FAQs

Please contact Disability & Inclusion.

You are disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activity.

Many students who don’t think of themselves as disabled would be eligible for some form of support. These students may have an unseen medical conditions such as chronic fatigue or diabetes or mental health condition such as anxiety or depression.

We are aware that students can be reluctant to disclose a disability because they fear that it might negatively affect their application or result in them being treated differently by the University.

Please be assured that this is not the case; it would be unlawful for a university to discriminate against any student based on their disability.

If you would like to access support then you will need to disclose this to the University. Without a disclosure, Disability & Inclusion would not be able to be put support in place.

Ultimately, it is your decision as to whether you wish to disclose your disability or not. However, we strongly encourage you to do so, this would mean that you are able to access all the support to which you are entitled.

Please note: due to the nature of courses such as Nursing or Teaching, you will be required to disclose your disability to ensure that you are able to meet the professional standards.

We won’t tell anybody about your disability, unless you give us permission to do so, or there is a risk to yourself or others.

We will only share your information with staff outside Disability & Inclusion to enable us to meet your support needs or to respond to complaints. We will only share information which departments require in order to put appropriate support in place, any discussion will be purposeful and respectful.

You have the right to request that no information is disclosed to others. However, this may limit the amount of support we can offer and may limit the reasonable adjustments which we can put into place.

Disclosing a disability won’t affect your degree certificate, and we won’t tell your future employers.

Yes, you can disclose at any point during your time here. We would encourage that you disclose as early as possible so that the appropriate support measures can be put in place.

Yes, if you have a disability you may be eligible to apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) this is a grant that helps to fund specialist equipment and support during your time as a student. The university will also make recommendations for reasonable adjustments to be made to support your studies.

Yes, your evidence must echo the Equality Act 2010 and state that your diagnosis has a substantial and long-term negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.

• Substantial is more than minor or trivial, e.g. it takes much longer than it usually would to complete a daily task like getting dressed.
• Long term means has lasted, or is expected to last, more than 12 months.
• Clear diagnosis is definitive confirmation of the health condition or impairment.

Evidence can be:

• A GP letter
• Educational Psychologist report
• Specialist practitioner report
• Educational Health Care Plan
• University of Chester Disability Evidence pro-forma, or similar.

Your evidence must clearly show the date of diagnosis.

In order to receive support all students are required to provide suitable evidence of a disability under the Equality Act 2010. You may wish to approach your GP, or a suitable specialist to obtain this evidence.

You may wish to book a Quick Query appointment with Disability & Inclusion. For enquires by email and phone 

Email: disability@chester.ac.uk   Telephone: 01244 511550

You are responsible for obtaining and paying for any tests to establish your eligibility for DSA.

If you think you may have a Specific Learning Difference, you may be eligible to be assessed for a SpLD such as dyslexia through the University's providers.

If you opt to undertake an assessment through the University, if eligible, you would be expected to pay a contribution of £100, and we would then look to fund the additional costs through our designated providers.

Please contact Disability & Inclusion for further information.

You may need to attend a number of appointments to ensure that the correct support can be put in place during your time at university.

These appointments may include;

• Meeting with Disability & Inclusion - This is an appointment with a Disability Support Officer to discuss your situation, any concerns you may have, and what reasonable adjustments can potentially be put in place for you.
• Assessment of Needs – If you qualify for Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) you may be asked to attend​ an Assessment of Needs to decide on the support you will need. This will not take place through Disability & Inclusion, but will be conducted by an external agency. You will be provided with information on how to arrange your assessment when you received approval for your DSA.
• Educational Psychologist’s Assessment – This is an appointment to diagnose whether or not you have a Specific Learning Difference (SpLD) such as Dyslexia or Dyspraxia. This may be required if you not been assessed for an SpLD before, or if your previous assessment doesn’t meet SpLD Working Group 2005/DfES Guidelines. This will not take place through Disability & Inclusion, but will be conducted by an external agency.

The University of Chester has a very limited number of disabled parking spaces on campus, these are typically reserved for students who have a Blue Parking Badge. You will need to contact parking@chester.ac.uk to apply for a permit.

Disability & Inclusion are only able to provide ongoing support for students who could have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010. If you have a short-term illness or injury, in the first instance you should contact your academic department to find out how they can support you.

