Here at BGU we recognise that you may require additional assistance to fully engage with your studies due to your access needs. The Student Advice & Wellbeing Team play a key role in co-ordinating services available to BGU’s students with access needs.
In order to assess the level of support you may require, we use the legal definition of disability, which is wide ranging but includes:
- Neurodevelopmental conditions, such as Autism, ADHD and Dyslexia
- Physical mobility difficulties
- Sensory impairments, such as those affecting hearing or sight
- Persons requiring personal care
- Mental health Conditions
- Medical conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes or asthma
(Please note that this is not an exhaustive list – you may have access needs that are not listed above.)
We are happy to explore available opportunities to address your needs, and we will seek to ensure those needs are met and remain sensitive to your perspective of your circumstances. A wide range of reasonable adjustments exist which seek to address the issues that arise from the above list of conditions.
Before you come to university
You will have the opportunity to indicate whether you have access needs on your UCAS application and through the BGU Admissions process.
We can arrange for you to have an orientation session, where you will get the opportunity to meet members of the Student Advice & Wellbeing Team, discuss about your support, familiarise yourself with the campus and meet key staff members in advance of you starting your course.
You can also approach us for support after you have registered on your course, but we recommend doing this as early as possible in order to ensure support is in place at the beginning of your studies.
Financial Assistance and Support
We can help you apply for financial assistance and specialist support in respect of your access needs. Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) is available through Student Finance and we can assist you with the application process.
Your Information
Your Information about your disability is treated as sensitive information under the Data Protection Act 2018 and will only be shared with relevant parties, with your permission.
Support throughout your studies
Once you have provided us with information about your access needs, Student Advice & Wellbeing will make every effort to introduce reasonable adjustments for you straight away, and, with your permission, will ensure all relevant parties within the University are aware of your needs.
As well as providing you with reasonable adjustments, Student Advice & Wellbeing can offer you a quiet space to come and take some time-out in a confidential area of the campus. Student Advice & Wellbeing can also arrange to meet with you on a regular basis and will contact you throughout the year to review your support.
Support for Autistic students
Students who have a diagnosis, or think they may be autistic, are encouraged to come and speak to a member of the Student Advice & Wellbeing team to discuss their individual circumstances and support requirements.
Students are welcome to come to Student Advice & Wellbeing whenever they need to, whether it is for some time-out in one of our quiet rooms or to talk with an adviser about any social or academic concerns. Our service is professional, non-judgemental and confidential.
Before you come to university
It is important for us to know about your access needs before you start your course here at BGU, so we can make sure you receive the best support possible throughout your studies.
You are given the opportunity to disclose your access needs during the application process, starting with your UCAS application form or through the Admissions Team. Student Advice & Wellbeing will receive a notification to say you have disclosed a disability or long term health condition and we will contact you by email to discuss your support needs.
We can arrange for you to come in and meet members of the Student Advice & Wellbeing team, talk about your support, familiarise yourself with the campus and meet key staff members in advance of you starting your course.
Diagnosis
If you haven’t been diagnosed with Autism and would like to arrange a diagnosis, you are advised to speak with your GP in the first instance. Once referred, the diagnostician will provide a report which will usually include recommendations of reasonable adjustments. You will need to provide Student Advice & Wellbeing with a copy of your report in order for your support to be put in place. The report can also be used as evidence if you decide to apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA).
Support throughout your studies
Once you have provided us with information about your access needs, Student Advice & Wellbeing will make every effort to introduce reasonable adjustments for you straight away, and, with your permission, we will ensure all relevant parties within the University are aware of your needs. The support you receive if you have Autism could include:
Student to be given as much notice as possible if there are any changes to the timetable
Staff to asterisk essential texts in reading lists
Permission to record lectures and seminars
Requests for extensions to be viewed sympathetically
Assignment questions to be in plain English, with any ambiguity removed
25% extra time in exams
As well as providing you with reasonable adjustments, Student Advice & Wellbeing can offer you a quiet space to come and take some time-out in a confidential area of the campus. Student Advice & Wellbeing can also arrange to meet with you on a regular basis and will contact you throughout the year to review your support.
Applying for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)
We are happy to help you apply for DSA and advise you on the application process. If you decide to apply for DSA you may find you have more support available to you which is funded through the DSA Team, such as a Specialist Mentor or Specialist Equipment.
