Advice for students with disabilities

Key things to do when you apply

Tell us about your disability as soon as possible

You can declare your disability at any time, but the sooner you do, the better we will be able to support you.

If you indicated on your application form that you have a disability, we will contact you to discuss your needs when you are offered a place.

If you don’t feel comfortable telling us about your disability on your application, please contact us in confidence so that we can make sure you get the support you need.

You will need to provide written evidence of your disability so we can offer you appropriate support. The evidence should be recent, written in English and from a doctor, educational psychologist or other medical professional.

Visit the campus if you can

Doing so will give you the opportunity to speak to one of our support officers and see the campus for yourself.

We are continually working to improve accessibility, but not all of our buildings are accessible and some of our campuses are nestled in the hilly South Downs, which can make access tricky if you have disability that affects your mobility.

We will always consider alternative study locations for you if access is difficult, but the best way to assess this is to visit us.

What support is available?

You will have a Learning Support Coordinator who will be available throughout your course to help you and your department. They will:

• work with you to explore what impact your disability might have within the context of your academic course so that support can be tailored to your needs
• issue a Learning Support Plan (LSP) to outline any adjustments required for your teaching or assessment methods (e.g. extra time)
• offer advice and support when applying for Disabled Students' Allowance or other disability-related funding
• help to set up support such as specialist mentoring, study skills tuition, assistive technology training and sign language interpreting
• provide disability support advice to ease the transition to student life, signposting to other university services where appropriate.

Our main teaching spaces have hearing loops installed, lifts for wheelchair users and clear signage for students with visual impairments.

Adjustable computer workspaces with screen readers and other specialist software are available in computer pool rooms and libraries.

I've found a world of assistance that I didn't know was there for me, which has greatly encouraged me in my decision to study at Brighton. I had no idea that I could get so much help, or that I would not be left to fend for myself.

Library support

We aim to provide the same level of access to our services for all staff and students. Ask at the nearest library Help Desk for further information.

Access to library resources

• Information Advisers can provide one-to-one support in accessing library resources
• Help Desk staff will collect books from library shelves if required
• The library provides access to a significant collection of ebooks which can offer increased accessibility benefits to those with a visual impairment
• All digitised course materials are provided OCR ready and the library can assist with further tagging on request
• The library can assist in providing reading in alternative formats

• Students can access RNIB Bookshare, a free service for print disabled (including dyslexic) students
• Assistance with limited amounts of photocopying
• The library will allow you to borrow more books for longer periods.

University libraries provide the following equipment:

• Height adjustable desks
• Adjustable monitor arms
• Scanners
• Digital magnifiers
• Low level print/copy/scan devices in some areas
• Induction loops are installed on most of our service points
• Portable hearing loops that may be borrowed for use across the university

What are my accommodation options?

Our halls have units for students with disabilities and we can also usually adapt them to suit individual requirements, unless this requires major structural changes. We may also be able to provide you with specialist equipment like beds, hoists, fridges and heaters.

The halls of residence are not warden controlled, but they do have 24-hour security staff and residential advisers on site. They can be quite lively, which might not suit you if you need a very quiet living space.

Please visit our halls if you have very specific requirements and contact us as early as possible if you think you will need structural alterations.

We can help you to find suitable properties to rent if you prefer to live privately.

Applying for halls

If you want to apply for university accommodation you need to let us know as soon as possible about your disability.

We can’t guarantee you a place in halls but we will carefully assess your application, taking your disability into account.

You will need to provide a letter from your doctor or medical practitioner that sets out the reasons you need a university residence place and a supporting letter from you explaining how your disability, medical condition or special need affects your day-to-day activities.

Travel and transport

Parking

There are designated disabled parking bays at every university site. If you have mobility difficulties that mean you need to park near buildings, please let us know so we can arrange a vehicle permit for you.

Speak to your support coordinator about applying for a support permit 

Contact our Disability and Learning Support team for more information.

Public transport

Brighton & Hove Buses, which provide easy access to and from Brighton town centre, have ramps and allocated wheelchair spaces.

Please be aware that while not all train stations are fully accessible, we have support in place for students who have impaired mobility.

What financial support is available?

For UK (home) students

If you are a UK (home) student, you could be eligible to apply for Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs) to help you pay for extra costs incurred on your course as a result of your disability.

The DSAs can help to pay for things such as travel, a note-taker or reader, study skills help, specialist equipment and other course-related costs. The support you are eligible to receive depends on your disability and not on your household income.

If you receive specialist equipment (e.g. a laptop, software etc) through DSAs, you will be required to pay the first £200 of this cost, but the university's DSA Reimbursement Fund can assist students whose household income is £25,000pa or less.

The application process for DSAs can take four or five months so it is important that you apply as soon as possible.

See the gov.uk website for more information on DSAs.

Healthcare courses

The application process for most healthcare courses is through Student Finance England, as above. However, there are a number of exceptions, where students should instead apply for the NHS Bursary Disabled Students Allowance. This works in a similar manner to the regular DSA but acts as a separate scheme. The courses that follow the NHS Bursary route are:

• Medical students in your 4th year and 5th year (if you intercalated) or 5th year (if you didn't intercalate)
• Social Work MSc students

If you are unsure which route to follow, please contact our team and we will try to help.

For students from other countries

If you are not from the UK you will not be eligible to receive the Disabled Students’ Allowances. However, we will do everything we can to support you and help you find funding to pay for equipment and support workers.

To help with this process, please investigate the following options before starting at Brighton:

• If you have a sponsor, ask if they can contribute money to cover disability-related expenses. Some scholarships offer funding to cover such costs.
• You may be eligible for a grant from your own government, so contact your education department to ask what support they can provide. We know that the Eire, Jersey and Guernsey, Sweden, Netherlands, and Thailand governments provide support, though others may also.
• Finally, you may be eligible for support from non-governmental organisations in your home country.

If additional funding is not available, we will work hard to meet your needs in the best way possible, so please get in touch as soon as you know you are coming so that we can begin to help you.