Additional Learning Support. A guide for disabled and dyslexic students

Transcription

1 Additional Learning Support A guide for disabled and dyslexic students

2 Welcome to Additional Learning Support Additional Learning Support (ALS) is located on the 4th floor of the Library and consists of a group of specialist staff who are dedicated to ensuring equality of educational opportunity for students with disabilities and specific learning difficulties. The ethos of our team is to assist in the removal of barriers to education and the environment encouraging students to be independent learners. On arrival, we encourage all students who need adjustments or support to contact us. All appointments are confidential and we aim to make your time at Surrey run as smoothly and as problem-free as possible. Contact: T: +44 (0) E: als@surrey.ac.uk Opening times: Monday Friday 8:30am 4:00pm University of Surrey 3

3 Our services ALS provides a wide variety of support and services to students. We can also liaise with University departments and external agencies. If you d like to meet with or speak to a disability adviser before starting your course, please contact us. If you think you need some support or wish to register with ALS, please make an appointment with a disability adviser when you start your course. Please note that in order to access support arrangements, you must register with us first and speak to one of our advisers (unless you re studying by distance learning.) We can offer: One-to-one study skills support for dyslexic and disabled students Support for students with medical conditions Study support for students with mental health conditions Support for students with mobility conditions Support for students with Asperger Syndrome or autism eg, mentoring Support for visually impaired/blind students Technological support/specialist software Note-takers for deaf students Exam arrangements Help with applying for the Disabled Students Allowance Funding for disabled international students Dyslexia screening and referral for full assessments 4 surrey.ac.uk University of Surrey 5

4 Support Exam adjustments A number of students with disabilities or specific learning difficulties may require examination arrangements, such as additional time. If you feel that you would benefit from these arrangements, please contact us within the first six weeks of coming to Surrey. You ll need to submit evidence of your disability, such as a medical report or educational/psychological assessment report. The dyslexia report must be written by a qualified assessor, state that you have a specific learning difficulty (SpLD) and been undertaken when you were 16 or older. If you have a report for a specific learning difficulty when you were younger you ll need to obtain an updated report. If appropriate, we may refer you to a specialist teacher or psychologist who can conduct a full dyslexia assessment. The University will facilitate this but you ll be asked to make a contribution of 100. Once you ve had this assessment and if you re a UK student, you can apply for the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA). Learning support sessions ALS learning support tutors and mentors are permanent members of Surrey staff and are fully supported to liaise with academic and support services to provide an integrated student experience. Our learning support tutors will respond to your individual needs and plan sessions with you accordingly. We aim to support your study skills in the following areas: Organising projects, essays or portfolios Improving internet skills Planning a presentation using PowerPoint Time management Referencing and bibliographies Revision techniques Exam techniques Memory skills Development of reading skills 6 surrey.ac.uk University of Surrey 7

5 Support Specific learning difficulties (including dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, ADHD) If you think you may be dyslexic or have a learning difficulty and haven t been formally assessed before, or if you need an updated report, our disability advisers will meet you to discuss your requirements. See the exam adjustments section for details about assessments at Surrey. Disabled Students Allowance Apply when you apply for the student loan or, if you aren t seeking a student loan, apply from the direct.gov website. The DSA is for study related support only: It s not means tested It s a grant not a loan It s for UK residents only It s for undergraduate and postgraduate students It s for part-time students undertaking at least 25 per cent of a full-time programme You re strongly advised to apply for this fund before you start your course but you can apply at any time during your studies. More detailed information can be found at the following government website address: gov.uk/disabled-students-allowances-dsas To apply for the DSA, you ll need to complete a DSA1 form (available from the website above) and send it to your funding authority with a copy of your evidence of a disability or learning difficulty. For students who are eligible for NHS Bursaries, you can apply for the DSA through NHS student grants at the website below. nhsba.nhs.uk/students Once you ve applied for the DSA you ll be asked to have a needs assessment with an assessor, who ll write a report outlining what support you ll need. This could be a combination of personal and technological assistance, including specialist software and hardware. See pages 21 and surrey.ac.uk University of Surrey 9

