Banned from college due to my protest against discrimination

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This last year I found out that students being supported by a particular organization - which happens to not have an 'HQ' in the college I go to, but does in another college, since many more students go to the other college and people couldn't care less if a dozen or so are left out, since it's a minority in the big picture - have been specifically excluded from using this college's own additional learning facilities. Technically, it seems both organizations couldn't agree on a price for a room to rent out, but ultimately the students (myself included) are simply excluded from using rooms that were specifically designed for people on the ASD spectrum, and I don't think this is anything but discrimination. Discrimination, because only allowing one group of additional support students and not another is discriminating... although, in these circumstances, would anyone know if this is technically covered by the relevant Act and the college could thus be breaking the law?

I complained verbally to several people (and no one told me to fill in an official complaint as they said I should have done recently, but only after my protest) and this led to nowhere, with one person practically telling me that it's a hopeless situation and the only thing I could do is try as much as possible to finish the course, as difficult as it may be without being able to use the facilities.

I just... absolutely loathe injustice, and as such I couldn't simply tell myself to shut up about these complaints like others may have done... the course was indeed made much more difficult without these resources that other people on the spectrum had, and I just felt I needed to protest and make people generally aware of the discrimination going on... so I printed out some paper with a summary of the situation and claiming that as long as they get an inflated bank account no one cares if people in need of support suffer... and this led to a ban (and they cheekily accused me of libel, but I'm pretty sure in order to constitute libel what's said about another person needs to be untruthful, and since this person told me herself that it's due to finances I don't see what's libel - but no, of course they said they wouldn't pursue anything legal; why, they'd lose! This was, at any rate, merely an intimidatory tactic).

In my letter to the person handling this affair I said that "Rosa Parks didn't give up her seat, and I don't give up my right to peacefully protest against discrimination - yes, even if this only affects a dozen or so people and not a whole race, I think people everywhere should stand up against any and all kinds of discrimination" - but they, obviously, couldn't care less.

"Technically, it seems both organizations couldn't agree on a price for a room to rent out, but ultimately the students (myself included) are simply excluded from using rooms that were specifically designed for people on the ASD spectrum, and I don't think this is anything but discrimination."

It sounds to me as if the college was willing to rent out the room, and the organization in question either could not or would not pay the required fee. If the fee is the same for everybody, then it seems to me it would be discriminatory to offer the organization in question preferential terms. I have to side with the school on this one.

Nor is discrimination always wrong. I discriminate against bully-types all the time, and I would hope you do the same.

If the end result of the anti-discrimination viewpoint is establishing perfect equality, that goal won't be served when some organizations get to pay lower rates for rooms than other organizations.

fellow UKer here.

damn,was going to suggest contacting SKILL [a charity that sticks up for disabled students in all ways] but they ran out of money and closed down it seems,site is still up to help with finding elsewhere though.

have tried contacting these guys for help/advice yet-
http://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/how-w ... /education
aparently they took on the advising from SKILL.

who is the organisation that has a HQ in colleges? its not connexions is it? am aware they are in mainstream colleges, and help up to twenty five if have a disability.

with discrimination, have a look at the DDA to see if it relates, am linking to the first chapter in the college and university section,click 'next provision' button to see the further chapters-
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1995/50/section/28R


am really sorry but cannot understand the issue in full,are not at fault am just not able to make sense if language isnt short sentances with key points.

No, Thelibrarian, I agree that they shouldn't have preferential rates, and I had loads of complaints about this organization too, but the point of the matter is that the college specifically decided to exclude *the students*... and as a result whoever gets to use their facilities only gets to use them based on their 'provenance'... they shouldn't give another organization a room, but if they have additional learning facilities then anyone with an appropriate diagnosis should get to use them, surely?!

And what do you mean, are you equating me with a bully, WTF? This kind of discrimination isn't wrong?

I don't know if I'm understanding correctly, but are there two distinct colleges involved here? Is it that the college you don't attend has better facilities which you don't have access to?

I don't think the college with the superior facilities has any obligation to let anyone but their own students use them. If your college came to an agreement with them then that would be fine, but if not; I don't see there's much to be done about it.

Well, essentially an organization which is exclusively involved in supporting students, and then the actual college those students go to - so this IS the college I had attended for quite a while now. The college has its own additional learning support, but, as mentioned, this year decided to only allow students that exclusively get their support and not the others which happen to have an external organization supporting them. It's not even an issue of superior facilities - I had none at all besides what's normally offered to all students (library etc. which is quite noisy - the college even has these specialist, rounded chairs to block out sensory overload as part of their additional learning facilities, but just because I was being supporting by an external organization I couldn't even sit on some chairs!)

