Disability and mental health support

Your evidence must be one or more of the following:

• A full diagnostic report for Dyslexia or a Specific Learning Difference (SpLD) – written according to the SASC Working Party Guidelines.
• A letter from your GP or other qualified healthcare professional confirming your diagnosis, its impact, any treatment you are receiving and that your condition has or is expected to last for 12 months or longer.

If you don’t have a medical letter to confirm your disability, please ask your doctor to complete the Disabled Students' Allowance evidence form and return it to us.

Once you have supplied us with your medical documentation, we will allocate you to a Disability or Mental Health Advisor who will contact you to discuss your support further. This will normally be in the form of a meeting.

As part of this support meeting, you and your advisor will write a Summary of Support Needs Document (SoSN), which is a summary of your diagnosed condition(s) and their impact. It will:

• Be available on OSIS, our student record system once you are enrolled
• Include recommendations for reasonable adjustments tailored to your individual needs and course requirements
• Be shared with relevant members of your faculty, including your course team
• Cover you for the duration of your studies

Find out more about the types of support available.

You are in complete control of what information we share, and who we share it with. We won’t share anything unless, and until, you have indicated this on our Consent to Share Agreement and signed it. This will normally be completed in your initial appointment with a disability or mental health adviser.

In some circumstances, choosing not to share your disability may limit the adjustments we can make or the people we can speak to. Our teams will guide and advise you throughout this process.

When we might need to share your information

In rare circumstances we might need to share information to third parties without your express permission. If this happens, we’ll do everything we can to talk to you before taking action, and make sure we only share the most critical information.

This would only happen if:

• There was a serious or imminent risk to your own or others' safety.
• We were compelled to disclose the information by law.
• University staff were needed to help manage the situation.

Speaking with your next of kin / trusted contacts

The Disability and Mental Health Service recognises that in some cases, as a result of your disability, it can be beneficial for the help of a parent, guardian or next of kin to assist in your support. Under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), all students over the age of 18 are legally considered adults. You are therefore required to give written consent in order for personal information to be shared with others.

On our Consent to Share Agreement, there is a section where you can indicate the Next of Kin / Trusted Contact who you give permission for us, the Disability and Mental Health Service, to communicate with regarding your Disability and Mental Health Service coordinated support and associated matters.

You, as a student, will always be involved in all decisions and correspondence and we will seek your input with regards to all matters concerning your support. We encourage an independent learner approach where students are autonomous and self-advocating. Therefore, we ask that you maintain contact with us (either in writing, by phone/video call or in person) regarding your support and associated matters as far as possible.

Examples of information that we may share / discuss with named persons may include (but are not limited to):

• Details on internal adjustments / support which can be offered.
• Discussions around barriers to learning, previous support received and support required.
• Assistance with applying for and setting up DSA-funded support.

Please be aware that this consent does not authorise the Disability and Mental Health Service to provide regular updates to named persons on information such as general University communications and/or the progress of your studies e.g. attendance and results. You should regularly check your University Email Account and OSIS for updates of this nature in line with the Student Regulations.

If you give consent for the Disability and Mental Health Service to communicate with a named person of your choice, this will not apply to other University teams and departments. Should you wish for a next of kin or trusted contact to be included in communications with other teams at the University, you will need to provide written consent to that department directly.

Further information for trusted contacts can be found on our Information for Parents, Carers and Supporters web page.

If you’re based in the UK and need daily personal care or assistance to live independently, please contact the social services team in your local authority to discuss the options available. Unfortunately, Kingston University are unable to provide personal care support for any students.

It can take up to 12 months to organise a support package, so the earlier you get in touch, the better.

Not based in the UK? Make sure you secure funding for your care before your studies start.

Read more about personal care at Kingston University.

During the Clearing process, we will prioritise students who would be substantially disadvantaged by not living in halls. This could be because of physical access needs, sensory impairments or serious mental health difficulties.

Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee a place, as spaces are limited.

If you have a disability-related reason for needing to stay in halls of residence after the first year of study, you can apply to stay in halls of residence for the next academic year.

You will need to:

• Be registered with the Disability and Mental Health Service
• Complete an expression of interest form for each year you wish to remain in halls of residence
• Submit supporting evidence of your need to remain in halls of residence.

Please note that completing this process or having a disability does not guarantee a place in halls of residence each academic year. Each student's situation will be considered on a case-by-case basis and an outcome will be given shortly after the closing date for each year. Priority will be given for students who are unable to live in independent accommodation because of a disability e.g. where building adaptations are required.

Please contact us at [email protected] for more information about accommodation for disabled students.

Kingston University has four main campuses:

• Penrhyn Road
• Knights Park
• Kingston Hill
• Roehampton Vale

Check out AccessAble to get an overview of University access across all our sites.