You will need to obtain medical evidence of your injury or illness in order to be eligible for support. This could be in the form of a letter from your GP, or other relevant specialist.

​If you're a student with a disability, on-going health condition, sensory impairment, mental health condition or specific learning difference you can apply for the Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA).

DSA is a non-means tested grant that can help to pay for additional support that you may need during your studies as a direct result of your disability, to help ensure you reach your full learning potential whilst at University. The amount you will receive depends on the type of support you need.

You can apply for DSA by completing the relevant forms and sending them back to Student Finance. The type of form you will need to complete will depend on your individual circumstances. You will need to provide evidence of a disability in support of your application.

Further information about how to apply can be found on the GOV.UK website. If you would like further advice, please contact Student Services at studentservices@chester.ac.uk.

The Applying to Disabled Student Allowance (DSA) Flowchart has been created to help students better understand the stages of the application process.

Eligibility for DSA depends on your fee status, your intensity of study, and your course. (Some courses are not eligible for DSA.)

Students from overseas are not eligible for DSA but are advised to seek funding from their sponsor.

Further information about eligibility can be found on the GOV.UK website.

Once your support is approved, your funding body should send you a Notification of Entitlement (DSA2) by letter or email. It is important you read this document carefully, as it contains important information about the support you are eligible for, and how to order it.

If you are having difficulty arranging your support, please get in touch with Student Services, and we can advise further.

In order to received support all students are required to provide suitable evidence of a disability under the Equality Act 2010. You may wish to approach your GP, or a suitable specialist to obtain this evidence.

You may wish to book a Quick Query appointment via Student Services if you would like further advice.

You are responsible for obtaining and paying for any tests to establish your eligibility for DSA

Yes, your evidence must echo the Equality Act 2010 and state that your diagnosis has a substantial and long-term negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.

• Substantial is more than minor or trivial, e.g. it takes much longer than it usually would to complete a daily task like getting dressed.
• Long term means has lasted, or is expected to last, more than 12 months.
• Clear diagnosis is definitive confirmation of the health condition or impairment.

For the majority of disabilities a letter from your doctor, consultant or other medical practitioner is usually acceptable.  Ideally this should:

• Be on official headed paper,
• Provide standard contact and organisational information,
• Be as up to date as possible,
• Provide a clear diagnosis of a disability in line with the Equality Act 2010,
• Clearly state that your diagnosis has a substantial and long-term negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.

Substantial is more than minor or trivial, e.g. it takes much longer than it usually would to complete a daily task like getting dressed.

Long term means has lasted, or is expected to last, more than 12 months.

Clear diagnosis is definitive confirmation of the health condition or impairment.

Evidence can be:

• A GP letter
• Educational Psychologist report
• Specialist practitioner report
• Educational Health Care Plan
• University of Chester Disability Evidence pro-forma, or similar.

Your evidence must clearly show the date of diagnosis.

Please contact Student Services, and provide a completed copy of your application form.
Email:  studentservices@chester.ac.uk       
Telephone:  01244 511550
Post:  Disability and Inclusion, Binks 101, Parkgate Road, Chester CH1 4BJ

Once your application for the Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs) has been accepted the funding provider may ask you to book an Assessment of Needs or Study Needs Assessment. The cost of the Study Needs Assessment is paid through the Disabled Students' Allowances.

An Assessment of Needs is an informal meeting with an experienced Needs Assessor to help decide the kind of sup​port that will assist with your study related disability needs.​

In order for us to assess any adjustments we may need to make to suit your individual needs, we require up to date evidence of your disability or long-term medical condition. This may be a letter from your doctor or an appropriate specialist; or other relevant medical evidence.

In the case of a Specific Learning Difference, suitable evidence would be a diagnostic assessment from a practitioner psychologist or suitably qualified specialist teacher, conducted in line with SpLD Working Group 2005/DfES Guidelines.

Please note; the requirements for accessing support in Higher Education are much more comprehensive than in High School or Further Education. This can mean that evidence that was suitable in school or college would not be acceptable for the purposes of accessing support in Higher Education.

Please contact Student Services if you would like to discuss this further.

If you have specific exam requirements, you must discuss your needs with a Disability and Inclusion, and provide suitable evidence of your disability, in advance of the exam arrangement deadlines.

The deadlines for specific exam arrangements are different for Level 5 students, and Level 4, 6 and Foundation students; typically early February for Level 5 students and early March for Level 4, 6 and Foundation students. Exact dates can be found on our Examination Arrangements.