Were these excluded students excluded based upon a violation of the host school's policies? What policy is it that they are alleged to have broken?

I would ask to see a copy of these policies. Being bureaucracies, school administrators are forbidden, under pain of termination, to deviate from established policies. If they violated those policies in any way, find it, and you've got them. But the policies have to have been broken.

Of course, policies can be unjust. But changing policy is an entirely different matter than claiming policy has been violated.

Regarding whether I called you a bully, you completely misunderstand my point, which was only to provide an example. Here is another one if it will clarify things: I am very monagamous. When I am monogamous I discriminate sexually against ever other human on earth. I wouldn't have it any other way.

What this means is that I'd like to see some hard proof that these students were done wrong. Claiming they were "discriminated" against has become absolutely meaningless through many years of misuse. If you can convince me that an injustice has in fact occurred, you will have won me over to your side.

Thelibrarian, no policy at all was involved. This wasn't based on anything the students did, but the fact that they were being supported by an external organization which just couldn't agree to rent out a room from this college, and as such the students are the poor sods in the middle of a gun fight, metaphorically.

That, in my opinion, is discrimination. I'm not sure if you understand the situation clearly now, but in my opinion this isn't simply the innocuous kind of discrimination that's involved in monogamous relationships - surely, whereas the rest of mankind you wouldn't marry wouldn't even know about that fact, this, on the other hand, is the kind of 'active' discrimination that certainly affected the students, or at least myself, making my course much harder as a result with a higher probability of failure.

I think your grievance may be more properly aimed at the organization which claims to be supporting you. Why are they unable to reach an agreement?

Okay, then the school was willing to rent out the room but the external organization failed to rent out the room? It sounds as if your problem is with that external organization, and you need to deal directly with the school.

I'm an administrator myself. One thing I can tell you is that bureaucrats are not allowed by their policies to engage in real discrimination in any way, shape, or form. Period. Paragraph. If there were, it will be headlines across the world as soon as it is discovered. It's just not going to happen in today's world. So, if this school is guilty of real discrimination, it will certainly be a violation of their policies, and likely the complete sympathy of the media.

So the organization didn't rent the rooms from the college, because the rent was too high?

Isn't that the problem of the organization?

Did you complain to them?

Ann2011, btbnnyr: because, they said, they couldn't simply pay thousands for a room... and I personally think it's unjustified that their rent is so expensive when most of the time most rooms are empty and unused.

I blame the college, though, because throughout the course I essentially became associated more with it than the other organization... I only occasionally met with a support worker, and rarely went to their offices, whereas I went to college two days a week. And if they already have the facilities why would one decide to be such c***s as to exclude students just because they happen to have a support worker employed elsewhere?!

I have had a huge amount of complaints about the organization too as I mentioned, mind you... but with this issue I felt that the onus was on the college, if it involves its own academic (if not additional learning support) students!

Thelibrarian: well, I haven't (yet) gone to the media... it took me days to even start up this topic since I just needed a break from all this nonsense now anyway. And, I think, the point is that no matter who is to blame, discrimination was still committed?

Oh, I see, so you are studying at the college, and they won't let you use the rooms just because you are supported by the organization that won't pay the rent that was set very high by the college?

That does seem unfair to me, I think that someone studying at the college should be allowed to use the rooms.

I also think someone studying at the college should be able to use the rooms.

(and whether or not the external organization can pay the rent . . . is a potential remedy to a situation that should not exist in the first place)

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Now, what I gathered from Herb Cohen's book on negotiation, it changes the dynamic in your favor if you can have someone else negotiate on your behalf. This can be a fellow student, a relative, maybe even a former teacher.

One bit of advice, don't ask more than three different people or else you'll start getting burned on people (my experience).

And if need be, consider hiring a lawyer, although this is kind of a high stakes route.

What they have done sounds entirely illegal. I would contact the NAS helpline http://www.autism.org.uk/our-services/a ... vices.aspx and get them to speak to your college or send them information on the law. It is discrimination. The college has responsibilities to you. It's like working for an employer and not belonging to the union. You are still entitled to the same rights as colleagues who do belong to the union. Take it further.

Here are some links from the NAS that might help:

http://www.autism.org.uk/our-services/e ... t-16s.aspx
http://www.autism.org.uk/our-services/e ... pport.aspx
http://www.autism.org.uk/our-services/e ... rvice.aspx (up to age 19)
http://www.autism.org.uk/our-services/a ... rvice.aspx

You may want to look at the Equality Act 2010 also.

This sounds like political infighting to me, and it does happen in UK establishments with so much emphasis on running for profit.

I would take Whirlingminds advice above or try a call to the CAB too. Good luck.