Every Monday, firstpoint publishes five points about a topic related to life at university. This week, find out more about the Disability & Dyslexia Service…
POINT ONE: DECLARING A DISABILITY TO THE DISABILITY AND DYSLEXIA SERVICE…
The Disability and Dyslexia Service are here to help you if you are a student who has a disability or a long-term condition that affects your ability to study.
You may feel your condition is not a disability or you aren’t sure if you are eligible for support whilst studying at Worcester. It is always worth contacting the service to ask if you fit the criteria for support adjustments.
You can find out more or arrange an appointment with a specialist adviser by visiting the Disability & Dyslexia webpages.
POINT TWO: WHAT IS A DISABILITY…
Support is available for students with a variety of needs, the list below is for guidance and is not exhaustive:
- Physical disabilities,
- Sensory impairments (such as hearing impaired/deaf, visually impaired/blind)
- Mental health conditions including anxiety and depression
- Specific learning differences (SpLD)
- Autistic spectrum conditions including Asperger’s, ADHD and ADD.
- Medical conditions that effect your long-term health and impact on your daily life.
You can always get in touch to discuss whether you think you may have a disability that is affecting your study.
POINT THREE: ACCESSING SUPPORT…
To access support, you can visit the Disability and Dyslexia Service webpage and select ‘book an appointment’ on the left of the page. From there you will be able to meet with an Adviser who can discuss your support needs and advise on how to access the support. We will ask you to register with the service and ask for you to give us consent to share support information.
If you prefer, you could instead complete the Self-Referral Form found here and a member of the team will then contact you regarding setting up your support.
Some examples of support (reasonable adjustments) that can be made are extra time in exams, specialist chairs, accommodation adjustments.
There is also lots of helpful information available for your Academic Staff found here, including information on signposting and creating accessible teaching resources.
POINT FOUR: WHAT EVIDENCE IS REQUIRED…
You will need evidence of your disability. This is normally in the form of a letter from a doctor or other qualified medical professional, provided on headed note paper, which confirms the diagnosis of the condition, whether the condition is long term (more than 12 months) and how your condition impacts upon your ability to carry out daily activities, particularly in the context of university life.
For students with short term conditions the University will still explore what support can put in place.
If you are not sure if your evidence is sufficient, please contact the Disability and Dyslexia Service to book an appointment with a Disability Adviser who can discuss this with you.
POINT FIVE: APPLYING FOR FUNDING…
In addition to the support that the University can offer you, you may be eligible for external sources of funding that may pay for equipment, human support, taxis, paper and printing costs.
The advisers can discuss your eligibility and help guide you through the process of applying for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). Follow the steps in point 3 above or visit firstpoint to arrange to talk to the team.
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