Support for Disabled Students

If you require information, advice or support or wish to speak with a Student Support Adviser please email student.support@abdn.ac.uk or call us on 01224 273 935. British Sign Language (BSL) users can contact us directly by using contactSCOTLAND-BSL.

Under the Equality Act 2010, the definition of a disability is “a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on a person’s ability to do normal daily activities”.

This includes but is not limited to the following:

• Dyslexia and other Specific Learning Differences
• Visual Impairments
• Hearing Impairments
• Long-Term Health Conditions
• Mental Health Conditions
• Physical Impairments
• Autism Spectrum Conditions
• Stammering

If you are disabled we strongly encourage you to make an appointment with us to discuss, agree and implement any study-related support you may require.

If you are applying through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) you will be able to indicate that you are disabled on your application.

Please get in touch if you are unsure whether you are eligible for support.

If you are an applicant, offer holder or current student and you haven’t previously been in contact with the team and feel that you would benefit from disability-related support whilst you study with us, please provide us with information about your support needs. You can do this by completing our online contact form. Please make sure you provide us with evidence of your health condition, impairment, or specific learning difference, so we can put the right support in place as quickly as possible. 

You can drop in to see us on the top floor of the Students' Union Building, Mondays and Thursdays 1pm-4pm and Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays 10am - 1pm. Depending on your query, we may be able to arrange for you to speak with an adviser, or we may offer you an appointment to speak with one of our specialist advisers at a time to suit you best. 

If you have previously contacted the team and would like to discuss support for your studies, you can email us at student.support@abdn.ac.uk or call us on 01224 273 935. 

The Disabled Student Pathway document provides an overview of how disabled students can access support at the University and details the steps and people involved in implementing support. Please see our Privacy Notice which details how the University processes students' disability-related information. 

We advise that you contact us as soon as possible to ensure that your support can be implemented in a timely manner

After discussing your needs with you, we can put together a list of the adjustments agreed to support you in your studies. We call these your provisions and, with your permission, we will communicate this information to the relevant staff at the University. Some examples of adjustments are:

• Lecture outlines and PowerPoint slides for lectures in advance and in alternative formats
• Prioritised reading lists
• Extra time in exams
• Use of a computer and assistive software in exams
• Reader/scribe in exams
• A smaller exam venue with fewer other candidates
• No penalties for poor spelling or grammar for exams and coursework assignments
• Agreed extensions to deadlines for coursework assignments
• Non-Medical Support workers, such as note-takers, to ensure that you have an accurate record of what is covered in lectures or to assist in practical sessions such as labs to support the completion of tasks.
• The provision of Assistive Technology (AT) such as digital recorders to audio record lecture sessions

For further details about how provisions work, please see our provisions guide.

If you require adjustments in exams, please make sure you have spoken with us prior to the relevant semester’s advertised exam provisions deadline. 

Some of our students require personal care and assistance with daily living, like assistance with cooking, shopping, bathing and dressing. This support is not available through the University; if you require this support, we advise that you get in touch with your local Social Services department to discuss your support requirements.

If you require medical equipment such as the provision of a wheelchair, this isn’t something that the University can provide. If you require this provision, we advise that you contact your GP/medical practitioner to discuss your requirements.

Schools and Departments have identified members of staff as Disability Coordinators who Student Advice & Support work closely with to ensure that your reasonable adjustments are implemented.

We will only discuss disability-related information with other members of staff once we have your permission, or if we need to do this for reasons of health and safety, emergency, or public policy. Before we put support in place, we ask for your consent to pass on information to colleagues who will provide your support. Our Privacy Notice explains how we treat and store your confidential information.

All evidence must be provided in English. If translation is required, it is your responsibility to arrange this with an accredited professional translation service.

