DISABILITY TEAM

The Disability Team provide support for students who declare a disability.

What they do

The Disability Team can:

organise adjustments and support within the university;
help you apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance;
organise support in university residences;
help you when dealing with external agencies;
organise assessments for Specific Learning Difficulties;
discuss your disability and medical condition with you even if you think there might not be support available for you;

There are lots of different adjustments that might help disabled students - some of them are organised within the university, and others can be funded with Disabled Students Allowance (more information about DSA is available on this site here). Even if you think there aren't any adjustments that can be made for you, or you haven't had any adjustments in the past, it is worth discussing your situation with the Disability Team - sometimes adjustments can be made that you might not have heard about before and it can be useful to let them know in case you need their assistance in the future.

Setting up an appointment

You should declare your disability during online matriculation. You do not need to have done this to contact the Disability Team during the semester but you should make sure it is correct every time you matriculate.

You then contact the Disability Team to arrange support. You can contact the Disability Team outside of term time, before you start your degree and even before you apply! It is suggested that disabled students contact the Disability Team as soon as possible to arrange support. Contacting them before you arrive allows them to best help you with organising timetabling and accommodation to support your needs.

email them on disability@st-andrews.ac.uk;
make an appointment by calling into Eden Court or the ASC;
phone the ASC on 01334 462020.;

Sometimes, they will be able to help you over email, but they will usually set you up an appointment with an adviser.

How disclosing a disability works

At your appointment, the adviser will discuss your experiences, how your disability affects you and your education, the adjustments that can be made and support that can be offered, and any medical or supporting evidence the university will need before they can put things into place.

Sometimes you will need to speak to other members of staff, or external agencies like Fife Council or your doctor. Your disability adviser will tell you who you need to speak to, and help you contact people if they can.

Once you have provided any evidence that is needed, the adjustments you have discussed with the Disability Team will be put into place and any members of staff who need to be contacted will be contacted by your disability adviser. Adjustments your school need to make, like providing lecture notes in advance, will be listed on MMS/MySaint so that your lecturers know what they need to do. They will not be able to see why you need those adjustments, just that the disability adviser has decided you need and are entitled to them. You can view this record on MySaint at any point as well.

Sometimes your disability adviser will organise a follow-up appointment to make sure things are working out okay. Otherwise, you will then be able to reach out to your adviser by email if you ever have any other issues, or to make another appointment if you need to.

Why disclose your disability

The university can provide a range of adjustments, big and small, for many different kinds of disability. They can often provide adjustments you may not have even heard of before, or considered might help you. Even if you don’t need adjustments, or don’t want to use the adjustments that are provided, letting them know about your disability as early as possible can mean things can be put into place more easily if and when you do need them. The Disability Team can also let you know what other services are available to you.

The Disability Team are there to help you, not judge you, and they won’t judge you for taking or not taking up any offered adjustments. They recognise the broad range of disabilities and all the associated experiences and ways it can affect you.

The university has a legal obligation to make reasonable adjustments to support you getting an education with a disability. This includes all members of staff - if you’re having difficulties communicating your needs or accessing your adjustments in your course, then the Disability Team can help you communicate your needs with other members of staff like lecturers and tutors.

They also have an obligation to keep things private. They will only share things with people they need to, and they will tell you who they will tell what. They can also provide adjustments that can help you keep things private if you would like, like lecture recorders instead of a scribe in the room.

More information about disclosing a disability to the university is available from:

the university Disability Team;
Disability Rights UK;