Disability Service

Information for Disability Co-ordinators

Referrals to the Disability Service.

We welcome enquires from students with dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties, chronic medical or mental health conditions, sensory impairments or access difficulties.

Who can use the Disability Service?
  • Any disabled Undergraduate or Postgraduate student (including those with specific learning difficulties like dyslexia);
  • University staff who have a disability or who have a query about a disabled student;
  • Any prospective disabled student and /or their parent(s) or next of kin if the student is a "vulnerable adult".

Read more about the Disability Service's support.

How does a disabled student get support?
  • By making an appointment for a face to face appointment with a Disability Adviser;
  • By providing the Disability Service with written professional evidence of their disability/or specific learning difficulty (e.g. GP letter or Educational Psychologist’s assessment). If a student has difficulties obtaining evidence this can be discussed in the interview;
  • A student can only register with the service if evidence of a disability can be provided.
A student disclosed a disability/condition at registration but has not been to the Disability Service.

Students are responsible for self refering to the Disability Service and attending an appointment with an adviser. When a student ticks the disability box on MyCampus registration, they are sent an invitation to attend for an interview with a Disability Adviser at the Disability Service. If the student ignores this invitation then we will assume that they do not wish to have any support on course and no support provisions will be made.

They will have no MyCampus disability entry and the Disability Co-ordinators in their departments will not know about them. No disabled student can get support at this University without referring themselves to the Disability Service, having a needs assessment interview with a Disability Adviser and signing an explicit Data Protection statement allowing information to be passed on to their academic departments via MyCampus Disability.

Students who do not come to our service should not expect ad hoc, piecemeal or reactive support to be arranged by individuals within the University. The ethos of good practice is that anticipatory, pro-active support arrangements are made which are evidence-based, fair to other non-disabled students and reasonable for the University staff to implement. The purpose of registration with our service is so that disclosure is formally acknowledged, support is agreed and co-ordinated and all relevant parties/stake-holders have been informed with the explicit consent of the student.

Deadlines for exam arrangements.

Read more about exam arrangements for disabled students.

Use of a PC in exams.

There is a computer cluster on Level 7 of the library for use during exam diets by disabled students. This is administered by John Buchanan in Computing Services, telephone: 0141 330 4823 John.Buchanan@glasgow.ac.uk in liaison with Registry, but invigilation remains the responsibility of the School.

Support for specific impairment enquiries.
  • Asperger’s/Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Visual Impairment/low vision
    Shona Robertson
    Tel: +44 (0) 141 330 2280
    Email: Shona.Robertson@glasgow.ac.uk
  • Deaf/Deafened/Hard of Hearing Students, Mobility Impairments, Physical Access difficulties
    Julie Summers
    Tel: +44 (0) 141 330 2270
    Email: Julie.Summers@glasgow.ac.uk
  • Dyslexia and other Specific Learning Difficulties
    Saima Bashir
    Tel: +44 (0) 141 330 2414
    Email: Saima.Bashir@glasgow.ac.uk

If a dyslexic student appears to need more assistance with proof reading their course work before submission, please refer them back to their Disability Adviser as they may require a review of needs. If a student feels that they have study difficulties which may be related to dyslexia, refer the student to the Disability Service to make an appointment for a computerised screening test. This test is free of charge (70% of referrals for dyslexia screening are found not to have dyslexia but have need for other support such as study skills).

Mental Health Difficulties.

All three advisers share this caseload, so refer enquirer to Disability Service.

Braille format.

Refer to Sylvia Morgan by phone: +44 (0)141 330 2260 or email: Sylvia.Morgan@glasgow.ac.uk

Disability Living Allowance (DLA).

This is a welfare benefit and should not be confused with DSA (see below). Refer all queries to the SRC Advice Centre, John McIntyre Building. SRC Tel: +44 (0) 141 339 8541, email: advice@src.gla.ac.uk

Disability Students' Allowance (DSA).

Refer all queries to Disability Service.

British sign language/loop systems enquiries.

Refer student/visitor to the Disability Service or directly contact Julie Summers, the Adviser for Deaf Students (+44 (0) 141 330 2270). Karen Ward, Secretary/Receptionist and Julie have BSL signing skills. More information about Loop Systems.

Library - Assistive technology room 529.

Refer student/enquirer to the Disability Service or to Denise Currie, the Disability Co-ordinator for the Library (+4 (0) 141 330 7241, email: Denise.Currie@glasgow.ac.uk.

Room 529 has Assistive software and technology which are not available throughout the rest of the University: Kurzweil, JAWS and CCTV for the use of blind and low vision students. The room is also a quiet environment for guide dogs. Therefore the room is prioritised for the use of such students and is NOT open to all who are registered with the Disability Service.

Site licences for assistive technology.