If you are disabled or have a long-term health condition you will need to provide evidence from a qualified medical professional, such as:

• GP
• Consultant
• Specialist or Psychiatric Nurse
• Occupational Therapist
• Physiotherapist
• Audiologist
• Hospital Consultants

The evidence should identify:

• The name of the impairment or health conditions
• When the impairment or health condition was diagnosed/identified
• How long the impairment/health condition is likely to last
• The main effects of the condition, e.g. mobility impairment, short term concentration ability
• Any side effects of medication or treatment
• The impact that the impairment or health condition has on your ability to engage in study activities

If you have a specific learning difference (SpLD), e.g. dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, we will accept pre- or post-16 evidence in the form of a report that confirms you have a SpLD from one of the following:

• Educational Psychologist
• Educational Professional or Specialist Teacher, or equivalent, e.g. an Occupational Therapist who holds a current practicing certificate in assessing SpLD issued by the relevant professional association, such as the Professional Association of Teachers of Students with Specific Learning Differences (PATOSS)
• Educational Professional or Specialist Teacher who holds a current qualification that allows Associated Membership of the British Dyslexia Association (AMBDA)

If you need advice about obtaining evidence of your dyslexia or SpLD, please contact us as we may be able to assist you to obtain an evaluation.

Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) is designed to cover disability-related costs that you may incur in your studies. It is not means tested and is available from UK funding bodies if you ordinarily reside in the UK. DSA is available if you study on full-time undergraduate and some part-time, distance learning and postgraduate programmes. DSA is in addition to the standard student finance package that you may receive.

DSA can provide funding towards:

• Specialist Equipment like assistive software, hardware and ergonomic equipment
• Non-medical Personal Help like specialist study skills support and mentoring
• General disability-related expenses like funding towards additional printing and photocopy costs
• Funding towards additional disability-related support

You can apply for DSA before or after you have started studying with us. We suggest that you apply as early as possible so that your support can be in place for the start of the academic year. The application process differs depending on the funding body. We can provide information, advice and support with the DSA application process. Please contact us to discuss this.

If you are a full-time student, please ensure you have already applied to your funding body for your main student funding, such as student loan and/or tuition fees, before beginning your application for DSA.

Our DSA Factsheet provides more information about this process.

If you think that you may have a specific learning difference (SpLD) such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia and/or dyscalculia, an Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), and/or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), we may be able to offer you a screening appointment. During the appointment, you will be asked some questions about your experience of areas such as reading, writing and memory. Your answers will give us an indication of whether you are exhibiting indicators of a SpLD, ASC and/or ADD/ADHD, and, if you do, you may be given the opportunity of a referral to an Educational Psychologist for a full assessment. The purpose of a screening and referral to the Educational Psychologist is to inform the implementation of study-related support for your current programme of studies. Students contacting the team in their final year should be mindful that the support available may be limited, depending on the timing of the contact, and whether support can be offered at the advanced stage of study; support cannot be retrospectively implemented. We therefore encourage students to contact us as early as possible during their studies.

To request a screening appointment, please complete our online contact form.

The Assistive Technology team are available to support disabled students including students who have specific learning differences, mental health conditions, and long-term health conditions, using technology.

They offer a one to one service providing demonstrations on specific study-related tools. To find out more information visit:

• Toolkit
• Assistive Technology web pages

Contact details:

• Email: atech@abdn.ac.uk
• Tel: 01224 273336

The Assistive Technology Booths (ATBs) are accessible, single occupancy PC rooms available for use by disabled students. They provide a selection of assistive software and hardware which is not available on the classroom computers.

Access to booths is available via referral from Student Advice & Support or the Student Learning Service. Students who have been granted access can then book a booth online.

If you require assistance to access the campus and University buildings, we can help with:

• Arranging non-medical support worker assistance
• Liaising with University Departments to arrange accessible teaching and exam venues 
• Referral for University disabled parking permits for non-Blue badge holders
• Development of a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan if you will need assistance with evacuation in the event of an emergency
• SafeZone is a free app for students which connects you to the University security team if you ever need urgent help, first aid or if you have an emergency whilst on campus.
• AccessAble provides detailed information on the accessibility for University buildings on the Kings College Campus, the Foresterhill Campus, and the Halls of Residence.

The Disabled Students Forum is a safe social space and campaigning platform for all disabled students. The purpose of the Forum is to ensure that disabled students are treated fairly and equally and have their needs met at the University of Aberdeen. Further information please visit the Disabled Students Forum.

For a quick guide to support services available to you, visit our Support Services guide page.