Support for Students who have a Specific Learning Difference (such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and ADHD/ADD)
Students who have been diagnosed with, or think they may have a Specific Learning Difference (SpLD) are encouraged to come and speak to a member of the Student Advice & Wellbeing team to discuss their individual circumstances and support requirements.
Before you come to university
It is important for us to know about your access needs before you start your course here at BGU, so we can make sure you receive the best support possible throughout your studies.
You are given the opportunity to disclose your access needs during the application process, starting with your online UCAS application form. Student Advice & Wellbeing will receive a notification to say you have disclosed a disability or long term health condition and we will contact you by email to discuss your support needs.
We can arrange for you to come in and meet members of the Student Advice & Wellbeing team, talk about your support, familiarise yourself with the campus and meet key staff members in advance of you starting your course.
Diagnosis
If you are seeking a diagnosis of ADHD/ADD you will need to approach your GP for an NHS referral.
Student Advice & Wellbeing can arrange a referral for a diagnostic assessment for Dyslexia, Dyspraxia or Dyscalculia. The assessment will mostly be funded through the BGU Learning Fund, however we ask you to make a contribution of £50. If you receive a diagnosis you will need to provide Student Advice & Wellbeing with a copy of your report in order for your support to be put in place. The report can also be used as evidence if you decide to apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA).
Support throughout your studies
Once you have provided us with information about your access needs, Student Advice & Wellbeing will make every effort to introduce reasonable adjustments for you straight away, and, with your permission, we will ensure all relevant parties within the University are aware of your needs. The support you receive for a specific learning difference could include:
Copies of lecture notes, hand-outs, PowerPoint slides etc made available in advance where possible
Permission to record lectures and seminars
25% extra time in exams
Extended library loans
As well as providing you with reasonable adjustments, Student Advice & Wellbeing can offer you a quiet space to come and take some time-out in a confidential area of the campus. Student Advice & Wellbeing can also arrange to meet with you on a regular basis and will contact you throughout the year to review your support.
Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)
The Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) is a grant available via your funding body, e.g. Student Finance England (SFE) which can help you meet the extra costs of studying as a direct result of a disability, including neurodevelopmental conditions, mental health conditions or long-term health or medical conditions.
Disabled Students’ Allowances provide extra assistance for students who have an accessibility need and this is usually non-income assessed. This help is only for costs incurred because of your access need which other students would not normally have to cover. The DSA is designed to help disabled students study on an equal basis with other students.
DSA provides help for full-time, part-time and postgraduate students.
If you are a full-time undergraduate student applying for your core student finance (Tuition Fee Loan, Maintenance Loan) you can apply for your DSAs from your online account once you have submitted your main student finance application.
If you are a part-time or postgraduate student, or you only wish to apply for DSAs and no other type of student finance, you will need to complete a paper DSA 1 application form. You will be able to download this from gov.uk/student finance. The paper form includes a section that the university will need to complete for you.
The application process can take up to 14 weeks in total. Apply as early as possible to make sure you have everything ready for your course, and make sure you pay attention to letters you receive telling you what steps to take next.
From 2015/2016 the Government introduced a £200 contribution fee towards the cost of DSA Specialist Equipment. Student Advice & Wellbeing co-ordinates the BGU Learning Fund and may be able to help you with the £200 contribution – please contact a member of the team for more information.
Apply for DSA through your online SFE account if you are a full-time undergraduate student and have submitted your main student finance application. Complete the paper DSA 1 form if you are a part-time, postgraduate student, or only wish to apply for DSA. You will need to provide evidence relating to your condition/ disability. You will be told what evidence you need to submit as part of the application process.
If the DSA application is approved, you will receive communication which will invite you to arrange a Needs Assessment.
The DSA Needs Assessment is an informal meeting to help decide the kind of support that will help you with your own particular needs. The Needs Assessor will write a report detailing the types of Assistive Technology and other Specialist Support you may need. You will receive a copy of the report in the post or via email.
SFE will send you a ‘DSA2’ letter via email, confirming the support DSAs can pay for. They will also give instructions for ordering any specialist equipment or arranging other support. Student Advice & Wellbeing can support you with this if you require some help.
