Disability support

Our team of Disability Advisers at the University of Hertfordshire work with our disabled students to arrange support for all aspects of their studies.

Our Disability Advisers can:

• meet you and complete a Study Needs Agreement together to figure out how we can best support you during activities like enrolment, lectures, seminars, placements, field trips, exams and assessments
• decide together how information about your disability is shared with other members of staff and exactly what they are told. If you don’t give permission for information to be shared, your lecturers and other staff will not be told about your disability
• refer you for support using our range of specialist in-house and contracted services like specialist study skills sessions, mentors, support workers, access to specialist technology and personal emergency evacuation plans
• advise you how to apply for appropriate financial support such as the Disabled Students' Allowance or the University of Hertfordshire Disability Fund.

You can arrange to see a Disability Adviser at any stage during your studies if you think you might need our input for a reason related to your disability. If you never need our input you never need to contact us, although if you disclose your disability we will send you an email every now and then just to remind you we are here if you need us.

Once you have been allocated to a Disability Adviser they become your contact within the service and you can see them as often as you need. You can make an appointment directly with them or through our main contact information.

Many of the students we see in Disability Services are awarded adjustments for their exams.

This might include:

• extra time
• sitting an exam in a separate room
• use of a computer
• use of an amanuensis - someone who will read and write to your dictation
• 1:1 invigilation.

If you need adjustments for your exams it is essential that you speak to someone in Disability Services to arrange this. Any such adjustment will only be put in place for the one exam session and will not automatically be awarded for any future exams. There is a cut-off date by which this must be done (normally five working weeks prior to the exam session starting). Cut-off dates are published regularly on StudyNet.

Specialist tuition is primarily awarded through your Disabled Students Allowance (DSA), however if you have a disability, but are not eligible for DSA funding we can normally cover the cost of this service through the University of Hertfordshire Disability Fund.

Some of the areas you may cover in your specialist one-to-one tuition sessions are:

• analysing and interpreting essay questions and assignment briefs
• planning and structuring assignments/projects
• developing time management strategies
• exam revision strategies
• exam techniques
• presentation preparation and techniques
• help with interpreting and applying feedback from coursework
• planning your workload
• developing reading strategies
• developing spelling strategies
• developing writing, editing and proofreading techniques
• note taking strategies
• developing effective research strategies
• referencing.

During your study skills sessions you will discuss assignment briefs or academic work which you're struggling with. Your work won't be proofread or corrected for you, but you will be taught skills which will improve your ability to complete work independently. The sessions usually last for one hour.

The University of Hertfordshire has a team of mentoring specialists who provide support primarily for students with:

• Asperger's syndrome
• Autistic spectrum conditions
• Mental health difficulties.

The mentors have a range of skills and experience of working with disabled students in a higher education setting. Mentoring supports students in all areas of university life developing strategies to help you be as independent as possible.

Mentoring is often awarded as part of your DSA needs assessment. Your Disability Adviser will talk this through with you and discuss your needs. If you do not have a DSA in place, but have a disability and feel that you would benefit from mentoring, please have a chat about it with your Disability Adviser.

The University of Hertfordshire is pleased to be able to offer all staff and students a diagnostic service to determine if you have a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia or dyspraxia, or a non-verbal learning difficulty.

If you are seeking an assessment for ADHD/ADD you should seek this diagnosis from your GP. In order to apply for a Disabled Students Allowance for specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, you must have a full diagnostic assessment.

Full diagnostic assessments identify your key areas of strength and provide evidence of your difficulties. The report produced after your assessment will contain recommendations for teaching and learning strategies. The assessor will also ask for some background information about your previous educational experiences and any relevant medical history.

This service is only open to students at the University, so as soon as you are enrolled on a course you can contact us to book an assessment. You can be assessed at any time during your studies, however, the earlier the better, so that you can take advantage of all the support services we offer.

A study needs agreement (SNA) is the document we use to record information about your disability and the type of support and adjustments you need for your studies. Your disability adviser will write this document with you to ensure you are happy with its content.

There are two types of support that we can offer:

• support from a specialist support worker eg a specialist study skills tutor, mentor or notetaker
• reasonable adjustments for your studies.

Making a reasonable adjustment for your studies often means, for a reason related to your disability, you will be allowed to do something differently to other students.

For example:

• provision of extra time in examinations and other timed assessments
• access to handouts and presentations in advance of lectures
• permission to record your lectures to assist with note-taking
• receiving course materials in alternative formats
• using a communication support worker in lectures
• sitting your exam at a computer or in a separate room.

The above list includes just a few examples and isn't a full list of adjustments we can help arrange.

The package of support and adjustments put in place for you will be tailored to your specific needs and recorded in your SNA. Once the SNA is set up it will follow you through for the duration of your course, unless you tell us you want it to be changed or closed. Your SNA can be changed as many times as is needed during your studies.