(UK) Students sue Oxford U. over accommodations for disabilities

Aug 9, 2017, Cherwell (UK): Students sue Oxford for ‘mishandling’ mental health needs http://www.cherwell.org/2017/08/09/students-sue-oxford-for-mishandling-mental-health-needs/ Two students are suing Oxford University over alleged mishandling of their mental health needs. Catherine Dance, a 24-year-old Jesus College Law Graduate, is suing the university for “psychological harm” and a year’s loss of earnings, after completing her Finals a year late due to mental health difficulties. Dance, who was diagnosed with chronic anxiety and depression in 2009, claims she was forced to rusticate for a year from her degree, after Jesus refused to allow her to sit collections in a private room using a laptop. ... College officials say they repeatedly encouraged Ms Dance to seek counselling. Another student, Sophie Spector, who has dyslexia, ADHD and OCD, is suing the University over claims that staff at Balliol pressurised her to take medical leave from her PPE degree. Spector said Balliol refused her an extended deadline on essays. Chris Fry, a disability rights lawyer who is representing Ms Dance and Ms Spector, said that the increase in lawsuits against universities is a result of students becoming more aware of their rights. ... He added that since the 2010 act, he has handled more than a 100 cases of students seeking to sue their university over discrimination allegations. With most students claiming that the “reasonable adjustments” for mental illnesses required by the act were not made by their respective universities.