Additional Learning Support
A guide for disabled and dyslexic students
University of Surrey 3
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)1483 689609 E: [email protected]Opening times:
Monday–Friday 8:30am – 4:00pmALS 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.)
Our services
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
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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
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 25.
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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
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.
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
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.
Support
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.
University of Surrey 15
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.
The facilities and support provided at Surrey Sports Park were amazing.
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.
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.
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.
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
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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.
Support
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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Useful contact details
SPLASH
(Student Personal Learning and Study Hub)
3rd Floor, Library, University of Surrey Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH
Centre for Wellbeing
Ground Floor, Building 23, University Court University of Surrey
Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH T: +44 (0)1483 689498 F: +44 (0)1483 689499 E: [email protected] T: +44 (0)1483 689261
Student Money
E: [email protected] surrey.ac.uk/currentstudents/moneyDepartment of Languages and Translation Studies
T: +44 (0)1483 686222 F: +44 (0)1483 689505 E: [email protected]
surrey.ac.uk/englishandlanguages
International Student Support
T: +44 (0)1483 689467
E: [email protected] surrey.ac.uk/international
Guildowns Group Practice
University Court University of Surrey T: +44 (0)1483 409309
or internal extension 2072
Additional Learning Support
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: 0808 808 0123
Textphone: 0808 808 9000 SMS: 0780 0000 360
E: [email protected] actiononhearningloss.org.uk
National Autistic Society
T: 0800 800 4104 autism.org.uk
MIND
T: 0300 123 3393 mind.org.uk
British Dyslexia Association
T: 0845 251 9002 bdadyslexia.org.uk
National Network of Assessment Centres – NNAC
T: +44 (0)1432 376630 E: [email protected] nnac.org
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Useful websites
Equality and Human Rights Commission
To access information on the Equality Act 2010 equalityhumanrights.com
Equality Challenge Unit
ecu.ac.uk
Government Strategy
T: 0845 251 9002 equalities.gov.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.
University of Surrey Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK T: +44 (0)1483 689 609 E: [email protected] facebook.com/universityofsurrey twitter: @uniofsurrey 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
