Scottish student being denied qualification due to disability
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) have come under fire this week after a Scottish student revealed he was being denied a qualification due to his disability.
Kyle Gunn, who studies NQ Media Studies at Glasgow Clyde College has been told that he won't be able to progress to the next level HND course as he won't pass his journalism module.
The 19-year-old from Renfrewshire has Cerebral Palsy which affects his ability to complete the shorthand part of the course.
However, he has still been able to interview people, write articles, and cover events, even managing to land a column at The Scotsman.
Twitter users across the country, including politicians, have expressed their outrage.
CP should be no barrier to journalism. @mgoldenmsp is right to highlight Kyle's case and ask @sqanews to reconsider. https://t.co/duRuDYgiJj
— Ruth Davidson (@RuthDavidsonMSP) August 21, 2017
Poor stuff from @sqanews re @Kyle_Gunn97 story. Young guy trying to do his best against all odds but denied the opportunity. Ridiculous...
— Scott McDermott (@scottmcdermott8) August 22, 2017
Load of shite, mate. I didn't do shorthand at uni (it was optional). Was going to do it 4 years ago but my editor told me it wasn't worth it
— Craig Fowler (@craigfowler86) August 21, 2017
It is totally rubbish Kyle. Unless you want to be a court reporter there's really no need and reasonable adjustments should be made!
— Holly McCormack (@Hollz2012) August 21, 2017
People have been specifically highlighting the fact that most journalism courses have made shorthand optional, and a number of journalism jobs don't require the skill as phones and other devices can now be used as dictaphones.
The SQA are stating that as part of the Equality Act, they can sometimes make adjustments for students with disabilities, but the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) has stipulated that this module cannot be removed.
The Scottish Government have got involved, consulting with the SQA, but at the time of writing nothing has changed.
Best of luck to Kyle, because this is madness! Hopefully they'll reconsider.