UK University Project for Neurodivergent Students Shortlisted for Award
The University of Brighton's SENSE project has been shortlisted for a national award. The student-led initiative is designed to support neurodivergent learners. This recognition highlights a growing trend in the UK higher education sector toward investing in specialized assistive technology and inclusive digital solutions.
- The SENSE project's full title is "Student Empowerment and Neurodivergent Support in Education," and it was shortlisted for the inaugural Neurodiverse Business Awards, which received over 400 entries in its first year. - The initiative is designed to be "by neurodivergent students for neurodivergent students," offering peer mentoring, skills development workshops, and paid student partner roles to improve confidence and employability. - At the University of Brighton, 35% of students declare a disability, a figure that is nearly double the UK higher education sector average. - The project aims to address a national employment gap; a 2025 Department for Work and Pensions report indicated that only 31% of autistic people are in work, compared to 54.7% of disabled people overall. - This trend extends beyond Brighton, with institutions like Hartpury University creating an "Inclusive Teaching and Learning Guidebook" and being recognized for outstanding academic support tailored to student needs. - Common assistive technologies used to support neurodivergent students in higher education include text-to-speech/speech-to-text software, mind mapping tools like MindGenius, and advanced note-taking applications such as Glean. - A survey by Student Beans found that nearly 22% of university students have been diagnosed with a neurodiversity, while UCAS data from late 2023 showed 103,000 accepted UK applicants reported a disability.