6 Support International and EU students with dyslexia, disability or a medical condition Dyslexic students should have their Educational Psychologist s (or equivalent) report translated into English. ALS will need to see your report before arranging support. The report must date from when you were 16 or over Disabled students are advised to provide medical evidence of their impairment, eg, audiogram, doctor s letter The University will not fund personal care support and you are advised to contact ALS for details of local costs prior to accepting an offer If you need adaptations, equipment or other resources to access accommodation and teaching rooms you re advised to contact ALS so we can investigate practicality and costs 10 surrey.ac.uk

7 Support Asperger Syndrome (AS)/Autism Students with AS may find that they need assistance in adjusting from home to university. We can arrange for support to be provided to suit individual needs and one of our disability advisers can act as a liaison between academic departments and other support services. We encourage all students with AS to see a disability adviser at the start of their course and find out about support, even if it may not be required. Medical conditions A number of medical conditions, such as cancer, HIV, Crohns disease, epilepsy, diabetes, ME, chronic fatigue syndrome and other longlasting illnesses, are classed as disabilities. If you have a medical condition and feel that you may need support with your studies, require specific accommodation or need assistance accessing the campus, contact ALS as soon as possible. You may also wish to discuss your specific needs with your personal tutor. We currently offer a three day induction programme for students to settle into their new environment before the start of freshers week. We advise students with an ASC (Autistic Spectrum Condition) to attend this programme. The induction is supported by current students acting as mentors. The induction includes: Social activities Introduction to key services eg, the Library and Centre for Wellbeing Orientation, including visiting departments and local amenities in Guildford When I left college I had learning difficulties but did not want to admit it. University is a big step up from college work. I came to Surrey and had a meeting with ALS about the opportunity to get support. I was getting mediocre marks and it was getting me down. As soon as I went to ALS, my marks improved and I gained in confidence. My advice is that if you need help, take it. For more details, please contact ALS. Reg Sookee, BA Media Studies 12 surrey.ac.uk University of Surrey 13

8 The facilities and support provided at Surrey Sports Park were amazing. Hannah Russell British Paralympic Swimming Medallist at 2012 Games in London Silver 400m Freestyle S12 Bronze 100m Butterfly S12 and 100m Backstroke S12 Hannah Russell regularly trained at Surrey Sports Park with Guildford City Swimming Club. University of Surrey 15

9 Support Mobility difficulties As our campus is on a hill, we encourage wheelchair users to visit the campus in advance to ensure that we meet your needs. A disabled access campus map is available online: surrey.ac.uk/about/visitors We re able to make some adjustments for you, including providing appropriate accommodation and access to teaching rooms. To do this we need to speak to you before you start your course. Car parking Blue badge holders who are members of the University are automatically entitled to a University Disabled Permit free of charge. This entitles the holder to park in any of the University car parks and disabled bays for unlimited periods. There are numerous parking bays close to academic buildings and residential accommodation which are reserved for disabled drivers or their carers. Our Security Department will be able to advise the most suitable spaces for you to use. If you re studying a practical subject, you may need to consider the implications of accessing laboratories or workshops, using equipment or attending field trips. If you need non-academic support such as laundry, cooking and personal care, this can be arranged in conjunction with your own social services department. Non-blue badge holders who wish to have a University Disabled Permit because of an existing medical need may also be eligible, subject to confirmation from the Guildowns University Medical Centre or their own GP. Please note that standard prices apply to this type of disabled permit. All parking permit applications are made online and further information can be found at the following website: surrey.ac.uk/parkingeligibility 16 surrey.ac.uk University of Surrey 17