All four campuses have Library and learning service centres, which can:

• assist with physical access to books
• locate and access study resources (including support from your academic librarian)
• arrange for materials to be transferred from other sites
• arrange inter-library loans
• arrange for materials to be available in alternative formats such as e-books and audio books
• provide access to PCs, laptop loans and independent study areas
• give you access to printing and photocopying facilities
• provide free WiFi access
• allow you to access a wide range of e-resources.

Our free University bus service runs between the campuses, Kingston town centre and most halls of residence from Monday to Friday. You can get a timetable from any of our main receptions.

Kingston town centre is mainly pedestrianised. The two closest stations are Kingston and Surbiton, and there are plenty of local bus routes.

Due to our location, parking at Kingston University is extremely limited and is not standardly available to students.

If you have a Government Blue Badge and require a parking space then please contact us at [email protected] for information on applying for a Blue Badge Parking Permit. This will allow you to park in any of our accessible bays on a first-come, first-served basis. Unfortunately, we are unable to guarantee or reserve any parking spaces. Parking may also be available near to the University with a Blue Badge.

If you do not have a Blue Badge but require parking due to your disability, please contact us at [email protected] so that we can identify the best way to support you with getting to and from university. If parking is not available, other options may include:

• applying for the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) for travel support
• parking nearby or at another campus and using our free and accessible inter-campus bus to get to where you study.

Should parking be available for you then this will be on a first-come, first-served basis, as we are unable to reserve bays.

During a fire alarm, if you find it difficult to evacuate University buildings without assistance, you may benefit from having a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP). If you think you would benefit from a PEEP then please let us know at [email protected] as soon as possible.

You should also contact the Disability and Mental Health Service for information on support and guidance available should you have a health condition (e.g. epilepsy) which may impact you when on-site.

Do not worry. The University actively wants to support all disabled students. We would suggest that you tell us what support you need so that we can look to make the adjustments that you require as soon as possible. This will not be used to discriminate against you.

The Disability and Mental Health Service can assist with funding dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia assessments for eligible current students. Contact us at [email protected] once you enrol to arrange a free screening to start the process.

We can’t support students in getting a diagnosis of AD[H]D. If this is something that you would like to pursue then we recommend that you contact your GP in the first instance.

We don’t provide screenings or diagnostic assessments for autism spectrum conditions. If you’re concerned, we recommend speaking to your GP about an onward medical referral.

Support from the Disability and Mental Health Service tends to take the following two forms.

• The Summary of Support Needs (SoSN) is a support plan written by the University and circulated to the course team. The SoSN covers adjustments such as extra time for exams, coursework extensions and class adjustments like having notes in advance.
• Disabled Student Allowance (DSA) is externally-funded support. The DSA is managed by a students funding body, usually SFE. It funds / provides support such as non-medical helpers (e.g. mentors and study skills tutors) and specialist equipment.

When coming to university, an EHCP does not carry across. This is replaced by the SoSN and DSA (see above). As such, support may be different. The Disability and Mental Health Service will discuss the support needed and agree what can be offered, taking into account the programme of study, higher education and the student's disability.

We are unable to guarantee accommodation to any students. However, priority is given to first year students and continuing students who would be unable to live in the private sector due to a disability e.g. requiring an adapted provision. We have a number of adapted rooms and can also make other adjustments as needed, such as fridge access or ground floor bookings. When applying for a place in halls of residence, it is important to complete the Additional Needs Form to indicate the support required.

The most important thing to do is to declare your disability on your UCAS application.

From April each year, the Disability and Mental Health Service will contact all Firm Offer Holders to invite them to register with the service. This involves sending some medical documentation to the Disability and Mental Health Service, completing a Consent to Share Agreement and meeting with a disability and mental health adviser in order to agree support.

Applicants can also contact the Disability and Mental Health Service by emailing [email protected]

Medical Evidence should be one or more of the following:

• A full diagnostic report for dyslexia or a specific learning difference (we are unable to accept JCQ Form 8).
• A letter from the GP or medical practitioner confirming a diagnosis and its impact.
• A completed DSA Medical Evidence Form.

Can I study from home? Unfortunately, not. The Disability and Mental Health Service cannot recommend remote study as a reasonable adjustment. As such, students are expected to be on site for all timetabled sessions where their course is run face-to-face.

Once you are fully enrolled, please contact the Disability and Mental Health Service. We can then arrange a dyslexia screening for you. From this, depending on the results, we may be able to put you forward for a full diagnostic assessment which can be used for accessing support. This can take several weeks so it is important to contact us as soon as possible.

Alongside the Disability and Mental Health Service, students can also access support from:

• careers
• personal tutors
• counselling and wellbeing
• sport and active lifestyle
• KU Cares
• students union
• Autism Peer Network
• HeadStart
• money advisers
• accommodation
• engagement.

Kingston University is unable to fund or provide personal care for students including help with feeding, mobility, toileting or personal chores. Applicants should contact their local authority before starting their studies to discuss funding and provision of this support. Relevant support workers will then be permitted to come onto campus.