A disabled student was told she could not change courses because it “might be too challenging for her”.
The woman had requested the change after being excluded from a field trip on her current course because of her disability.
Perth College has been ordered to apologise to the student named only as Miss C after the Scottish Public Service Ombudsman (SPSO) upheld her complaint.
The SPSO was told that while notes from the field trip were given to Miss C to allow her to complete course work, they had been made by a student and were inadequate.
A request to transfer her studies was denied and when the woman questioned her tutor about the refusal, he suggested the physical aspects of the course “might be too challenging for her”.
The SPSO decision stated: “We investigated Miss C’s complaints and found that, although the college had involved her appropriately in discussions about adjustments to the residential trip, the arrangements ultimately made were unreasonable, as the college relied on another student for these.
“We said the college should have ensured that the notes were made available in good time, and were of sufficient quality to enable Miss C to complete the assignment.
“We found that the college unreasonably handled Miss C’s request to transfer to another course. The decision was not appropriately communicated to Miss C for more than two weeks.
“We were critical of the failure to properly communicate the decision to Miss C, and of the tutor’s comment. We recommended that the college apologise to Miss C for the failings our investigation found.”
A spokeswoman for disability charity Capability Scotland said: “In order for disabled people to play a full role in society they must have the same opportunities as everyone else and access to all aspects of education is vitally important. We welcome the decision, which sends out a clear message that disabled students should be treated equally and fairly.”
A spokesperson for Perth College said: “Perth College UHI accepted the recommendations of the SPSO and gave a full apology to Miss C, recognising that her experience whilst studying at the college was not as good as it should have been.
“We are always concerned when someone expresses disappointment with any of our services and have amended our practices in light of Miss C’s experience and the SPSO recommendations.”