Arranging Support
To register with the Disability Service, please log in and complete a Study Support Request.
As part of completing your Study Support Request (SSR), you will be asked to upload evidence of disability. You can find out more about submitting evidence by checking our guidance on what evidence we can use. If you don't yet have evidence of disability, please complete the SSR anyway. If you have any documents you feel may work as evidence but are not sure, please upload them with your SSR so that we can advise you further. Having your evidence helps us to arrange support for you quickly, but you do not need to have evidence of disablity before we can begin to support and advise you.
If you are going to ask a GP or consultant for evidence, you may find it helpful to use our Disability Evidence Form. Please ask the person completing the form to complete sections B-D.
What happens after you complete your Study Support Request?
Once you submit your SSR, a Disability Adviser will review your information and we will email you about next steps. Depending on what you have told us and what documents you could upload, we may begin to put adjustments to your teaching and assessment in place right away. In most cases we will also contact you to invite you to book an appointment with a Disability Adviser. You will be able to choose between online and in-person appointments.
While you are waiting for us to respond to your SSR, there are other sources of support available:
- Your Adviser of Studies is named on your MyCampus record and can support you with any concerns about teaching and assessment.
- Your Student Support Officer can offer advice and guidance on a wide range of issues.
- Your Disability Coordinator may be able to offer interim support and guidance.
- Student Learning Development offer a range of study support open to all students.
- There is a wide range of support available to all students.
Chronic medical conditions
We provide study-related support and advice to students with chronic medical conditions, which can include:
- Arthritis,
- Crohn’s disease,
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome,
- Diabetes,
- Epilepsy,
- Heart conditions,
- Hepatitis,
- HIV,
- SLE / Lupus,
- Ulcerative colitis.
Examples of support available to you:
- Teaching staff awareness,
- Permission to record lectures,
- Flexibility – with attendance & submission of assignments,
- Access to assistive technology – e.g. dictation software, digital recording device,
- Training in use of assistive technology,
- Extended library loans & use of the fetching service in the library,
- Exam provisions (extra time, use of a computer, rest or toilet breaks, permission to eat/drink during exam),
- Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA), if eligible, to fund disability related equipment and support.
You should supply your supporting medical evidence by emailing it before your appointment with your Disability Adviser. This should be a letter from your GP or consultant confirming your condition and outlining how it affects you.
Information about your condition and how it impacts on you in a study context will only be passed on to a third party, e.g. your Academic School, with your explicit written consent.
Physical & mental health
Physical impairments - arranging support
To make an appointment with a disability adviser for a needs assessment please call 0141 3305497/5121/7237/2260
Examples of support available to you:
- Accessible teaching venues
- Accessible exam halls
- Loan of mobility scooter
- Campus parking permit for blue badge holders
If you are concerned about the campus accessibility before starting your course please contact us and we will be happy to answer any questions you have.
Find out more:
Mental health difficulties
We provide study-related support and advice to students who have ongoing mental health difficulties, for example, students with:
- Anxiety or panic disorder,
- Bi-Polar Disorder,
- Depression,
- Eating disorders,
- Obsessive compulsive disorder,
- Schizophrenia.
Examples of support available to you:
- Teaching staff awareness,
- Flexibility – with attendance; the submission of assignments,
- One-one support from Mental Health Advisers on campus,
- Study skills support,
- Advocacy with academic Schools,
- Permission to record lectures,
- Access to assistive technology – e.g. digital recording device,
- Training in use of assistive technology,
- Extended library loans,
- Exam provisions – e.g. extra time; sitting exam in separate room,
- Liaison with Community Mental Health or other professionals, with the student’s consent,
- Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA), if eligible, to fund disability related equipment and support.
What you need to bring to the appointment:
You must bring supporting professional evidence to the appointment with your Disability Adviser. This should be a letter from your GP, CPN or psychiatrist which confirms your condition/diagnosis, that it is chronic/longstanding in nature and how you are affected in the context of your studies.
Information about your condition and your support needs will only be passed on to a third party, e.g. your Academic School(s), with your explicit written consent.
Other support:
D/deaf and hard of hearing
Examples of support available to you:
- Notetaking (manual or electronic),
- Sign language interpreting,
- FM Systems (radio-microphones),
- Digital voice recorders,
- Camcorder (to film interpreters),
- Exam arrangements eg extra time & invigilator awareness,
- Loop systems,
- Advocacy with academic Schools.
Pre-application / Pre-course support
We offer a confidential one-to-one appointment at Open Day and Applicants’ Visit Day with a disability adviser. This will take place in a private room in the Disability Service.
