Needs Related
- Who has access to the equal opportunities information I declare as a student?
- Is there a prayer room at the regional centre?
- What is the dress code at tutorials or residential schools?
- Is there a LGBT staff network?
- Does the OU have equality networks for students?
- Why does the University ask me to declare my religion and my sexual orientation?
- What can I expect if I start work or study with the OU part way through gender reassignment?
- Are OU websites accessible to disabled people?
- Is my English good enough?
Who has access to the equal opportunities information I declare as a student?
Access to equality monitoring information is controlled and stored securely. The information can be viewed by those staff that provide information, advice and guidance to you, and staff that need to update your student record. Your tutor does not have access to this information, but may be provided with some information, such as if you have a disability, where it is relevant to teaching.
Is there a prayer room at the regional centre?
Due to the relatively small size of most regional and national centres, there is insufficient space for dedicated prayer or meditation facilities. If you are a member of staff, space will be made available wherever possible to accommodate your religious observance. If you are a student or member of the public attending an event or meeting at a centre, and you require a quiet space, please advise staff at the centre in advance, so that every effort can be made to accommodate your request. A dedicated prayer room is provided at the Walton Hall campus.
What is the dress code at tutorials or residential schools?
There is no particular dress code at tutorials. You can wear whatever you like, providing you feel comfortable. At a small number of residential schools, there may be a restriction on what you can wear for health and safety reasons. Information about any restrictions will be advised to students in advance.
Is there a LGBT staff network?
There is a network for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender staff and postgraduate research students, one for disabled staff and one for ethnic minority staff. There is also a Hong Kong Chinese staff network and a network to advance careers of women. Further information is available to staff on the intranet.
Does the OU have equality networks for students?
The OU Students Association has established a number of online forums on a range of equality topics. You can search the OUSA Forum Index for your area of interest. There is a Disability Forum, Mental Health Forum and Disabled Students Group, an LGBT forum, Pregnancy Support and Parenting forums, Pagan, Christian Fellowship and Prayer Circle forums, to name just a few. It is also possible for students to request new forums to be set up by OUSA.
Why does the University ask me to declare my religion and my sexual orientation?
You may feel uncomfortable about being asked to label yourself, as what should matter are your experience, abilities and learning or employment goals. However, your ethnicity, religion or belief, sexuality, and other characteristics can sometimes affect how you are treated. Discrimination is sometimes direct, but is more often indirect, as a result of criteria or practices that unintentionally exclude or disadvantage people. The University has a duty to prevent unlawful discrimination on these grounds and monitoring is one way of meeting this duty. Evidence from monitoring allows us to highlight different experiences and outcomes, and take action to address inequalities. Many other universities and employers now ask these questions as standard for the same reasons.
What can I expect if I start work or study with the OU part way through gender reassignment?
We recognise that some people transition from one gender to another with relative ease and others do not. Whatever your individual circumstances, we will respond in a supportive way. If you apply for a job or register for study, we will not ask you to declare if you are transgender, however you may want to disclose this if you have particular needs, for example, if you are concerned about how others may react, or if you will require time off for medical appointments or procedures. Your line manager (for staff) or a named contact (for students) will discuss your circumstances and needs with you and develop a confidential action plan to manage issues such as disclosing to others and changing University records where appropriate. A policy document and guidance has been created for staff and their line managers and is available to staff on the HR intranet. The student policy and guidance is in the Essential Documents for student’s website.
Are OU websites accessible to disabled people?
The Open University websites aim to achieve World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative Priority 2 level. We include a variety of accessibility features from the outset, and provide guidance to our website users to enable individuals to utilise web technologies. View further information about our websites' accessibility
Is my English good enough?
Our open access policy means that you do not require formal proof of English language ability to study with us. If you want to assess your English language ability, you can check the information and guidance in Is my English good enough?. You can also visit English and OU Study for examples of how English is used in OU study and for activities to help you asses your English skills. Finally, take advantage of the variety of resources in Skills for OU Study to improve your reading and writing skills in academic English.
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Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
The Open University
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA
Email edi-team@open.ac.uk
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