Accessibility Guide for students June 2020
thesu.org.uk
Contents
1
Introduction and Key Contacts
2
The Students’ Union
4
What is a Disability?
5
Declaring a Disability
6
Individual Learning Plans
8
Disabled Students Allowance
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Travel / Accommodation
10
Hardship and Retention Funds
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Financial Support
12
Campus Maps
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Resources
Introduction This guide was designed by the President Welfare & Inclusivity with help from SU staff, FX Plus, the University of Exeter and Falmouth University. The guide aims to help students with disabilities make the most of their experience at university and provide information that may positively affect their time as students.
Key Contacts STUDENT SERVICES (ALL GENERAL ACADEMIC ENQUIRIES)
01326 370460 / studentservices@fxplus.ac.uk WELLBEING TEAM (WELLBEING HELP)
01326 370460 / studentservices@fxplus.ac.uk LIVING SUPPORT (ALL GENERAL STUDENT LIFE ENQUIRIES)
01326 253629 / livingsupport@fxplus.ac.uk ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSIVE LEARNING (DISABILITY SUPPORT)
01326 253629 / accessibility@fxplus.ac.uk / dyslexia@fxplus.ac.uk ASK AND STUDY HUB (ACADEMIC SUPPORT)
01326 370438 / ask@falmouth.ac.uk MULTIFAITH CHAPLAINCY (FAITH AND NON-FAITH PASTORAL SUPPORT)
01326 370744 / chaplaincy@fxplus.ac.uk GLASNEY LODGE (EMERGENCY LINE)
01326 254444 FALMOUTH AND EXETER STUDENTS’ UNION (REPRESENTATION AND ACTIVITIES)
01326 255861 / info@thesu.org.uk SU ADVICE SERVICE (INDEPENDENT ADVICE)
advice@thesu.org.uk
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Getting Involved with The Students’ Union Student Council The SU Student Council is run by students for students and manages change in the interests of the student communities across our Cornwall campuses. The Council includes your Presidents and Executive Officers who are there to listen to you and speak on your behalf to the University and external agencies. Members are expected to highlight issues affecting students, represent students’ views, develop and review SU policies, collect student feedback, problem-solve, and liaise with the universities and external agencies.
Liberation Committee The Liberation Committee is here to work towards the equality of all students on campus, including representing marginalised/under-represented groups. This includes (but is not limited to) gender, race, disability, etc. Any issues around marginalised groups can be considered by the Committee’s monthly meetings.
Accessibility Forum The Accessibility Forum is a group of passionate students who care about the accessibility needs of students studying at Falmouth University and the University of Exeter Cornwall Campuses. Lead by the President Welfare & Inclusivity and the Inclusivity Officer for The SU, this group provides the authentic student voice and experience to take positive change.
Key Contacts in the SU Presidents: presidents@thesu.org.uk Societies and sports: studentsopps@thesu.org.uk Students Reps: studentvoice@thesu.org.uk General information: info@thesu.org.uk Independent Advice advice@thesu.org.uk
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Student Representatives Subject Chair - Exeter Subject Chairs oversee their subject’s Student Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC), as well as act as the key liaison point between the student body, The SU, and College staff on academic matters. Dept Chairs – Falmouth Department Chairs represent student views on academic matters at their Department Board Meetings, as well as share best practice with other Dept Chairs at the SU Department Chair Working Group. Course Reps – have an important communication role to play within their course, collecting feedback from students and informing them of decisions made at Student Staff Liaison Groups/Committees (SSLG/C).
