Go Higher West Yorkshire Disabled Students Network update
The past six months have been a busy and productive period for the Go Higher West Yorkshire Disabled Students Network.
As a group, we have continued to focus on collaborative working, while also making space for something equally important: sharing information, discussing challenges, and supporting one another. Although each member works within their own institution, many of the issues we are navigating are not unique. In fact, the same themes and challenges are being experienced across West Yorkshire, the wider region, and the Further/Higher Education sector.
This shared experience has strengthened the value of working together. Alongside our joint project work, we have increasingly used the Network as a space to exchange resources, share learning, and offer practical support. In doing so, we have built stronger working relationships across member institutions and created a more connected and collaborative network.
Supporting transition into Higher Education
Our main area of focus continues to be the development of a Transitions Pack for parents, carers, and supporters of disabled students moving into higher education.
This pack will sit alongside, and complement the pack we produced for disabled students, and support parents, carers and supporters to understand what support looks like in higher education, where there are key areas of difference, and how this can be accessed. A key element of the pack to support parents, carers and supporters is to understand their role in the identification and implementation of support, and how they can continue to support their young person, now they won’t have a direct active role.
This resource has now reached draft stage, and we are currently reviewing contributions from across the Network, refining content, and ensuring the guide has a clear and consistent voice throughout. This stage of the process has prompted careful reflection on tone, language, and accessibility.
We recognise that this guide is intended for people supporting young disabled students as they move into higher education, many of whom may have little or no direct experience of higher education themselves. Some readers may also be disabled and may require information to be presented in ways that are clear, inclusive, and easy to navigate. The Network is taking great care to ensure the guide is practical, accessible, and genuinely useful to the widest possible audience.
Our aim is to produce a resource that not only complements existing transition support but also stands as a clear and accessible guide.
Looking ahead
Once the Transitions Pack is complete, our focus will turn to developing complementary materials and web content to support it. These resources will be designed for use across West Yorkshire, helping to ensure a consistent, accessible, and high-quality offer for students and those who support them.
We are working towards completion by August 2026, allowing time for dissemination ahead of the autumn term and in preparation for the next higher education application cycle.
This next phase of work is an exciting step forward, and we look forward to sharing more in the months ahead.
Simon Morris, Head of Disability Support & Directorate Operations, University of Leeds
