Support for study

Students with a range of disabilities may require one or more of the following types of support during their course:

• Specialist study skills tuition for students with specific learning difficulties (SpLDs), including dyslexia and dyspraxia.  Watch a short film about how this support has been used by Oxford students:  'Dyslexia Unbound'.
• Specialist mentoring for students with mental health difficulties and chronic health conditions (including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/M.E.).  More information is available in our Guide to Specialist Mentoring Support.
• Specialist mentoring and 'buddy' support for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders/Asperger Syndrome.
• Note takers to assist students who find it difficult to concentrate on what is being said during lectures and take notes at the same time.
• General support workers for assistance with carrying study materials between sites, accessing library resources, etc.
• Orientation support on arrival for new students with visual impairments or who have difficulty route-finding.
• Assistive software training.
• An examination scribe (or 'amanuensis').

These support arrangements are sometimes referred to as 'non-medical help' (NMH) and do not extend to cover personal care needs.  However, the Disability Advisory Service can offer advice on accessing personal care support (usually via Social Services) whilst you are at University.

NMH support is usually funded by the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) and is arranged by the Disability Advisory Service.  However, there is funding available for non-UK students who do not qualify for the DSA.

Lectures usually last one hour and are held in lecture theatres centrally within the University, either at the Examination Schools or in a Departmental building.  During this hour you will be expected to take notes that you can refer back to when revising for examinations.  Students are usually required to attend several lectures each week.

Classes usually last one hour and may be held within your Department or a College (not necessarily your own) and involve working in a group with a tutor.

Tutorials also usually last one hour and are mostly held in your College, but sometimes in other Colleges, and normally only involve your tutor and one or two other students.  You will have been asked to prepare an essay or a problem sheet in advance for discussion during the tutorial.  You would normally be expected to attend at least one tutorial a week.

The support that can be provided for lectures, classes and tutorials will depend on your individual needs and the style of the particular session.  For example:

• A hearing impaired student may wish to have a note taker, access to the Hearing Loop/ Infrared system, for the lecturer to use a micro link to their radio aid, or for a speech-to-text/lip speaker/sign language interpreter.
• A visually impaired student may require handouts in alternative formats (e.g. Braille, electronic, audio, large print).  They may also wish to use specialist magnifying equipment and/or to have a note taker. 
• Students with a range of disabilities may require reading lists to be provided in advance or in an alternative format, and may need advance notice of changes to study venues via email or phone.
• Students with specific learning difficulties or visual impairments may be given permission to record lectures, provided they agree to comply with the procedures outlined in the ‘Pro-forma for Recording of Lectures’ (available from the right-hand column of this page).  
• You will use a variety of buildings in different areas of the University which vary in age and size, and which may require physical adjustments to facilitate access for students with mobility difficulties (see section below on physical access).

You should discuss any course-related support requirements with the Disability Advisory Service who will be able to advise relevant College and Departmental staff (with your permission) as necessary. 

Fieldwork and placements are required for many fields of study, including Medicine and Modern Languages.  In Archaeology you might participate in an excavation or as part of a field-survey team, but museum-based work and participation in primatological or social anthropological fieldwork is also possible.  

Fieldwork and placements can last several days or weeks, and are undertaken in a variety of locations within Oxford, locally, nationally or internationally.  

You should discuss any support you will need to attend and participate in fieldwork and placements with the Disability Advisory Service in the first instance.

You will be provided with course reading lists which consist of recommended books, parts of books, journal articles, government papers and other resources.  You will usually find that copies of most of the books and resources on your reading lists are available from the libraries within the University.

Although you may be used to being given prioritised reading lists (e.g. ten key texts from fifty), these may not be provided automatically at Oxford as you are expected to study much more independently than at school or college.  You may also have weekly reading lists for tutorials as well as additional wider reading for particular examination papers.

The Disability Advisory Service can help liaise with your College and Department to request the provision of reading lists in advance or in an alternative format (e.g. Braille, large print or audio) where required.

You will have access to many libraries whilst studying at the University.  Some will be lending libraries where you can take books out, while others will be reference-only where you are only able to read books in the library.  Lending requests from some collections will involve moving books to libraries from nearby bookstacks.  Each lending library has a specific loan period and a corresponding fine structure for late returns.  You can look up books, check their location, request and reserve them through SOLO (Search Oxford Libraries Online) which is available online and within libraries.

When appropriate and with your consent, the Disability Advisory Service will notify the University's Disability Librarian (based within the Accessible Resources Acquisition and Creation Unit (ARACU)) of any assistance that is required in the relevant University libraries.  For example:

• Extended loans;
• Materials to be diverted to a different location;
• Permission for a support worker to attend the library with you or transport books to/from College, etc;
• Permission to bring food / drink or medication into areas where this is normally restricted;
• Access to printing/scanning facilities and/or assisstive software to allow access to printed materials;
• Specialist lighting.