Rep online system Gaining your feedback is essential to Course Reps. Reps are trained to talk to the students they represent throughout the year to get their feedback on their experience. They record this feedback using ROS. What is ROS? ROS is somewhere Reps and students can say what’s working well, and what needs to be better, with your course, where you live, the campus services, the Students’ Union; all the things that affect you and your time at University. The feedback you submit through ROS will go directly to your Course Reps who have been trained to represent it effectively to the University. This means that feedback from all Reps and their students across the university is collected in one place. Reps use the output from ROS and represent it to the university so they can keep doing what works well and make the student experience the best it can be.. Your Students’ Union also uses the feedback to represent the student voice across all levels of your University. It’s vital that everyone speaks to their Rep to ensure their voice is heard. Your Reps should use ROS with you but, if not, you can use it yourself. ROS on the SU Website
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What is a Disability? Visible Disabilities A visible disability is one that you can see/is obvious to the observer. Visible disabilities can be anything that outwardly shows the person has a disability, be it whether a person is in a wheelchair, has mobility aids, has a guide dog or uses a white stick. These are examples of some visible disabilities: • • • •
Blind/Visually impaired Deaf/Hearing impaired Cerebral Palsy Wheelchair user
Hidden Disabilities Invisible disabilities are disabilities that are not immediately apparent. For instance, some people with visual or auditory disabilities who do not wear glasses or hearing aids, or who use discreet hearing aids, may not be appear to be disabled. Some people who have vision loss may wear contact lenses. This also includes mental illness and learning differences. These are examples of some hidden disabilities: • • • • •
Specific learning differences, such as dyslexia/dyspraxia Autistic Spectrum conditions Chronic Fatigue Anxiety Depression
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Declaring a Disability Prospective students The Accessibility Team invite all applicants with disabilities to register with the Accessibility Service so that they can discuss any learning support needs that they might have when they start their course. They will also discuss any reasonable adjustments that might be needed for both their academic study and life at university.
Falmouth University Falmouth applicants can apply for support from the Accessibility Service through the Applicant Portal/My Falmouth. The Do-IT Profiler can help students identify any gaps in their study skills and suggest ways of improving them. The Do-IT profiler is a free online tool that involves answering some simple questions about study skills. There are also optional ‘Test yourself’ modules on spelling, memory, and typing.
Exeter University Exeter applicants are able to complete an Accessibility Questionnaire, which can be downloaded via the Inclusive Learning website. All students are encouraged to send evidence about their disability in advance of them starting their course. An Accessibility Adviser will then contact them to discuss any reasonable adjustments they may need. This information will be used to create an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) which will be sent to their course team.
Current students Students who are already enrolled and would like to speak to an Adviser or request an ILP can follow the applicantion process above. They can also book an online appointment with the Accessibility Adviser linked to their course via Study Hub.
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Individual Learning Plans What is an individual learning plan? An Individual Learning Plan (ILP) is a document that informs staff within the University that a student has declared a disability and for whom reasonable adjustments are recommended. For a student to have an ILP in place, the student will have a long-term disability or health condition, or Specific Learning Difference which meets the definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010. ILPs are produced following an assessment with a University Accessibility Adviser. This requires the student to provide independent evidence of their health condition or Specific Learning Disability. For an overview of the process, please see the diagram below.
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Why are ILPs important? ILPs are important as they document the recommended reasonable adjustments that minimise or remove barriers that may prevent students from participating at University, and minimise the impact that a student’s health condition or disability may have on their ability to study.
When are ILPs created? ILPs will be generated at any point throughout the academic year and staff will be notified of their existence as soon as practically possible. FALMOUTH UNIVERSITY:
Applicants should log into the Applicant Portal and follow the prompts to apply for an Individual Learning Plan (ILP), providing as much detail as possible. Current students can also apply for an ILP by logging into My Falmouth and clicking on the Individual Learning Plan tile. A video showing how to apply can be found here. An Accessibility Adviser will then be in touch to discuss any support or adjustments that may be required. UNIVERSITY OF EXETER:
Information on how Exeter can apply for an ILP can be found here. GENERAL:
Applicants will be asked to complete an Accessibility Questionnaire and provide evidence of their disability. Current students can contact the Accessibility Service on Accessibility@fxplus.ac.uk or 01326 253629 to request an appointment to discuss an ILP. All students can book an appointment with their named Accessibility Adviser by visiting the Studyhub pages here. They should select the Book with your named Adviser option and select their School/department.
