About Us
Meet the staff of the Higher York Access Centre
Jenny Anderton - Assessor
I have worked at the Higher York Access Centre
as an assessor since 2009. Before that I studied a BHSc
(Hons) in Occupational Therapy at York St John University. My
previous employment has been with people with learning disabilities
and mental health difficulties.
I am currently studying an MSc in Autism at
The University of Strathclyde and enjoy spending my free time
investigating new technologies and tinkering with
computers.
Kevin Colbert - Access Centre
Manager
Kevin is the Centre Manager and DSA
Assessor, he has worked in Higher Education since the mid
1980's, supporting disabled students through DSA since
1999.
Jon Petch - Assessor
I have been working in the sector of
disabled student support and undertaking Assessments of Need for
the past 10 years. Before starting work with Higher York Access
Centre in 2007 I co-managed the Equality and Diversity Office at
University of Salford. Whilst I undertake assessments for all forms
of disability, my area of particular interest is complex support
provision and autistic spectrum. I currently work at York St John
University for two days per month, the rest of my time is spent
working with other institutes of higher education throughout the
north of England as a Needs Assessor and HE support Consultant.
Isla Macneil - Assessor
I completed a degree in the History of Art at
the University of York in 2011 before going on to a post-graduate
certificate in Stained Glass Conservation and Heritage
Management. Whilst at university I was employed as a
Disability Support Worker. Through this role I worked as a
note taker, library support worker and mentor. In addition I
also worked to make texts accessible for visually impaired students
and so became familiar with a variety of specialist software
programmes. In 2013 I started working at the Higher York
Access Centre as a DSA Needs Assessor. I regularly attend
training sessions in assistive technology in order to remain
up-to-date with what is available.
Pauline
Macneil - Assessor
I have been working at the Higher York
Access Centre since 2011. Previous to working here in my
current role as a DSA Needs Assessor, I worked at the University of
York, first as a Disability Support Worker and then as a Disability
Advisor. My area of particular interest is sensory impairment
and long term medical conditions.
Claire
Wallis - Assessor
I studied a degree in English and American
Literature at the University of Kent, graduating in 2008. This
included one year at a university in America, I chose to go to
Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. After this I studied a MA
in Postcolonial Literature, also in Kent. I moved back to York, my
hometown, and started working as a support worker for students with
disabilities at York St John University. This then lead to me
becoming a Needs Assessor with Higher York Access Centre in January
2010. I regularly attend assistive technology training
and assessors conferences to stay up to date with advances in the
field.
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