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The University of Southampton welcomes students with a wide range of disabilities and specific learning difficulties. We have a range of services and facilities to support your needs and can sign-post you to external agencies where appropriate. This section provides a brief outline of those services and of our policies, processes and procedures. More detailed current information is available from Enabling Services or Dyslexia Services. Alternatively, you may go to www.soton.ac.uk/studentsupport for a detailed overview of the services and support available.
The main aim of our support services is to provide you with the information you need in order to obtain your own equipment and human support tailored to your individual needs. This will depend to some extent on the specific course you have chosen. We will try to facilitate your arrangements as far as possible and we will be honest with you where any difficulties arise.
We are seeking to improve access to courses and to our facilities. If you have any constructive comments they will be most welcome. We aim to involve students thoroughly both in planning for their individual support needs and in planning for improvements to the University. Hence student representatives are invited to join the University committees. We are also working with other Institutions to develop agreed standards, policies, procedures and services for students with disabilities.
What does the University mean by "disability"?
The definition of "disability" includes those people who have any of the following:
- physical disability;
- sensory impairment;
- mental health difficulties;
- health conditions(e.g. asthma, epilepsy, diabetes, chronic fatique syndrome, arthritis);
- medical conditions which may cause pain or other symptoms which affect your studies;
- specific learning difficulties (e.g. dyslexia, dyspraxia);
- autistic spectrum disorders such as Aspergers Syndrome;
- any other condition which has a significant effect on your ability to study.
Our support services aim to treat every person as an individual and each person's needs are considered individually.
Will I be discriminated against because of my disability?
The University's Equal Opportunity policy, which has been in place since 1988, states that no person will be discriminated against on any grounds which are not relevant to their academic ability. This includes disability. The University is therefore committed to a programme of action to make the policy fully effective.
One exception to this general rule is that a few professions (e.g. medicine and other health related professions such as Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy or Nursing and Social Work) have national 'fitness to practice' guidelines concerning applications from students with disabilities. For example, the General Medical Council guidelines require that all medical practitioners must be able to perform "the Duties of a Doctor". Please contact the Admissions Tutor of the course which interests you or Enabling Services/Dyslexia Services for further information about these guidelines.
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