The main reason that the university asks you for information about your disability is so that it can make suitable arrangements, including reasonable adjustments, to support you during your studies.
Most applicants will disclose on their UCAS or application form, which gets passed to the Disability and Dyslexia Service to follow up. Applicants who haven’t done so, and existing students who wish to disclose at any stage during the academic career, can do so by contacting the Disability and Dyslexia Service to discuss their support needs.
You do not have to disclose your disability to the university, but if you choose not to you may not receive all the support you need. The purpose of disclosing is so that the university can talk to you about your support entitlements and what can be make available to you in this context.
Please note that some courses are externally regulated and require applicants to complete a declaration of health questionnaire and be assessed by an occupational health advisor. If this is relevant to your chosen course you will be advised of this at the time of application. These applicants still need to decide whether to formally disclose to the university for the purposes of accessing support through the Disability and Dyslexia Service.
Applicants who disclose will be sent information early in the summer prior to entry (or immediately after clearing if appropriate) about how to organise their support at University, including how to apply for Disabled Students Allowance. Applicants with complex needs are encouraged to come and meet with one of the Disability and Dyslexia Service team members during the summer to discuss their support needs during their time with us.
Existing students who disclose should contact us to discuss their support needs as soon as possible.
Once we have established what support should be provided then, usually with the applicant or student’s consent, we will share this information with key members of university staff so they know how best to provide support. In most cases applicants and students are given options about how much information they wish to disclose.
The university will not automatically disclose your disability or support needs to your placement provider, although some academic departments do actively support students through this process. If you need assistance disclosing please speak with either your academic department or the Disability and Dyslexia as to how to proceed.
