Disability & Specific Learning Differences / Difficulties (SpLDs)

You can declare a disability or support need on your course application, once you have accepted your offer of a place, once you have enrolled or at any time during your course.

If you have already started your course, you should contact the Disability team via the Gateway desk located in the Library.

In many cases, UK students applying for higher education courses may be able to apply for the Disabled Students Allowance. If you are in any doubt about financial arrangements or funding, please contact the Disability & SpLD team.

To be eligible to apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance you need to hold home residency status.

If you are an international student, you should seek advice on what support you might be entitled to from your home country. You could also consider what other funding may be available through grant giving trusts and charities. Further information can be provided by our Specialist Advisers.

Further information on fees, funding and support for international students can be found on the UKCISA website.

The aim of the external DSA needs assessment is to discuss and recommend the type of support you might require on your course. There are several Needs Assessment Access Centres around the country.

We have a team of experienced and trained support staff who can work with you to understand your requirements and what you might need to support your learning. This could include accessibility and on-course reasonable adjustments, external specialist support and access to specialist equipment and resources.

For example, adjustments for students with hearing impairments could include:

• Installation of loop systems in lecture theatres
• Improved signage across all colleges to aid the location of facilities
• Special communication and safety equipment in the halls of residence
• Co-ordination of support such as interpreter, communication support worker and/or notetaker
• Personal evacuation plan (known as PEEP).

We have qualified first aiders on site who will be able to administer epi-pens in emergency situations. However, our staff are not trained to administer any other medications to students, so it is important that you are able to self-medicate, without support.

Parking permits are available to students who hold a blue badge.

The local authority in your home town where you are ‘ordinarily resident’ remains responsible for assessing and paying for any social or personal care support whilst you are living away from home at university. They can assist with completing applications for financial support through the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or for Personal Independence Payments (PIP), which can help with some of the extra (non-study related) costs caused by a disability. UCA’s Support with Personal Care document provides further information.

Dyslexia can occur at any level of intellectual ability and its effects can be alleviated by skilled specialist teaching and committed learning.

If you have dyslexia, you may experience difficulties in one or more of the following areas:

• reading
• organising and expressing ideas in writing
• spelling, grammar and punctuation
• handwriting
• note-taking
• time management, and procrastination
• memory

Specific learning differences/difficulties (SpLDs) is the umbrella term for a number of associated learning differences or neurodiversity.

Being neurodiverse can affect how you learn and process information and can affect your memory, your ability to concentration, your sensory perception and staying organised. Common issues include:

• Attention
• Organisation
• Working memory
• Time management
• Listening skills
• Sensory perception
• Speed of processing

You can declare you have dyslexia or a neurodiverse condition on your application, once you have accepted a place, once you have enrolled or at any time during your course.

If you have already started your course, you should contact the Disability & SpLD team via the Gateway desk located in the Library.

You should arrange to see the Dyslexia & SpLD Adviser via the Gateway located in the Library on your campus. We will discuss your strengths and weaknesses in confidence and find out what choices are available to you.

A diagnostic specialist is usually the person who tests for dyslexia. Student Finance England will normally only accept reports prepared by diagnostic specialists so it is best to ask about the qualifications of the person who tests you.

A dyslexia assessment will last just over an hour. You will be asked questions about your previous learning and your study skills. There will be a series of written exercises that are designed to identify where support is needed.

The diagnostic specialist will then write a report that will include a statement about whether dyslexia is part of your profile.

We have a team of experienced and trained Dyslexia and SpLD advisers who work with students on a one-to-one basis on areas of need such as essays, dissertations and study skills.

You are encouraged to make your tutors aware of your needs. If you feel uncomfortable this, or wish the information to remain confidential, please talk to the Dyslexia & SpLD Adviser.

For those on courses with written examinations, it is important that you contact the Dyslexia & SpLD Adviser to discuss what adjustments may be possible.