Meeting with the Disability team

Find out how to use our Disability team to register with the service, access support and talk about any adjustments you may require. You could also ask to visit the university before your course starts, to gain a feel for where you will be based throughout your studies.

Background

 

The Disability team at QMU are 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 learning, assessment, university facilities and services.

Some examples of reasonable adjustments are:

  • Exam or assessment adjustments (e.g. extra time, use of a PC, 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, software to audio-record and assist with note taking, etc.)
  • Access to handouts and notes in advance of taught sessions
  • 1:1 Support (e.g. mentoring, study skills tuition etc.)

If you haven’t done so already we would encourage you to contact our Disability team to talk about the support available to you and ensure any adjustments are made in time for your arrival at our university. Once matriculated, students can book Disability Adviser appointments directly on Student Central. Alternatively, email DisabilityAdvisers@qmu.ac.uk and we can arrange a time to meet that way.

Your Disability Adviser will also assist you in the process of applying for DSA if you are eligible for this support or advise you of the alternative support options available to you if not.

 

 

How could this affect me?

The Disability team is responsible for recommending and coordinating your support or adjustments. Adjustments are tailored on an individual basis so your involvement in this process is essential.

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 can take time to arrange and implement any support you may require so we would encourage you to contact us in good time prior to your arrival so that we can ensure you have everything in place at the earliest possible opportunity.

What to do next?

Contact the Disability Advice team

Practical tips

Contact the Disability team at DisabilityAdvisers@qmu.ac.uk or book a Disability Adviser appointment on Student Central

If you have booked to meet your Disability Adviser face-to-face, go to Student Services reception desk and check-in on the ipad using your QMU ID number. The Disability Adviser will come and meet you at the seats in the reception area. For directions, see

If you are meeting your Disability Adviser online, they will send you a Teams link for the meeting.

Student Services reception desk:

 

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Questions to think about

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

Additional information and links

If you decide that you are going to attend a different university we would recommend that you contact the Disability team at your chosen university.