No stats, no show

Showing the University of Gloucestershire as having the second worst record for recruiting disabled students is misleading ("Who falls behind in the pursuit of justice", THES , December 20/). We did not collect statistics on the receipt of the Disabled Students' Allowance in 2000-01, as is noted in the higher education funding council report. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that the table shows us with 0 per cent disabled students.

The DSA figures understate the number of disabled students, because many of them are either not eligible for DSA or do not claim it. In 2000-01, 4.4 per cent of undergraduates in the UK self-assessed themselves as having a disability. At Gloucestershire the figure was 10 per cent. Due to non-disclosure, the actual percentages of disabled students may, perhaps, be double this number.

Mick Healey
University of Gloucestershire