Support we provide

We can offer a range of support based on your individual needs and how your disability, learning difference, neurodiverse or health condition affects your studies.

All of the support we can provide relates to students' academic work and we are therefore unable to provide personal or social care support.

Personal/social care refers to any practical help or assistance you require for daily life, regardless of student status – in other words, non-study related activities or tasks such as:

getting up, going to bed, or adjusting position overnight (and during the day)
washing/bathing and getting dressed
help with eating or medication
using the toilet
domestic activities – cleaning your living area, shopping, preparing meals.

Further information on personal or social care in Scotland can be found on the Scottish Government website.

The learning support we offer can be delivered in a variety of ways:

Schedule of Adjustments (SoA)

A list of modifications to how you experience your teaching, learning and research.

Adjustments may be implemented in relation to most areas of academic work.

Learning and Teaching: such as the need for tasks to be broken down into smaller chunks
Physical environment: such as the need for all teaching/assessment/examination rooms to be ground floor or lift accessible, or the need for a student to sit in a particular location in classes
Assessments and class tests: such as the facility to request late submission for some assessments or receive feedback on assignments in a particular format
Examinations: such as extra time, use of a computer or the facility to eat and drink in exams
Library: such as extra time when borrowing short loan/reserve materials or assistance in locating texts
Essential information: such as when a student needs a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) or if a student is accompanied by a support assistant or British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreter.

Once agreed and compiled students' SoAs are circulated to relevant staff in the Library, the Exams Team and Schools, as necessary. The reason for the adjustments is generally not shared unless it is vital for the implementation of effective support. SoAs can adapt and change as students progress through their studies or as their support needs change.

1:1 Specialist Support

Where it is needed, we can engage professional staff to work with you on a 1:1 basis delivering specialised types of support such as Manual or Electronic Notetaking, Specific Learning Differences Tuition, Specialist Mentors for Mental Health or Autism. All of our staff are professionally trained and qualified and are registered with the relevant professional bodies. You can find more information about the support provided by Mental Health and Autism Specialist Mentors here.

Please note: a funding application will need to be made to receive this support. Disabled Student Funding Information.

Specialist Proofreading

We provide specialist proofreading support in some circumstances for students with significant difficulties.

Please note: this service is NOT a standard proofreading service for those who need help with academic writing and is also not available to students who need proofreading support solely because English is not their first language.

Those students may find the resources on the following pages to be of help:

In addition, there are software applications that are widely available and have versions that are free to download, such as Grammarly, LanguageTool and Ginger that can provide a degree of practical proofreading support.

Provision of Assistive Technology

We can ensure that you have access to the assistive equipment, software and technology that you need in order to be able to study effectively. This may include ergonomic equipment, assistive applications or equipment such as digital voice recorders.

Postgraduate Research Support

For information about the support available to postgraduate research (PGR) students click here.

This article was published on 18 Jan, 2024