Disability Advice for Students

We are here to provide advice and support for students who have a Disability or Specific Learning Difference.

The Disability and Inclusion Team are here to help!

Every year, 1000s of students with a broad range of disabilities and specific learning difficulties achieve their potential at the University of Wolverhampton opening up opportunities for employment and further study.

The University of Wolverhampton is an inclusive institution working to meet the individual needs of our students.

The Disability and Inclusion Team are here to provide advice and support for students who have a disability or specific learning difficulty.

Please register by completing our Self-Declaration Form (SDF) on e:Vision and upload your supporting evidence.

 

Disabilities and Specific Learning Differences can include:

  • Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia (these are known as Specific Learning Differences)
  • Autism Spectrum Conditions including Asperger syndrome 
  • Mental Health conditions     
  • Sensory disabilities including those affecting sight or hearing
  • Long term medical conditions  

To find an assessor to carry out of full diagnostic assessment for a specific learning difference such as Dyslexia or Dyscalculia, please follow the below process. 

  • Navigate to PATOSS webpage: 

    https://www.patoss-dyslexia.org/Tutor-Index-Landing    

    Before you can view assessors you will need to  

    • Register on the website, please click onto green ‘login’ button (top right hand side),  
    • Click onto ‘Register as Individual’ button,  
    • Complete your details as requested. You will then be able to log in.  
    • Click ‘Find a Tutor/Assessor’ tab and use search field.  The search engine will provide you with a list of assessors.   
    • Book your assessment directly with Assessor - It is your decision which assessor to use  

You will need to check the price of an assessment prior to booking to ensure you can cover this cost.

The University can support towards the cost of an assessment for current students, details can be found here, via the Dennis Turner Hardship fund Page

If you have questions regarding eligibility of the fund, please contact: money@wlv.ac.uk or book an appointment

*Students on Apprenticeship courses are not eligible for the Dennis Turner Fund. You will need to select your assessor using the above, then contact your faculty support team to discuss funding options. 

Please note assessments for ASC or ADHD, need to be completed by specialist. You will need to contact your GP to request a referral. 

Support available for all students can include:

  • General Study skills support, including tutorials and workshops, through the University Library
  • Access to specialist adaptive or assistive software such as text to speech screen readers; magnification tools; visualisation and mind mapping tools; digital colour overlays. Find out more about the full range of software and applications available from Apps Anywhere.
  • Recorded lectures - a number of taught sessions are recorded and available to playback with captions.

Additional support for students with disabilities or Specific Learning Differences (SpLDs) 

Depending on your individual needs, you may be eligible for additional support provided by the University. The Disability Inclusion Team can talk to you about additional support that may be available.
 
 

Disabled Students’ Allowances

You may be eligible to receive additional funding known as the Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) to help cover the costs of any additional support you may need to access your university course. DSA funding is available for eligible students and can help with costs for specialist equipment, Non-Medical Helpers (NMH) and other disability-related costs associated with studying. 

For more information please see: Disability Inclusion Team

The Disability and Inclusion Team are here to provide advice about support options at University.

For support, please log a help desk call to ASK@WLV or call: 01902 518 518 for further guidance on how to access support.

For more information, visit: wlv.ac.uk/ssw

 

You should begin the process of applying for your DSA as soon as possible.
 
For more information about how and when to apply:
We are here to help you if you have any questions about applying for DSA however it is your responsibility to apply for the DSA. 
 
The DSA application process can take a number of months to complete and so it is important that you start the process as soon as possible. Support cannot be guaranteed without your DSA being in place.
 
Do I need to talk to the university before applying for the DSA?
 
You do not need to talk to us before applying for the DSA as you are responsible for the application process. However, we are here if you need advice and support with the process.
 
How to contact the Disability and Inclusion team:
Call: 01902 518 518 
Log a help desk call on e:Vision to ASK@WLV 
For more information visit: Funding Your Support
  • Step 1: If required, book a Study Needs Assessment
    If you are approved for the DSA, you may need to attend a Study Needs Assessment. This is not a test but is an informal chat with a Needs Assessor who will talk to you about the additional support you may need at university. The University does not complete Study Needs Assessments. You can find a list of Needs Assessment Centres at www.dsa-qag.org.uk. 

  • Step 2: Attend your Study Needs Assessment
    At the assessment, your Needs Assessor will make recommendations about the specific support you may need at university. They will complete a Needs Assessment Report (NAR) which is returned to the relevant funding body for final approval.

  • Step 3: Receive your DSA letter
    Final approval is sent to you in a DSA letter. The letter provides details of your support and details of who will provide the support. Please note that the DSA agreement is between you and the relevant funding body. If you have any questions about the DSA letter please contact the relevant funding body. 

  • Step 4: Contact the support provider/s named in your DSA letter

    The DSA contains details of the provider responsible for your support. Please note this may not be the University. 

    It is your responsibility to contact the provider/s named on your DSA as soon as possible to discuss setting up your support. 

    If the University of Wolverhampton is named as the provider on your DSA please contact the Student Support and Wellbeing Team as soon as possible.

    If you have a provider who is not the University of Wolverhampton, contact that provider directly to discuss your support. While the university is not responsible for providing you with this support, we are still here to help if you have any questions about your support.

    Please contact the Disability and Inclusion Team if you have any questions:

    Tel: - 01902 518 518 or contact ASK@WLV on the help desk on e:Vision 

The Non-Medical Helper (NMH) roles provide disabled students at the University of Wolverhampton with the additional enabling human support they require to complete their course.
 
Please see the below document for more information: DSA Funded Non-Medical Helper Roles

Students on Apprenticeship courses are not eligible for Disabled Students' Allowances (DSA).  If you have a disability, Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD) or mental health condition you can still access support including (as appropriate to the course) automatic extensions, extended library loans, access to accessible software on University computers and access to University support services.

You can speak to your course team about support (known as Reasonable Adjustments) which may include options like getting notes/slides in advance of sessions to prepare.

Please contact ASK@WLV if you would like to set up a meeting with one of our Disability and Inclusion Team who can discuss with you additional support options as appropriate.

 

If you study a University course delivered at one of our partner UK colleges, you will still be able to apply for DSA. 

Your support will be provided by our partner college. Please contact the college directly to discuss your support needs.

If you are studying with one of our International Partners or at one of our International Locations please speak to the Support Services where you are studying for advice and information.

Get Support from ASK@WLV

Go to e:Vision

Get Support from ASK@WLV by logging a help desk call on your e:Vision account or call 01902 518 518 (Telephone lines open 10am - 5pm, Monday to Friday)