If examination support documents (SN1) are drawn up after the published examination deadlines, then only 25% extra time will be put in place for the current assessment(s); any other adjustments will not be implemented until the next assessment period.

Further information about the Academic Appeals process can be found on the Academic Appeals webpage.

Applications for extensions usually apply to coursework and must be made to the relevant academic department in advance of the submission deadline. Requests for extensions will not be considered if the student applies after the deadline.

Extensions are usually for relatively short periods of time; for example, a student who has documentary evidence confirming illness for a period of two weeks may seek an extension of a similar length.

Disability & Inclusion may be able to provide supporting evidence for your request, however, the decision will be made by your department.

Students can apply for extensions on their assignments, and some departments allow students to self-certify for up to 7 calendar days. Students are encouraged to discuss this with their academic department in the first instance.

If you’d like to apply for an extension of longer than calendar days, you will need to provide evidence to support this request. Applications must be submitted electronically through the online application system.

Further information about Mitigating Circumstance, Deferrals, and Extensions can be found on the University Registry Services pages on Portal.

Please note; these links are only accessible to current students.

Applications for deferral must be made to the relevant academic department in advance of the submission deadline or examination.

Unlike extensions, assessment subject to an approved deferral will be due for completion during the next assessment period. For example, an undergraduate examination deferred from the May-June examination period would be rescheduled during the August assessment period.

Disability & Inclusion may be able to provide supporting evidence for your request, however, the decision will be made by your department.

If you’d like to apply for deferral or late penalty waiver, applications must be submitted electronically through the online application system. Further information about Mitigating Circumstance, Deferrals, and Extensions can be found on the University Registry Services pages on Portal.

Please note: these links are only accessible to current students.

NMHs are support workers and other non-medical assistants you might need to use, to benefit fully from your course of study. These can include Disability Assistants (e.g. note takers or library support), Specialist Mentors, Specialist Study Skills Tutors, Examination Support Workers and BSL Interpreters, for example.

You can apply for a Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) if you have a disability (as per the Equality Act 2010 definition). This includes a:

• long-term health condition
• mental health condition
• specific learning difference (SpLD), e.g. dyslexia

If you have applied for DSA, you may have been recommended specialist NMH support following your Assessment of Needs. If your funding body (e.g. Student Finance England) has agreed to the recommendations, this will be confirmed to you in writing by them. Your funding confirmation letter (known as a DSA2) will detail what support has been approved, how many hours’ support you are entitled to, and who has been named to provide your support. Disability and Inclusion will normally receive a copy of your DSA2 from your funding body as well, and in most instances the NMH team will liaise directly with your named provider on your behalf to put your recommended support in place automatically.

You may also have met with a Disability Support Officer (DSO) at the University of Chester and discussed reasonable adjustments the university can put in place for you, which will be detailed in your Inclusion Plan. Reasonable adjustments may include non-specialist NMH support via a Disability Assistant. Any agreed non-specialist NMH support will be arranged for you by the NMH team in Disability Support.

The type of NMH support you could get will depend on your individual needs, but your NMH should have a good understanding of the support you need and be reliable and trustworthy. Your DSA Needs Assessor or DSO should explain the NMH roles they are recommending, and how these can assist you in your studies.

To get the most effective help possible from your NMH, you should let them know if you have any specific requirements; for example, if you have a Disability Assistant who provides you with typed-up lecture notes, you should let them know what font and text size is best for you. You should also give them a copy of your timetable and let them know as soon as you are aware of any class time or room changes.

The NMH team in Disability and Inclusion, or your named support provider, will contact you to inform that you have been matched to an NMH. Your NMH will be asked to make contact with you initially, to introduce themselves to you and make arrangements to set up your support sessions. If you do not respond to their initial attempts to contact you, they will advise the NMH team who will then contact you to check whether you do wish to access your agreed NMH support.

The NMH will be given your student email address and the contact telephone number we hold on record for you, and will be asked to contact you using both methods.

Additionally, you will be provided with your NMH’s university email address and a contact phone number. They may subsequently provide alternative contact details in addition to these, but we would encourage you to contact them on the details provided by Disability and Inclusion where possible.

You are under no obligation to access your recommended support. However, we would strongly advise that you do take up any support that is offered to you. Please advise the NMH team or your named NMH provider if you do not want to take up any element of your recommended support.

