1. Provide us with evidence
If you have a specific learning difficulty (eg dyslexia or dyspraxia):
Please supply us with a report confirming your diagnosis. This needs to have been carried out since your 16th birthday and have been assessed by a specialist teacher or educational psychologist.
If you're not sure if your report meets these requirements, or you don't have a report, please get in touch. We can help you get an updated report at no cost to you, after which we will be able to put support in place for you.
If you have a disability, medical condition or a mental health difficulty:
Please provide us with evidence from your GP or other medical professional (eg consultant, psychiatric nurse) confirming your diagnosis.
If you're not sure whether your medical evidence is sufficient, we will be able to confirm whether it meets our criteria. If you do not have medical evidence we can support you through the process of obtaining some.
2. Meet with us
When we meet remotely via Microsoft Teams or through a phone call we will discuss the effect that your disability has on your studies and university life.
With your permission, we can then make recommendations to your academic school about adjustments that can be made to your teaching, placement and assessment. This might include extra time in exams, copies of lecture notes in advance, and extensions to essay deadlines.
We can also help you to apply for the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA), if you are eligible. This can fund additional support such as mentoring, study skills tuition, and equipment.
3. Go to your DSA appointment
You may have been successful in your DSA application and been invited to book a needs assessment. However at the moment all needs assessment centres in the country are only offering remote appointments in line with government requirements. So this could be via video links or phone calls.
During the interim period we may be able to offer 1:1 study skills support or 1:1 specialist mentoring also via remote links.
Please speak to the team at disability@brighton.ac.uk or your Learning Support Co-ordinator if you have one.
This is an informal appointment, which can last up to 2 hours and will determine what funded related items or support you will need for your course.
There are three Needs Assessment Centres in Brighton and you can attend the most convenient one for you. There are also other centres around the country. Use the DSA-QAG website to findyour nearest assessment centre.
Up to four weeks after your appointment, you will receive your 'confirmation of funding' letter. This outlines the items and support you are entitled to, plus instructions on how to order equipment and access support.
If your funding is through Student Finance England, you will be asked to pay the first £200 of your computer equipment. The university’s DSA Reimbursement Fund can assist students with household income of £25,000pa or less.
If your letter agrees non-medical support, such as mentoring or study skills tuition, we can help to arrange this for you.
Please contact us if you have any questions about this process on 01273 643 799 or at disability@brighton.ac.uk