Support for Students with Medical Conditions, Disabilities and SpLDs

We, as a University, are committed to supporting students with a disability. Under the Equality Act, the term includes anything that has a long term impact on a person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities. It can include learning differences such as autism, ADHD or dyslexia. It can include physical impairments such as hearing, visual or mobility impairments. It can include certain mental health conditions (anorexia, anxiety depression for instance). Also, certain long term medical conditions such as epilepsy, HIV, cancer or Crohn’s disease, for instance, are regarded as a disability.

We realise that you might not be entirely comfortable with the term disability. Nevertheless, we are committed to supporting you to remove or mitigate any barriers that impede you from reaching your full potential.

At the University, we use the term ‘disability’ to include any physical, sensory and intellectual impairment (i.e. mobility impairment, visual impairment/blindness, hearing impairment/deafness), certain medical conditions (i.e. HIV, cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis), mental health difficulties, Asperger’s Syndrome, or specific learning difficulties (SpLDs) such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, or ADHD/ADD.

We realise that some students with these conditions may not regard themselves as ‘disabled’. However, we ask you not to be put off by the label. What is important is that you have the best possible learning experience and that we identify and address any barriers that might prevent you from performing to your full potential. Therefore if you have a condition or difference that you think might impact your studies, please let us know so that we can discuss your particular needs and put into place support and accommodations through a Learning Support Plan.

The University will always try to ensure that your requirements are met in a way that suits you best. Under the Equality Act, colleges and universities have to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ so that disabled students are not ‘substantially disadvantaged’. This means they have to put in place support to help you access the course and successfully complete your studies. The specific factors that may be relevant to take into account are as follows:

The need to maintain competence standards.
The financial resources available to the education provider.
Any grants or loans available to the student (specifically Disabled Students’ Allowances).
The cost of the adjustment.
How far it is practical to make the adjustment.
The technology available.
How far aids or services may be provided by others.
Health and safety requirements.
The relevant interest of other people, including other students.

Where a disabled student would otherwise use a facility located in the Registry but is unable to do so by reason of their disability, for example for tutorials, the University will arrange alternative accessible and/or adapted accommodation in nearby buildings.

The types of provisions and arrangements that might be made include:

Flexibility regarding attendance and coursework deadlines (time off for appointments, etc.).
Specialist equipment and/or software.
Copies of handouts in advance of your lectures.
Providing handouts on different coloured paper, or in a larger font.

Please note that this list is not exhaustive so additional adjustments could be made, based on your circumstances.

For further information please contact the Student Wellbeing Team.

For more information please see here for the Student Disability Policy.

Senate House Library offers support to all users with a disability or requiring additional accessibility support. For more information contact Charlotte McDonaugh (charlotte.mcdonaugh@london.ac.uk) or by phone on 020 7862 8468.

Student Disclosure Form

It is the student’s choice whether to disclose their medical condition, disability (including physical and mental health-related conditions) or SpLD to the University. However, the University advises that students speak with a member of staff if it begins to have a detrimental effect on their ability to reach their full potential.

Students can disclose their disability to the University whenever they like, although it recommends that they inform the University as early as possible to avoid delays which may adversely affect their studies.

The Student Disclosure Form (SDF) is used to disclose any medical condition, disability (including physical and mental health-rated conditions) or SpLD to the University. The information on this form may be shared with the student’s GP in line with the University information sharing process; however, it will not be shared with other members of staff unless consent has been given to share it with others.

The form can be found here.