For students with disabilities
Increasing numbers of students with disabilities and long-term health conditions are gaining access to higher education as institutions become more responsive to individual needs.
Disabled students can complete an Adjustment planner at all universities and higher education colleges across the UK. The planner collects key information about a student’s adjustment needs which can easily be shared with prospective employers to help ease their transition into work. The voluntary planner will collate the relevant needs of students which can then be simply passed on to employers.
In the first instance speak to someone in Disability Support at your university or college of higher education.
Colleges and universities provide support for students with, for example:
- specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia or dyspraxia
- long-term health conditions or impairment
- mental health conditions
- mobility difficulties
- complete or partial blindness/deafness
- autism
This list is not exhaustive and institutions should provide support for anyone with a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out day-to-day activities. You can find out more on the Disability Rights UK website.
In order to get the support you need, you should seek advice as soon as possible. In the first instance, look at the website of the college or university where you intend to study to find out what kind of support it can provide. The college/university’s student support service can give you more information and most institutions have disability advisers.
The kind of help institutions can provide include:
- assessing individual learner needs
- making arrangements for physical access
- helping with travel arrangements/parking
- providing special equipment
- helping with additional funding applications
- arranging access to specialist services
Useful information, including education factsheets and guides, is available through Disability Rights UK.
Financial support
If you are a UK student, you can apply for a Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA). DSA can help cover the cost of services and resources to support your studies, like one-to-one mentoring or study skill support, or specialist software and equipment. What you are eligible to receive will be individually assessed based on information and evidence relating to your condition/conditions.
In order to be considered for DSA, you must meet the definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010. DSA is applied for in conjunction with student finance and can be accessed on its own or in addition to student finance eligibility. It does not apply to European or International students, but you may still be eligible for some form of support from the college of university in the form of reasonable adjustments.
You may benefit from contacting the Disability Service at the provider you are attending for financial advice and support.