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Disability support

What to expect from us

What to expect from Disabled Student Support Read more about What to expect from us »

Working with you, we aim to provide you with an individually negotiated support programme that may include:

Guidance and help with applications for Disabled Students’ Allowances
Provision of academic support
Provision of support to help with mobility where that is not the responsibility of your home Social Services Department
Provision of specialist support

This list is not exhaustive and we will take full account of all of your support needs when we meet you.

We recognise that sometimes disclosing that you are disabled is difficult. We encourage disclosure because we believe this is the best way to ensure that you get the support to which you are entitled. However, we will always recognise and respect your right to confidentiality.

What we might be able to provide

Depending on the recommendations in your assessment of study support needs, we may be able to provide:

Assistance with applications for Disabled Students’ Allowances and other forms of funding
Provision of training in Enabling Technology
Help with organising individual examination and assessment arrangements
Specialist support for students who are d/Deaf or have a hearing impairment
Specialist support for students who are blind or have a visual impairment
Accessible rooms in our halls of residence
Use of a bookable vehicle (DOC, file size: 84.5KB) with ramped access for wheelchair users
BSL/English interpreters, language support
Transcription of materials into accessible formats

Again, this list is not exhaustive and is dependent or your individual needs. We expect that you will play a full part in helping us to organise and deliver your support. To help you with this, we've produced a handbook (PDF, file size: 73.33KB) that clearly describes both our and your responsibilities. You'll be given a hard or alternative format copy when we meet with you for the first time.

We have also produced a guide to our support worker scheme (PDF, file size: 225.61KB) which gives more details about your responsibilities and what you can expect from us.

Interim Support

The Student Enabling Centre will make arrangements for you to have interim support put into place provided you have applied for Disabled Students’ Allowances and can provide evidence of this. This is your responsibility and we would like to make this clear. The University does not have to fund support that is the responsibility of other agencies, however, we may choose to provide interim support in recognition that, sometimes, there are bona-fide reasons why your application may be delayed.

To arrange interim support, please use our contact details below to book an appointment with a Disabled Student Advisor.

Communication with Parents and Carers

We understand that parents and carers can be anxious about support arrangements in Higher Education for their sons, daughters or charges. General information for Parents and Advisors about the University and the support on offer can be found by clicking here.

Whilst we are aware of the informal network of support offered to students by family and friends and understand that there may be concerns about how this can be maintained at the University; in Higher Education, students are encouraged and expected to be independent learners and to take responsibility for both their studies and their support arrangements. We will provide practical help, advice and support for students to organise these arrangements.

We hope that the information on our website answers any queries you may have and we are happy to provide you with further general information. However, we are unable to comment on individual circumstances without the written consent of the individual concerned, as legislation requires us to maintain the confidentiality of our students. If your son, daughter or charge would like advice about organising their support you should suggest that they contact us.

Disabled Students' Engagement Group

The University takes its responsibilities to disabled people very seriously. Over the past two years we have been involved in a project with the Equality Challenge Unit and the Higher Education Academy in encouraging and furthering the involvement of disabled students.

From this, we have developed a Disabled Students’ Engagement Group, set up to engage with the University on matters that impact on disabled students. A good example of how this operates is that last year the group provided advice to the University on the development of the new University Quarter. Recommendations from the group have now been actioned and included in the plans for the new Science Centre which is now under construction.

We have plans for a “virtual group” using Skype technology and would be very interested in hearing your thoughts on this.

Disabled students have a powerful voice and the University welcomes the opportunity to hear it.

If you are interested in joining the group, please contact Dave Allman, Head of Student Enabling Centre on 01782 294982 or by e-mail dave.allman@staffs.ac.uk

New Applicants

Disabled Student Support works closely with new applicants who are coming to Staffordshire University or who are thinking about studying a Higher Education course to help to ensure support arrangements are in place.

Read more about information for new applicants.