What other people say about us
Alison James, Head of Teaching and Learning, London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London
I have worked with Caroline Davies for several years both on individual projects and as part of major institutional initiatives to see through change in relation to disability. Caroline is nationally respected and formidable in her field for her breadth of knowledge, attention to detail, ability to synthesise and clarify legislation and in producing clear documentation that staff at all levels can work from. She has been particularly active in the creative arts sector and has built up what is probably unparalleled expertise in this field. She also has an in depth understanding of the human, not just the policy, aspect of compliance and is able to identify the practical and emotional barriers that students - and some staff - face when dealing with issues of disability or specific learning difficulty.
Caroline's dedication to fighting discrimination has involved her in curriculum audits, consultancy to institutions, guidelines for specific departments such as Library Learning Resource Centres, and feedback on universities' recent responses to the Disability Equality Duty. I would recommend Caroline without hesitation and am delighted to be continuing to work with her on future projects.
Julie Walkling, Director of Student Services, London Metropolitan University
I first met Caroline Davies in 1995 when I joined the University of North London where Caroline was running the disabilities service. I became head of department and developed an enormous respect for Caroline as a colleague I could rely on who was highly intelligent, pragmatic, astute, forward thinking but who also had a great warmth and sense of humour - even in the face of adversity! Caroline was responsible for establishing the Disability Service and under her stewardship the service grew, including the creation of our Independent Learning Unit with assistive technology. At a time when the University had a commitment to disabled students but with little legislation to draw on, Caroline was a great persuader of academic and professional staff in raising awareness and understanding of access and adjustments for disabled students. At the point of her leaving, the service had expanded to include students with specific learning difficulties and a significant staff complement.
I remained in touch with Caroline when she left to become a consultant in 2002 , valuing her understanding of disability issues and higher education and we often exchanged views. As part of our work at London Metropolitan University in developing our Disability Equality Scheme we contracted Caroline to advise us and to carry out research and consultation relating to the scheme. The outcome was a very well put together scheme and action plan which we will be taking forward. I have called upon Caroline's expertise again recently to help us review a number of institutional practices with regard to their impact upon disabled students and to help us improve our operations. Her ability to understand the institutional perspective as well as the individual is a great asset and I am happy to recommend her services to others.