Who do we support?

The UK's Equality Act (2010) defines disability as a "physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities."

The law says that, where a disabled person is placed at a substantial disadvantage in comparison to non-disabled people, bodies such as the University have a duty to make "reasonable adjustments" to try and help overcome that disadvantage. This duty applies to provisions and practices such as examinations and teaching materials, through to the accessibility of venues and buildings.

We see students with a range of difficulties including but not limited to:

• Autism spectrum condition (ASC) and other social communication difficulties
• Dyslexia, dyspraxia, AD[H]D and other specific learning differences
• Mental health conditions
• Mobility impairments including wheelchair users
• Sensory impairments, including visually impaired, D/deaf or hard of hearing
• Long-term medical conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes, HIV, chronic fatigue

We offer a wide range of services in order to help you make the most of your university experience. Many of the answers to your questions can be found here on our website and in our FAQs but if you have any queries, feel free to contact us.

When your child discloses their disability to the University, either through UCAS or directly, our service will begin contacting them about the next steps they need to take in order to get support in place.

Please note that your child declaring their disability on their application form will not mean support is automatically put in place for them, they will need to be registered with our service to receive support.

Our service will guide your child through the process of getting support in place, giving them all the information, support and advice, they need to make decisions moving forward.

If your child needs more information, they can contact us.

Part of the student experience at Kingston University involves developing independence as part of the transition into adulthood and the Disability and Mental Health Service aims to aid this development.

Managing new situations which are part of University life will help your child develop the skills they need to take on responsibility for themselves throughout their studies and working lives.

You can encourage your child to register with the Disability and Mental Health Service and where applicable, apply for the Disabled Students' Allowance and personal care support via their local authority as early as possible. The paperwork can be complex, and they may need some support with this.

Encourage your child to start thinking about the support they will need, taking into account what has happened at home, school and college in the past. While the support offered at University is different, this will help them be more confident in discussing their needs.

Prospective students

The Disability and Mental Health Service can respond to enquiries from prospective students and parents/guardians at any time during the admissions process. We can also respond to general enquiries about available support.

Current students

Once a student is enrolled at Kingston University, the Disability and Mental Health Service is not at liberty to disclose any information about that student, their disability or their progress to anyone outside the University. This includes parents and guardians.

Current students may give consent for the Disability and Mental Health Service to disclose information to a named person.

If you report a student concern to us, we will ensure that all appropriate steps are taken to support the person you are worried about. We can also give you advice about what you can do to support them.

However, in line with current data protection legislation, we will not be able to share any further information with you about the person, even if you are their parent or guardian, unless they give us written permission to do so.