Rights and Support for Disabled Students in the UK

Equality Act 2010

The Equality Act 2010 is a crucial legislation that protects disabled students from discrimination in education. Under this act, educational institutions have a legal obligation to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled students are not disadvantaged. This includes providing appropriate physical access to buildings, offering alternative assessment methods, and providing support services. If you feel like you've been discriminated against due to your disability, you can report it to the University’s Report & Support service.

Disabled Students' Allowances (DSA)

Disabled Students' Allowances (DSA) is a government-funded scheme that provides financial support to disabled students. DSA covers additional costs related to disability, such as specialist equipment, non-medical helpers, and travel expenses. Students can apply for DSA through their respective funding bodies, and the support provided is tailored to their individual needs. More information can be found under our Advice pages.

Reasonable Adjustments

Educational institutions are required to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate disabled students. This may involve providing assistive technology, offering note-taking services, arranging additional time for exams, or providing accessible course materials. Institutions should also ensure that their physical infrastructure, such as lecture halls, libraries, and accommodation, is accessible to disabled students. A lot of reasonable adjustments at Hallam are accessed through having a learning contract, which you can get from Disabled Student Services.

Disability Support Services

Our Disability Support Service is a department at the University made to assist disabled students. These services offer guidance, advice, and practical support throughout a student's academic journey. They can help with arranging reasonable adjustments, providing specialist study skills support, and offering disability-related advice. We advise you to check out their offer. Our Advice pages have further outlined what support you can get.

Inclusive Teaching and Learning

We are working with the Disabled Student Service to encourage Hallam to adopt inclusive teaching and learning practices to create an inclusive environment for all students, including disabled students. This means we'd be able to provide accessible learning opportunities and reasonable adjustments for those without a learning contract, as learning contracts have specific stipulations. Inclusive standards may involve providing accessible teaching materials, using inclusive teaching methods, and raising awareness among staff and students about disability-related issues. If you want to take part in our campaign about it you can check it out on our Inclusive Standards campaign page.

Student Union Support

At the Students' Union, we have support for you. Our Disabled Students' Society is a great way to meet and socialise with other disabled students, and our Disabled Students' Working Committee, led by your Disabled Students' Rep, is committed to creating policy and campaigns to support disabled students at Hallam. These groups aim to provide a sense of community, peer support, and advocacy for disabled students.

You can also access our Advice Centre for any independent, confidential, professional advice.