Disability & Wellbeing ServiceAvailable support for students
MindGenius
Organisation tool which can be used to easily create mind maps (spider diagrams) for essay planning and preparation. MindGenius can also be used for many other study tasks including exam revision, to-do lists, notetaking and group work. This software is available as a free download (for windows machines) via Pegasus.
Read & Write GOLD
Text-to-speech tool which can assist with reading text on screen. As well as being used for course reading and research, often used by students with dyslexia to assist with proof reading their own work.
Assistive Technologies room
Located on the 2nd floor of the Library, provides access to scanners which can be used to digitise text-books and other course materials to be subsequently read aloud by Read & Write GOLD.
Teaching and exam adjustments
The Disability & Wellbeing Service may recommend adjustments to how students with dyslexia are taught and assessed.
This allows students to display their learning, without being disadvantaged by barriers.
Reasonable adjustments may include such measures as:
- providing lecture power points in advance
- allowing students to audio-record lectures
- not penalising students for spelling or grammatical errors in their work
- or adding compensatory time in written tests and exams
As we work towards the creation of inclusive courses, this type of case-by-case adjustment should become less necessary.
Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) funding
The needs of many students can be addressed through adjustments to teaching and exam arrangements. They can also be met through standard provisions including on-campus assistive technology. In some cases, an application for Disabled Students' Allowance may be necessary.
The Disabled Students' Allowance is a source of funding. It can meet costs for support and equipment that are deemed essential for a student to access their course.
Funding can be obtained to provide tools such as laptops, digital recorders, LiveScribe pens, Read & Write GOLD and Audio Notetaker software, printers/scanners, and printing materials. The funding can also be used to pay for any necessary human support.
Human support
In some cases, study support assistants can be employed to provide guidance in the development of the skills of study appropriate to the subject area and/or academic discipline chosen by the student. Usually, a student would meet with a study support assistant for an hour each week, with the understanding that support would naturally reduce as the student develops independent study skills.
Proofreading can also be provided for some students who experience particular difficulty with the creation of written work, even with the help of the assistive technology mentioned above.