Who we support
Â鶹Íø offers a range of support for students affected by disabilities and mental health conditions. Everything you need to know about who we help and why is right here.
Can I get support from the Disability and Mental Health Service?
Our Disability and Mental Health Service offers a range of study-related support to:
- Current and prospective students
- Undergraduate and postgraduate students
- Offer holders
- EU and international students
- Parents and guardians
The disability and mental health advisers sat down with me before university started to ensure that all necessary support was put in place, and made my lecturers aware of the adjustments I would need.
What counts as a disability?
The UK's Equality Act (2010) defines disability as a "physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities."
By law, universities in the UK have to make reasonable adjustments to help people overcome the disadvantage they face because of their disability.
We support students with a range of difficulties. These include, but aren’t limited to:
- Autism spectrum condition (ASC) and other social communication difficulties
- Dyslexia, dyspraxia, AD(H)D and other specific learning differences
- Mental health conditions
- Mobility impairments including wheelchair users
- Sensory impairments, including visually impaired, D/deaf or hard of hearing
- Long-term medical conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes, HIV and chronic fatigue
Support for current students
Already studying at Â鶹Íø? You can get in touch and access our services at any time.
Telling us about your disability won’t mean you’ll face discrimination. It will mean we can provide the best possible support for you.
Get in touch with us at any time by emailing [email protected].
Support for prospective students and offer holders
Planning to study at Â鶹Íø? Contact our Disability and Mental Health service as early as possible to get your support in place before you start your course.
- If you’re an undergraduate applicant, you can let us know about your disability or mental health condition by ticking the disability box in your UCAS form.
- Postgraduate applicants can declare their disability on the university application.
- When we receive your application, our team will get in contact with you directly.
- Your application will not be treated any differently on academic grounds.
- If you'd prefer not to declare your disability on your application, you can contact us directly to tell us about it.
- Declaring your disability on your application will not mean support is automatically put in place for you. You will need to register with our service as well.
We might invite you to visit Â鶹Íø to check out our facilities and assess whether you might need things like:
- Support on your course
- Specific core course adjustments
- Examination arrangements
- Accommodation adjustments
- Disabled Students' Allowance funding
- Health and safety arrangements
Head to our disability page to find out more.
Professional and statutory bodies require that we consider the fitness of students applying for vocational qualifications such as:
- Teacher training
- Social work
- Midwifery
- Nursing
If you’re applying for a course like this, we may conduct an occupational health assessment to make sure you’re eligible.
Adapted accommodation options might be limited if you are applying through Clearing. Contact us as soon as possible to discuss what’s available, and get the right support in place.
Support for parents and guardians
We offer general advice to parents and guardians to help both you and your child transition to independence at Â鶹Íø.
- When your child tells us about their disability, we will contact them about putting support in place.
- To receive support, they need to register with our service as well as declaring their disability on their application form.
- We will guide your child through the process of getting support in place.
- If your child needs more information, they can contact us at [email protected].
Our Disability and Mental Health Service helps students develop the independence and life skills they’ll need throughout their studies and working lives.
During the application process, you can encourage your child to:
- Register with the Disability and Mental Health Service.
- Apply for the Disabled Students' Allowance and personal care support via their local authority as early as possible – paperwork can be complex, and they may need extra support.
- Start thinking about the support they will need, taking into account what has happened at home, school and college in the past.
You can email our Disability and Mental Health Service at [email protected] or call them on +44 (0)20 8417 6000.
They can respond to enquiries about prospective students at any time, but can’t discuss current students without written consent.
- If you report a student concern to us, we will take the appropriate steps to support the person you are worried about.
- We can give you advice about what you can do to support your child.
- We will not be able to share any further information with you about your child, unless they give us written permission to do so.
Get in touch
Can’t find the information you’re looking for?
You can contact us by telephone on +44 (0)20 8417 6000 (via the Information Centre) or +44 (0)20 8417 9000 (via the switchboard). Alternatively you can contact the disability team via email.
is also available for BSL Users to communicate with us by phone.
Our Disability and Mental Health Advisors offer free appointments to discuss the support available at Â鶹Íø. Current students can book through MyKingston, offer holders and applicants can book via email.