10 Support Support for visually impaired students There are a number of arrangements that can be made to assist you at university including course materials in larger font,the use of magnification for screen reading electronic library books and the use of specialist text to speech software. We recommend that you have a DSA needs assessment prior to starting your course. You may want to discuss with a disability adviser your accommodation requirements and accessing the campus. We can also arrange for orientation around the campus and local area. University is a big place and I have difficulty finding places and getting to lectures on time. There s a lot of one to one help. With co-ordination difficulties some practical tasks were hard, but I got help and overcame these. There s a lot of reading on my course. I also get panicky doing several things at once. Exams are a bit of a nightmare, and revision is hard. I was given a reader and extra time for my exams, which helped a lot. The support has helped me deal with stressful situations. Sophia Trim, BSc Biochemistry 18 surrey.ac.uk

11 Support Support for deaf students If you re hard of hearing or profoundly deaf, you may require a note-taker for your lectures and other classes. British Sign Language (BSL) users may require the use of an interpreter. Mental health At Surrey we have a Centre for Wellbeing that offers counselling and workshops. There s also a mental health nurse who can liaise with community mental health teams or GPs and provide advice and support. You may also need copies of lecture notes in advance, use of technical equipment such as a radio aid or support accessing other services across campus. Organising an application for the DSA and having a needs assessment before you start your studies is also important, as this is the main funding mechanism for UK students with a disability or sensory impairment. We re aware of the social issues that deaf students may have and we re here to assist you in dealing with these barriers. Your first step is to meet with a disability adviser to discuss your support in detail after which we can refer you to external deaf support agencies. We re here to make sure that you have the best conditions for studying. To achieve this, with your consent, the team at ALS can liaise closely with the Centre for Wellbeing and your personal tutor. Students with mental health conditions can apply for DSA funding. We find that some students benefit from working with an ALS support tutor or mentor to assist them in developing effective study, time management and organisational skills. If you feel that this would help you, please contact us to discuss your requirements. DSA needs assessments We offer DSA needs assessments at the University via our links with the Wessex Needs Assessments Centre. For more details contact: surrey.ac.uk/dsaassessment T: surrey.ac.uk University of Surrey 21

12 Useful contact details SPLASH (Student Personal Learning and Study Hub) 3rd Floor, Library, University of Surrey Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH E: Centre for Wellbeing Ground Floor, Building 23, University Court University of Surrey Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH T: +44 (0) F: +44 (0) E: T: +44 (0) Student Money E: surrey.ac.uk/currentstudents/money Department of Languages and Translation Studies T: +44 (0) F: +44 (0) E: surrey.ac.uk/englishandlanguages International Student Support T: +44 (0) E: surrey.ac.uk/international Guildowns Group Practice University Court University of Surrey T: +44 (0) or internal extension 2072 E: Additional Learning Support E: 22 surrey.ac.uk University of Surrey 23

13 Additional local and national agencies and services Royal National Institute of Blind People 105 Judd Street London WC1H 9NE rnib.org.uk Action on Hearing Loss T: Textphone: SMS: E: actiononhearningloss.org.uk National Autistic Society T: autism.org.uk MIND T: mind.org.uk British Dyslexia Association T: bdadyslexia.org.uk National Network of Assessment Centres NNAC T: +44 (0) E: nnac.org 24 surrey.ac.uk University of Surrey 25

14 Useful websites Equality and Human Rights Commission To access information on the Equality Act 2010 equalityhumanrights.com Equality Challenge Unit ecu.ac.uk This information can be made available in alternative formats, such as electronic, large print, Braille or audio tape, upon request. Please contact us for further information. Government Strategy T: equalities.gov.uk 26 surrey.ac.uk

15 University of Surrey Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK T: +44 (0) E: facebook.com/universityofsurrey youtube.com/universityofsurrey surrey.ac.uk/als Disclaimer Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication at the time of going to press (May 2015). The University undertakes all reasonable steps to provide the services described in this guide but reserves the right, however, to introduce changes to the information given. Should industrial action or circumstances beyond the control of the University interfere with its ability to provide services, the University undertakes to use all reasonable steps to minimise any resultant disruption. Please refer to our website for up-to-date information. May