Disability support, including dyslexia, ADHD, Autism, physical and sensory disabilities and long term health conditions.

At º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, we have a dedicated team of friendly and experienced professionals on hand to support you in reaching your academic and personal potential.

Dyslexia advice and support

Dyslexia, or Specific Learning Difference (SpLD) as it is also known, affects the way your brain processes information. Dyslexic learners have many strengths, but certain situations can present challenges where extra support is needed. At º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, we have a dedicated team of friendly and experienced professionals on hand to help you reach your academic and personal potential.

When you have the appropriate diagnostic report which confirms your dyslexia, and you meet our evidence policy criteria, we can discuss what support you’ll have access to as a student at our University.

Frequently asked questions

It is unlikely, as most school evidence is not suitable for Higher Education. Please check our evidence policy for information on the assessments we can, and cannot accept.

We strongly encourage that if you are displaying symptoms of dyslexia, that you have an appropriate assessment before your studies begin and send us the results. This will allow us more time to prepare the support you need and to make sure this is available to you at the very start of your studies.

Unfortunately, the University does not contribute towards the cost of dyslexia assessments for applicants or current students.

You can view the most up-to-date information on where assessments can be completed on our student support website.

The University will only accept documents that have been submitted via our secure Disability and Health Portal that has been specifically designed for º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ applicants.

Disability and long-term health conditions

We recognise that choosing to go to university may involve significant life changes and for some students, extra consideration and preparation may be needed during this time. º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is committed to ensuring disabled students, including those with physical, sensory and long-term health conditions, receive the support they need to succeed.

Our specialist advisors will work with you as an applicant to arrange bespoke and holistic support in all aspect of you University life. To allow our support teams to plan and prepare for your arrival, we encourage you to share information with us via the appropriate UCAS disability code on your applications. Please note, this information is not used as part of your application – it simply allows us to reach out to you to discuss your support needs.

Before you even begin your studies, here is an example of what we can do for you:

  • Review your initial health details and the self-assessed support requirements you submitted to us via the Disability and Health portal.
  • Meet with you to discuss your individual circumstances. You are welcome to bring a family member or friend along with you to this meeting.
  • Provide advice on the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) which is a targeted grant that can help you pay for extra study-related costs that you may incur. Prior to registering, we recommend all eligible students apply for DSA as soon as possible.
  • Help you to secure suitable University accommodation to suit your health requirements.
  • Arrange orientation support to help you familiarise yourself with our campus.
  • Advise on the diagnostic evidence you will need to supply in order to access support.

Students with long term health conditions such as Crohn’s disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, cancer and diabetes often do not consider their diagnosis as a disability. This means they can miss out on the support they are entitled to, for example, extra time or use of computers in exams.

If your condition impacts your day to day life and has lasted for/will last for more than 12 months, you are eligible for the support our professional disability teams can provide. Students who are currently registered for our support have conditions such as epilepsy, chronic back pain and RSI.

Depending on the results of an assessment carried out by a DSA assessor or a Disability Advisor at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, to understand your specific needs, there are different types of support we can offer you during your studies, including:

  • Provide advice on applying for and accessing your DSA.
  • Liaise with your academic department to discuss reasonable adjustments to course delivery and/or assessment methods that will better suit your individual needs.
  • Arrange for extended library loans.
  • Deliver awareness training to your academic department.
  • Provide mentoring or study support skills.
  • Enable access to some assistive software on the University IT system.
  • Adapt your physical environment or source additional equipment to meet your individual needs.

Depending on the results of an assessment carried out by a DSA assessor or a Disability Advisor at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, to understand your specific needs, there are different types of support we can offer you during your studies, including:

  • Arrange orientation support around our campus.
  • Organise a one-to-one library induction.
  • Provide advice on applying for and accessing your DSA.
  • Arrange materials in accessible formats e.g. large prints
  • Liaise with your academic department to discuss reasonable adjustments to course delivery and/or assessment methods that will better suit your individual needs.
  • Deliver awareness training to your academic department.
  • Provide mentoring or study support skills.
  • Enable access to some assistive software on the University IT system.
  • Adapt your physical environment or source additional equipment to meet your individual needs.

Depending on the results of an assessment carried out by a DSA assessor or a Disability Advisor at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, to understand your specific needs, there are different types of support we can offer you during your studies, including:

  • Examination and assessment adjustments.
  • Provide advice on applying for and accessing your DSA.
  • Access to ‘Deaf Alerter’ and ‘Deafguard’ fire protection systems
  • Arrange for communications support e.g. British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters
  • Access to a disability advisor fluent in BSL
  • Liaise with your academic department to discuss reasonable adjustments to course delivery and/or assessment methods that will better suit your individual needs.
  • Deliver awareness training to your academic department.
  • Provide mentoring or study support skills.
  • Enable access to some assistive software on the University IT system.

Depending on the results of an assessment carried out by a DSA assessor or a Disability Advisor at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, to understand your specific needs, there are different types of support we can offer you during your studies, including:

  • Examination and assessment adjustments.
  • Invitations to ASC transition and social activities.
  • Provide advice on applying for and accessing your DSA.
  • Arrange orientation support around our campus.
  • Provide mentoring or study support skills.
  • Liaise with your academic department to discuss reasonable adjustments to course delivery and/or assessment methods that will better suit your individual needs.
  • Deliver awareness training to your academic department.
  • Enable access to some assistive software on the University IT system.

Depending on the results of an assessment carried out by a DSA assessor or a Disability Advisor at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, to understand your specific needs, there are different types of support we can offer you during your studies, including:

  • Examination and assessment adjustments.
  • Provide advice on applying for and accessing your DSA.
  • Authorise campus parking permits.
  • Arrange orientation support around our campus.
  • Adapt your physical environment or source additional equipment to meet your individual needs.
  • Provide mentoring or study support skills.
  • Liaise with your academic department to discuss reasonable adjustments to course delivery and/or assessment methods that will better suit your individual needs.
  • Deliver awareness training to your academic department.
  • Enable access to some assistive software on the University IT system.

Mental health and wellbeing

Mental health is critically important, and something we are determined to protect here at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ. We understand how certain conditions such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and eating disorders can have a negative impact on your studies and personal life at University. All students have access to lots of different types of mental health support, from wellbeing advisors to a professional counselling team.

You can find all the details over in our Health and Wellbeing section.

Trauma

At º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, we understand that for some students, coming to University may be the first time you’ve had the personal space to reflect on past experiences. It may also be the first time you feel safe enough to report violence or abuse.

It is important for you to know that we have a caring and dedicated Duty Assessment and Inclusion Team, who are on hand to provide comfort, support and refuge to each and every student in need.

If you have been subjected to any of the following, they will listen, talk you through your options and help to formulate a short-term support plan, regardless of when the incident occurred:

  • Recent or historical sexual or domestic violence
  • Feel at risk of honour-based violence
  • Harassment
  • Bullying or hate crime including racism and discrimination relating to LGBTQ+

We have an online reporting tool which allows you to securely report an incident that has happened to yourself, on behalf of another person, or that you have witnessed. It does not matter whether the incident occurred one week, one month or one year ago – you can still let us know via the reporting portal.

All incidents that are submitted will be treated seriously.

If you are hesitant or worried about reporting an incident that you feel is not serious at the time, we would strongly encourage you to report this as it can impact your wellbeing longer term. It can also help the University to identify and address wider issues or concerns that are happening on campus.

For more information or to submit a report using our online incident report, please see our incident reporting website.