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Disabled Students Allowance What is DSA? Disabled Students Allowance is a government-funded scheme which provides students with disabilities with extra funding to cover the cost of any equipment or services that they might require. Unlike the maintenance loan, DSA isn’t affected by the student’s household income and they do not have to repay it.
Who is eligible? • • • •
UK resident Undergraduate or postgraduate on a course which lasts at least a year Qualify for student finance You’ve got a disability, medical condition, sensory impairment, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty which affects your ability to study.
What might you receive? • Hardware • Software • 1-1 support (mentor and/or study skills)
When and how to apply? A student can apply before they begin university (once their student finance is confirmed). It can take up to 14 weeks for the application to be processed, so students should sort it out as soon as possible, however it can be applied for at any time during a student’s time at university. Information on applying for the Disabled Students’ Allowances can be found here.
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Travel / Accomodation Travel DSA can cover taxi fares or mileage costs to and from the student’s home address to their university or college (minus any public transport costs nondisabled students would have). Additional funding for travel costs for disabled students is available. Information on the different types of support available for all disabled people can be found on the Gov.UK website. This includes advice on applying for a Blue Badge and eligibility for a free bus pass.
Accommodation If you have a disability or health condition that requires special consideration or adjustment with regards to the provision of accommodation, you must make the Accommodation Office aware of your needs at the point of application. Ensure that you provide as much detail as possible in the notes section of the application relevant to your accommodation needs. You will be required to provide supporting medical evidence and the Accommodation Team will liaise with Student Services to review your allocation of accommodation. The Accommodation Team endeavour to make reasonable adjustments to support individuals who, due to a disability, a long-term medical condition, or sensory or physical impairment require adapted accommodation. However, please be aware that they are unable to guarantee the offer of suitable accommodation, as this is subject to availability at the time of application, but they prioritise students with accessibility requirements when allocating accommodation.
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Hardship and Retention Fund The Government gives every university funds each year to assist students who need extra financial support because they have higher than expected costs.
Falmouth University The Falmouth University Hardship Fund is designed to help students who encounter unforeseen financial problems during the academic year. Existing students (pre-2020 starters), will automatically be considered for the Materials Bursary and the Cornwall Award. For more on bursaries and awards, see here. New students (2020 starters), will be considered for the income-based Falmouth Bursary. For more information see here.
University of Exeter For the online form and guidance notes on the Hardship Fund, see here. For further information see here.
General Government guidelines can be found here: www.gov.uk/studentfinance If students have any concerns, or require help completing the form, they can contact the Students’ Union’s Advice Service: website: www.thesu.org.uk/advice email: advice@thesu.org.uk
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Financial Support There are several financial support options for students with disabilities. The following are a few of the more common ones, but you may also be eligible for grants and bursaries from charities and other organisations. The Disability Rights UK website has useful information on applying for funding from charitable trusts. Government benefits such as Personal Independence Payments can also help towards travel costs. The Money Advice Service has links to different sources of grants and funding for disabled people. Disability Cornwall has a useful website which provides advice about a range of disability-related issues. Through DSA, you might also be eligible for the following: General Allowance - used to help pay course-related costs they may have as a direct result of their disability. Specialist Equipment Allowance - used to help buy equipment needed because of their disability. Non-Medical Helper Allowance - used to help pay for support workers such as British Sign Language interpreters or mobility trainers. Travel Allowance - used for any additional study-related travel costs they may have as a result of their disability.
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Campus Maps For the most up to date audit of the campuses, please visit the AccessAble website.
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Resources
Wellbeing Apps
Calm HeadSpace UniWellbeing SilverCloud Fika
Websites for Students
Student Recipes Money Saving Expert Save the Student The Student Room Student Minds NUS
University Wellbeing Services
Medical
University Academic Services
ASK
Exeternal Wellbeing Services
Outlook SW
Accessibility
Specific Learning Difference SU Advice Service
NHS Kernow Samaritans AccessAble
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