Education for Health Disability Guide
1. This Guide
This guide is for any learner who has a medical condition, disability,
impairment or specific learning difficulty that may affect their ability
to study or take the assessment. We can provide a copy of it in another
format if you need this.
For further details please Email Disability or tel: +44 (0)1926 836831.
2. Education for Health Policy
We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications for admission from all suitably qualified people. We adopt a flexible, supportive approach and believe in working with students on an individual basis to identify potential obstacles to their study and assessment. We will try to provide them with the necessary support and facilities to overcome these obstacles.
We aim to comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, Part IV, Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001.
3. Learning with Education for Health
We specialise in providing education in respiratory care for health professionals. Most of our educational provision is by distance learning. Larger modules include some face-to-face teaching at study days. Our shortest modules do not have study days.
If you become a student on one of our 6-month degree or diploma level modules, typically you can expect to work from home in your own time for about 10-15 hours per week and to attend 2-3 study days led by an Education for Health trainer. You will also attend for assessment. Attendance may be at our headquarters in Warwick or at a venue more local to you.
4. How we can help
Every student’s needs are different and we will therefore support you on an individual basis appropriate to your own personal situation.
Advice
We can offer you advice on:
- your choice of module(s) or courses
- study and assessment arrangements
- tutorial support
- dyslexia assessment
Services
We may also be able to provide learning materials in alternative formats, tape recording facilities for teaching sessions, copies of overhead projector slides, additional tutorial support or adapted assessment arrangements. For example: Student X was provided with the services of a scribe (writer) during examinations as she had a medical condition which affected her ability to write.
Students who can produce a recognised Dyslexia Assessment Report will normally be allowed additional time in written examinations. If your assessment was conducted some time ago you may need to obtain an updated report.
The physical environment
We are working towards making our buildings more accessible but wheelchair users and students with mobility impairment should be aware that not all the buildings we use, for example in outlying satellite locations, are fully accessible. If this is likely to affect you, you are strongly advised to contact us at the earliest possible opportunity to discuss your needs.
Further information
National bureau for students with disabilities www.skill.org.uk
Dyslexia in general: the British Dyslexia Association www.bda-dyslexia.org.uk
Dyslexia assessment: the Dyslexia Institute www.dyslexia-inst.org.uk
5. How and when to get help and advice
Please get in touch with us as soon as possible to discuss your needs - preferably before you register for a module, course or programme. This will mean that you will be fully aware of what can be provided and we will also have more time to make any necessary arrangements. Please note that some services take time to arrange and if you do not give us sufficient notice this may result in a delay to the start of your course or postponement of assessment.
Any information you provide will only be used to help us assist you in your studies. It will not be made available to any other organisation without your prior consent.
To discuss your needs Email Disability or tel: +44 (0)1926 836831.
6. Financial help
You may be eligible for a Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). This is a public grant available to meet certain additional costs of higher education study arising from disability, a medical condition or a specific learning difficulty. A DSA may help pay for computer facilities or the services of a note taker, for example. It will also cover the cost of a needs assessment, which will work out exactly what you need to help you with your studies. For further information and to apply you need to contact your Local Education Authority.
Please note that grant applications may take several weeks to process so you will need to allow sufficient time for this before applying for a course or incurring expenditure.
As a distance learning student you will only be eligible for a grant if you are registered on a course that lasts for more than one year and does not take more than twice as long to complete as an equivalent full-time course.
The Department for Education and Skills publishes a guide to DSAs in higher education called ‘Bridging the Gap’. For a copy telephone: 0800 731 9133 quoting reference S/BTGB/V3.
There may also be certain NHS bursaries available for eligible students on degree level health-related courses. For further details see www.doh.gov.uk/hcsmain.htm