Mindgenius, Zoomtext and Texhelp Gold are all programs that are available on the C.S.C.E. for disabled/non disabled and dyslexic students to use. Texthelp Gold is the core package for people with dyslexic difficulties. Zoomtext is a screen enlargement program for people with low vision. Mindgenius is a concept mind mapping program useful for all students but is particularly useful as a mnemonic strategy for exam revision and for helping students plan out and structure essays.

Physical access.
Students/visitors with mobility difficulties.
Disabled parking.

If enquirer is a Blue Badge holder refer them directly to Gatehouse (Central Services). If NOT a Blue Badge holder, but claims to have a disability requiring a parking space on campus, please refer them to Disability Service.

Temporary Disability.

 Students with a temporary disability need to inform their School directly in case there is anything that will affect their academic work.

If exam arrangements are needed then these are done at School level – Clerk of Senate needs to be informed. http://www.gla.ac.uk/about/facts/whoswho/clerkofsenate/  Tel: +44 (0) 141 330 8744/3292

 You can contact the Registry - if you can prove that you need help with funding for taxis, then you can make a case to the committee for the University Crisis Loan. http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/registry/support/finance/funds/   Tel: +44 (0) 141 330 4245  reg.access@admin.gla.ac.uk

The Disability Service has a mobility scooter you could borrow for getting around campus. Contact Tel: +44 (0) 141 3302260  Sylvia.morgan@glasgow.ac.uk

 The SRC has an Accessible Bus Service . http://www.spt.co.uk/bus/dab.aspx

A dial-a-bus service for disabled students is available. Journeys must be arranged 48 hours in advance to ensure you can be accommodated.
To arrange call 0141 339 8541 or email enquiries@src.gla.ac.uk

Disclosure enquiries.
  • Within University - Refer to Disability Service or to the FOI/DP Office;
  • Job interviews/employment - Refer to Dr Archie Roy in the Careers Service, Tel: +44 (0) 141 330 8769, email: Archie.Roy@glasgow.ac.uk;
  • University accommodation - Refer to Karen Morton in Residential Services, Tel: +44 (0) 141 330 4067, email: Karen.Morton@glasgow.ac.uk;
  • Private landlords - Refer to SRC Advice Centre in the John McIntyre Building.
Glasgow International College & Disability Support.

Contact Head of Student Services Tel: + 44 (0) 141 330 8663.

Assisted Evacuation.

If the student is ambulant the School staff have a responsibility to ensure that all disabled students in their building are assisted when evacuating the building. If the student needs an evacuation chair to exit the building then Central Services should be summoned (Tel: +44 (0) 141 330 4444) and the student should be taken to the nearest refuge area to await assistance. This area is usually in the stairwell area. The tutor, lecturer or member of School staff should remain with the student until help has arrived. Central Services staff have received training in the use of the evacuation chair.

To contact Central Services in an emergency phone + 44 (0) 141 330 4444.

Cost for Scribes in exams.

SAAS no longer pay for scribes and readers for exams – it is now deemed an institutional responsibility so paid for by the Disability Service Budget. Invoice Disability Service with spreadsheet of names and costs after each exam diet. We can only pay for GTAs employed as scribes. Permanent staff (full or part time) cannot be paid for this task. Invigilation costs will still be borne by the School. GTAs are mostly registered at the Atypical Worker rate of £14.11 per hour (no extra preparation time added for scribing).

  • Schools can use their GTAs already registered as Atypical Workers with the Dept. Your departament will then process the scribes on your payroll for the hours scribed and you pay the scribes through your payroll. At the end of the exam session you send detailed costing to Disability Service for a refund.
  • The Disability Service can supply names of subject-relevant support workers registered as Atypical Workers with the Service. Schools will need to contact the scribes and set up scribing arrangement (as per Calendar regulations). At the end of the exam session send the details of the scribes and costings and Service pays scribe.
Retention issue.

If a disabled student has had a significant period of absence or sick leave because of their disability and has missed teaching on their course, please refer the student to their Disability Adviser who can arrange one to one subject support, if appropriate. This support is funded either by the student’s Disabled Students’ Allowance or by the Disability Service.

Disability Equality Scheme and Action Plan.

Refer to Mhairi Taylor Equality & Diversity Officer at the Equality and Diversity Unit: extension number 4714, email: Mhairi.Taylor@glasgow.ac.uk, website: www.gla.ac.uk/des.

The Equality Act replaced the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) from October 2010. Further information is available at: www.equalityhumanrights.com/.

Joining the Disability contacts in Moodle.

The Moodle site was one of the requests that came out of last year's DDC briefing session and also from the focus group arranged by EDU for the DES. The Disability Contacts have ownership www.services.moodle.gla.ac.uk/login/index.

  • Moodle name: Disability Service;
  • Enrolment key: Disability Service.

After you have enrolled you should be able to use your usual MIS user name and password. Instructions on how to use Moodle is available from: Learning & Teaching website.