Information about our Disability Advice Service, known as the Accessibility team. Find out how to contact us, access support and talk to us about any adjustments you may require. You will also be able to visit the University and meet us before your course starts, to gain a feel for where you will be based throughout your studies.

The Accessibility team at our universities is your main point of contact for any disability-related queries throughout your studies. The team is responsible for recommending and coordinating your support or adjustments.

Under the Equality Act 2010, Universities have a duty to make reasonable adjustments where disabled students may be placed at a disadvantage in comparison with non-disabled students. Reasonable adjustments enable you to access and participate in all areas of your University life.

Some examples of reasonable adjustments are:

• Exam or Assessment adjustments (e.g. extra time, use of a PC, etc.)
• Support with reading and research (e.g. extended book loans, assistance to locate or/and collect research material, access to alternative formats, etc.)
• Access to specialist equipment and assistive software (e.g. text to speech to assist with research and proofreading, mind mapping to assist with planning and organising your work, a recording device to assist with note taking, etc.)
• Access to handouts and notes in advance of taught sessions
• Accommodation Adaptions
• 1:1 Support (e.g. Mentoring, Study Skills tuition etc.)

It is best to contact the Accessibility team before you start your course. If you have disclosed your autism on the UCAS form, we will contact you to find out about your condition(s) and support you might need at university. Please reply to to us as soon as possible. This is especially important if you are entering University accommodation, which may require adaptations to support your needs.

We can also assist you in the process of applying for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) if you are eligible for this support or advise you of the alternative support options available to you if not.

The Accessibility team is responsible for recommending and coordinating your support and adjustments. Adjustments are drawn up on an individual basis and your input is important. Please read more about arranging reasonable adjustments here.

We will work with you to create your Individual Learning Plan and will advise your University department to make the necessary reasonable adjustments. You can always ask to have it revised once the course has begun and you have a better idea of what adjustments you need.

If you decide not to contact the team prior to starting your course you are still welcome to contact us at any point throughout your studies.

It might be useful to think about:

• how you would like to describe your autism and anything you think would be useful to share with your tutors
• any support you have received in the past, what has worked well and what hasn’t worked for you
• how you plan to travel to university
• your experience of teaching sessions, what helps you to gain an understanding of a new topic or task
• how you have found note taking and researching for assignments
• how you have found assessments in the past, e.g. exams, essays, presentations, etc.
• how you feel about group work, placement and practical tasks

Get in touch

T: 01326 370 460
E: accessibility@fxplus.ac.uk

You’ll find plenty more useful information on our Accessibility and inclusion pages.