Able to Teach was produced by the TDA in 2004, to help teacher training providers admit more disabled applicants. It showed how good practice under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) could be joined up with good practice in assessing physical and mental fitness to teach. This helps providers make fair decisions on a candidate’s ability meet the demands of teaching. The DDA was subsequently extended to include institutions offering initial teacher training and final implementation came into force in September 2005.
Providers of initial teacher training (ITT) are responsible for decisions that significantly affect an individual’s career. It is important these decisions are fair, enabling those with the potential to be a good teacher to progress to qualified teacher status (QTS) and redirecting those who are not suited to teaching.
The legislative changes mean we must ensure providers are fully aware of their new and amended duties. We have produced an updated version of Able to Teach supported by Skill: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities, who were closely involved in writing the original. It reflects the changes to the regulations and should continue to be a valuable support document for all ITT providers.
View more tdaNews for October 2007
