Help for students
How to get training and advice, exam adjustments, free assistive technology and laptop 'death certificates'.
Training and advice
Training and advice is available upon request for students needing help with assistive technology, or having trouble accessing University IT resources.
This includes, but is not restricted to:
- Learning to use the specialist software and hardware on the accessible PCs.
- Using assistive software to access central University computing resources, including MyEd, EASE, email, Library website, wikis, and eJournals.
- Configuring the accessibility features of your own computer.
Please direct all training requests to Information Services (IS) helpdesk.
Exam adjustments
Information Services can implement specialist IT adjustments that have been requested for disabled students’ exams by the Student Disability Service. This service is only available for centrally-bookable exams.
Once we receive an adjustments schedule from the Registry, we:
- organise the necessary equipment
- meet with the student to test the setup
- remain on-call throughout the exams so as to quickly resolve any problems that arise
Please note that we are only responsible for the implementation of IT adjustments for exams.
Students requesting a new adjustment, or who want to change existing arrangements, should contact their advisor at the Student Disability Service in the first instance.
- Student Disability Service
- The University of Edinburgh
- Third Floor
- The Main Library Building
- George Square
- Edinburgh
- EH8 9LJ
- Telephone: 0131 650 6828
Your computer
Students looking to purchase assistive hardware or software for use on their own computer should contact the Student Disability Service and speak with an Advisor.
They can offer you support in obtaining Disabled Student allowance which can assist in the cost of purchasing assistive technology.
If you are looking for free sources of assistive technology, or further advice, then the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) TechDis website has a wealth of information and free downloads.
Laptop 'death certificates'
The Student Disability Service occasionally asks us to produce a 'death certificate' for a student laptop.
This is done when laptops exhibit a serious hardware fault that renders them unusable outside of the warranty period, and where the cost or age of the laptop makes it unreasonable to undertake repair.
The certificate is passed to the student’s Advisor, and is normally used to support a funding application. Please contact the Student Disability Service for further information.
Request an alternative format
To request this document in an alternative format, such as large print or on coloured paper, please contact Viki Galt, the Disability Information Officer.
- Viki Galt
- Disability Information Officer
- Information Services
- 24 Buccleuch Place
- Edinburgh
- EH8 9LN
- Work: 0131 650 6645
- Email:
- viki.galt@ed.ac.uk
This article was published on Aug 30, 2012