We will arrange a sign language interpreter or other communication service for this appointment, if this is required. If you cannot attend the official Open Days we can arrange for you to visit the University at another time.
Letting us know you are D/deaf or hard of hearing
We want to make sure that appropriate access and support is arranged for you (for lectures, tutorials, seminars, labs, field trips, project work, exams, Freshers’ Week and other course activities). Information you give us will not be passed on to any third parties without your permission.
If you intend to study at the University of Glasgow in the next academic year please complete the registration form together with your professional evidence which confirms your deafness/hearing loss. this should be a letter from your GP or audiologist together with up-to-date audiograms.
Completing a pre-entry form & disclosing a disability on MyCampus is the first step. We need to meet with you in person for an appointment before we can make arrangements for you.
Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA):
You may be eligible to apply for DSA. Your disability adviser will discuss this with you and will help you make an application if you are eligible. DSA can pay for disability related equipment and communication services.
The Disability Service is an accredited DSA assessment centre and can carry out DSA needs assessments.
Visual impairments
Pre-Application/Pre-Course Support
If required we can offer a private interview at Undergraduate Open Days: Offer Holders' Day or Applicants’ Visit Day and at Postgraduate events.
Prior to starting your course we can also offer a personal campus orientation or tour and we can arrange to work with your mobility worker or Social Work Department on mobility training, as appropriate.
Examples of support available to you:
- Mentoring or sighted guide support during Freshers’ week and thereafter, as necessary,
- Personalised needs assessment for assistive technology and hardware support,
- One to one training in the above technology after a full IT evaluation has been arranged,
- Support during examinations (e.g. exam papers in preferred format, extra time, use of a scribe or reader or use of assistive technology during the exam such as Zoomtext),
- Use of VI computer cluster based in the library (assistive technologies available such as CCTV, JAWS and Zoomtext programs, and large monitor computer screens and Braille printer).
- Lecture notes, handouts, power point presentations and course handbooks on the Moodle (downloadable in accessible format),
- Personal assistants for reading, scanning and library support work and electronic note-takers for lectures,
- Regular liaison as required between Disability Service and external stakeholders who work with blind and visually impaired students (e.g. RNIB and SKILL SCOTLAND),
- Regular monitoring and review meetings between the student and their Disability Adviser,
- Help with proof-reading pieces of coursework,
- Regular liaison between a Disability Adviser and the Disability Co-ordinators in academic Schools, Colleges and Research Institutes.
What you need to bring to the appointment:
You must bring either medical evidence of your condition or your registration certificate to the initial interview with the service. This will enable the Disability Adviser to help you apply for funding for appropriate support strategies and also to co-ordinate and confirm officially with the Academic Schools the support your requirements.
Get more information about DSA:
- SAAS
- Email: SAAS_4@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
- Phone: 0845 111 0244
Assistance Dogs
The guide dog toilet
The guide dog toilet in the landscaped area north of the library entrance, is now in operation. This is a low walled enclosure next to the bike parking space, tucked away from the main sitting area. If you enquire at the main entrance to the library the janitors on duty will direct you.
Meares-Irlen Syndrome
Meares-Irlen Syndrome, (also known as Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome, Irlen Syndrome, Visual Dyslexia or Visual Stress) is the term used to describe a number of symptoms which make reading difficult and often uncomfortable, especially for prolonged periods. The symptoms experienced can range from mild to severe. Common Symptoms of Meares-Irlen include:
- Light Sensitivity,
- Inefficient Reading,
- Slow Reading Rate,
- Attention Deficit,
- Physical Symptoms,
- Poor Depth Perception.
Support available to you:
- Extended library loans,
- Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA), if eligible to apply for funding for appropriate strategies such as precision tinted lenses - please note DSA funding is NOT available for those with only a diagnosis of MI and no other disability,
- 1-1 training in assistive technology,
- Use of precision tinted glasses in exams,
- In some cases, extra exam time if student has additional disability or Specific Learning Difficulty.
What evidence you need to provide:
You must bring valid supporting evidence to the appointment with your Disability Adviser. This should be a letter from an appropriate specialist, such as a registered Orthoptist or Irlen Diagnostician, confirming your condition, outlining how it affects you and confirming any recommended support requirements including exam arrangements.
Autism spectrum condition
Pre-application / Pre-course support
We would encourage you to visit us on Open Days: Applicants Visit Day, Offer Holders' Day, and Postgraduate event days.
At these events the Disability Service has a stand in the Bute Hall where information and advice can be given by experienced specialist Disability Advisers.