You should be aware that, if you do not take up the recommended support, any future requests for extensions, deferrals or appeal on the grounds of your disability/SpLD may be declined.

If you feel a different NMH role would be more appropriate for you particular needs, please discuss this with a DSO. They will work with you to explore whether there would be scope for requesting alternative NMH support, and request funding for this where justification can be demonstrated.

We recognise that there are sometimes reasons why you may wish to request a different NMH. If there is good reason for needing to be reallocated, please contact the NMH team or your NMH provider to discuss this further and they will work with you to find a more suitable NMH who can meet your support needs.

On the rare occasion where you might need to request a change to your named NMH provider (e.g. if they are no longer able to supply a particular NMH role), you must contact your Needs Assessor or funding body directly as Disability and Inclusion would be unable to do this on your behalf.

In most situations your funding is allocated in hours so there is scope for some flexibility around how often you meet. You will be able to discuss this with your NMH to find an arrangement that suits you both, but most students will meet a specialist NMH for an hour per week. It can be useful to have a regular day and time to meet with your NMH, which fits within your weekly study schedule and provides structure.

Non-specialist support may be less flexible as it will usually be dependent on your study timetable. Depending on the specific NMH role, non-specialist support is typically recommended for in-class support (i.e. during lectures/seminars/practical lab sessions/timetabled exams).

Your support sessions must be held in a publicly accessible space on campus, unless you have specific agreement for remote support (e.g. via Skype). Typically students will meet their support worker in the library or one of the catering outlets, but it is down to you to decide where you feel most comfortable and can work most productively. There are a few private rooms available within the campus libraries that students are able to book in advance, and your academic department may also be able to assist with room bookings for study support sessions.

Please note that NMHs are not able to book rooms on your behalf, but may be able to facilitate you doing this yourself.

Unless your NMH has been recommended to specifically do so by Disability and Inclusion, this would not be deemed appropriated. You would be expected to attend your lectures.

If you feel that, due to the nature of your disability, you may miss a number of lectures, please discuss this with Disability and Inclusion so we can work with you to find the most suitable support option for your circumstances.

This would need to be discussed and agreed with Disability and Inclusion before the trip is due to take place. If you become aware you may require NMH support on a field trip, please contact Disability and Inclusion to request an appointment with a DSO as soon as possible.

If you need to access your NMH support during holiday periods, please email the NMH team to advise of this. You do not normally need to request permission for this within the academic year, but it is useful for us to be aware.

If you need to access support over the summer, past the last day of the academic year (e.g. if you are working on deferred assignments; or are preparing for reassessment in the August examination period) then you must contact Disability and Inclusion to discuss this as you may need to request authorisation from your funding body – particularly if you are a final year student.

If you feel that you need additional or different NMH support, in the first instance you will need to contact your Needs Assessor to discuss your requirements.

If you require assistance with this, please contact Disability and Inclusion to discuss this with a DSO. If the DSO feels there is sufficient justification to request additional hours to what the Needs Assessor has already recommended, they can work with you to request additional support from your funding body. The DSO can also work with you to see if there is any alternative, more suitable support available to you.

Unless your NMH has been recommended to specifically do so (i.e. if they are a Specialist One-to-One Study Skills Support Tutor), it would not be appropriate to provide additional support that hasn’t been recommended. However, your NMH may be able to signpost you to where you can find study skills resources. If you feel you might need support with study skills, we would recommend you contact the Study Skills team within the Academic Skills (ASk), or look at the resources they have available on their pages.

Unless your NMH has been recommended to specifically do so, this support would not be appropriate. However, your NMH may be able to signpost you to where you can find study skills resources. If you feel you might need support with study skills, we would recommend you contact the Study Skills team within the Academic Skills (ASk), or look at the resources they have available on their pages.

• Visit Student Services Info Point in CBK 005 (Ground Floor, Binks building, Parkgate Road campus, Chester)
• Email studentservices@chester.ac.uk
• Telephone Student Services on 01244 511550

No, the University of Chester does not currently supply Specialist One to One Study Skills Support or Specialist Mentor Support via DSA. However, we do offer in-house interim support to those applying for or ineligible for DSA. Our students usually receive support through Barry Bennett, Clear Links or Randstad and their hourly rates and contact details can be found on their respective websites.