by the Occupational Health Consultant Dr Tony Hynes was that he was unable on the currently available medical information to offer a health opinion upon your medical fitness to commence student nurse training' (Sarah Purdy, Occupational health Manager, 9 March 2011). Why is Dr Tony Hynes permitted not to attempt to obtain the necessary information?

5-7. Please provide an honest response, as I am in receipt of the above mentioned evidence that staff at your university rescind unconditional offers from disabled applicants. In the above incidence, there appears to be no evidence that, 'all avenues of reasonable adjustments and recommendations were (would be) considered'.

12. 16% of working age adults are disabled (DWP and OID, 2014), yet only 6% of your employees are. Please could you provide the percentage of job applicants who are disabled and the percentage of job applicants who have been successful but who were prevented from taking up the position by your occupational health provider. Please could you provide the percentage of staff who are forced to leave their position by your occupational health provider, per year.

Thank you for having taken the time to read my reply including the concerns regarding the honesty of the provided response. I await your reply,

Yours sincerely,

Miss Starr

References

Department for Work and Pensions and Office for Disability Issues (2014). Disability facts and figures.
London: DWP and ODI (published 16 January 2014),
https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio..., (accessed 15 February 2018).

Dowling, S. (2011). Letter to applicant from the University of Hull Admissions Service
[Letter- copy] (Author's own collection).

Purdy, S. (2011). Letter to applicant from the University of Hull [Letter- copy] (Author's own collection).