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When I set up The Snowdon Award Scheme in 1981, the first International Year of Disabled People, there was very little statutory funding available for disabled students. At that time, it was my stated wish that by the millennium, charitable support for disabled students would be a thing of the past.

Today, whilst we can celebrate how the Scheme has helped change lives and create better opportunities for disabled learners, there is also a touch of sadness that there is still much more to be done.

True, the introduction of Disabled Students' Allowances and the various Disability Discrimination Acts have provided tremendous improvements. Indeed, some of my Scheme’s trustees and vice presidents have played an enormous part in driving these through, and our 2006 Survey has prompted further increases in some statutory allowances.

But every year we continue to receive applications for far more support than the Scheme is able to satisfy, from talented young people whose primary aims are to access education, to become self-supporting and to manage their own lives.

So, in addition to providing financial assistance to individual students wherever we can, we will continue to highlight the inequalities that exist and to input, where appropriate to public debate.

We would love you to help us. Please read the How you can help section of our site to see what you can do to assist us in supporting more students and reversing the inequalities.