On Open Days or Offer Holders Day we can arrange a private 1 to 1 interview with a Disability Adviser on request.
Summer School course
Students on the autism spectrum are often advised to take up a place on our four week Summer School course. If you identify your disability and the Disability Adviser recommends you for a place on this course, you will receive a priority allocation by the Director of the Summer School.
This four week course can help you prepare for the transition from school or college to university life. We have had excellent feedback from students who have completed this course and who have felt that it has helped them in the transition process.
Examples of support available to you:
- Mentor support during Fresher’s week,
- Assistive technology and hardware to enable student to work in a quiet environment off campus,
- One to one training in the above technology,
- Separate room during examinations to minimise disturbance to concentration,
- Allocation to a tutorial group with a tutor who has awareness of the condition,
- Mentoring, socialisation or study support from a post graduate student on a weekly basis,
- Specialist one to one support from the National Autistic Society of Scotland (NAS) (meetings usually funded from the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)),
- Regular contact between our Disability Service and external stakeholders who work with autism spectrum condition (e.g. National Autistic Society Scotland and Social Work Departments),
- Regular monitoring and review meetings between student and Disability Adviser,
- Regular liaison between Disability Adviser and the Disability Co-ordinators in academic Schools to discuss and resolve any issues or problems.
What you need to bring to the initial interview:
You must bring a copy of the assessment evidence for your autism spectrum condition to the initial interview with the Service. This will enable the Disability Adviser to help you make a Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) claim to apply for funding for appropriate support strategies and also to co-ordinate and confirm officially with the Academic Schools the support you require.
Get more information about DSA SAAS
In order to obtain a diagnosis you will need to consult with your GP practice.
Please email Disability Service for further information about support for students on the autism spectrum at University of Glasgow.
Specific learning difficulties
We provide support and advice to students with specific learning difficulties, which can include:
- Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder (AD(H)D)
- Dyscalculia
- Dysgraphia
- Dyslexia
- Dyspraxia Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)
Examples of support available to you:
- Study skills assistance
- Assistive technology
- One to one training in assistive technology
- Extended library loans
- Assistance with applications for the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)
- Mentor support
- Exam arrangements
- Proofreading assistance
What you need to bring to the appointment:
You should email supporting evidence before your initial appointment. This is usually a full up-to-date Educational Psychologist report or a report from a PATOSS qualified dyslexia practitioner using approved and standardised adult tests.
If you require an updated assessment:
If your report does not meet these criteria, and you require an updated assessment, we can refer you to a Chartered Educational Psychologist experienced in assessing the needs of adults in Higher Education. Please contact our service as early as possible should a reassessment be necessary.
Dyslexia screening and assessments
If you are experiencing study difficulties and think these may be caused by a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia or dyspraxia,email the Disability Service - we can arrange for currently registered students to do an on-line dyslexia screening test for adults which will:
- Help you find out your learning style
- Indicate if study skills support is needed
- Highlight any indicators of dyslexia or dyspraxia
This is not a timed screening, and it takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. At the end of the screening you will receive a computer generated report which indicates whether you show any signs of dyslexia or any other specific learning difficulties.
What do I do once I have carried out the online screening?
When you have completed all the questions a report will be generated. If your report identifies indicators of a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia or dyspraxia, and you would like to be referred to a Chartered Educational Psychologist for a full psychological assessment please ask the Disability Service to arrange a referral for you to see an Educational Psychologist for a full dyslexia assessment.
Understanding Dyslexia in Higher Education
Getting an ADHD diagnosis
In order to receive a diagnosis for ADHD please contact your GP who may need to refer you to a specialist for a formal diagnosis.
You can find further information on ADHD assessment here:
https://aadduk.org/help-support/specialists-support-and-coaches/
Once you have a diagnosis please contact Disability Service about support with your studies.
Until you have a diagnosis please be aware that support for adults with ADHD often centres around developing effective coping strategies to aid concentration & memory.
We would encourage you to seek support from them for:
- Exam Technique - to ensure you correctly interpret exam questions
- Higher order reading strategies - to help with exams
- Essay writing - to develop your strategies for planning and structuring essays
- Notetaking strategies - to help with effective processing and consolidation of information
- Time planning strategies
There is also assistive software on the University student computing network:
Text Help Read and Write Gold is an effective proofreading tool, which helps to identify spelling, grammatical and punctuation errors in their written work. The readback feature can also help to identify poor structure and has advanced literacy features as well as some study skills features.
Mind Genius may help with planning and structuring your written work and can also be a useful revision aid.
For training in these programs access IT SERVICE course dates