Disability & Additional Learning Support (ALS)

BU will make reasonable adjustments to learning and assessment so that students with additional learning needs are not significantly disadvantaged compared with other students.

All reasonable adjustments depend on each student's circumstances within the course being taken, so it is important to contact the ALS office as soon as possible so that appropriate adjustments can be discussed and agreed with your faculty. 

Samples of the reasonable adjustments it may be possible to make at BU include: 

• Session materials 48 hours in advance to deconstruct and process before each lecture 
• Use of a digital recorder to record lectures and seminars 
• Mentors to assist with and personal study, if DSA (Disabled Students' Allowance) funded  
• Wheelchair access
• Printed materials in large font and/or coloured paper 
• Specialist software  
• Exam questions in accessible formats 
• Extra time and/or rest breaks in exams and timed assessments 
• Flagging of scripts to denote the use of Marking Guidelines 
• Non-subject specific study skills support, if DSA (Disabled Students' Allowance) funded.

Parents and other third parties sometimes make contact with our service to discuss matters on behalf of a student who is studying at Bournemouth University.

However, due to the confidential nature of our service and our legal obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) we are only permitted to communicate directly with the student, unless we have received explicit written consent from the student to communicate with a parent or named person. This written consent must come from the student’s BU email address to [email protected].

Without written consent, we cannot disclose any information about a student to a third party, including a parent, unless there are immediate Health, Safety and Welfare concerns for the student.

Please read our guidance related to assistant dogs on the BU campus.

If you require support, please complete the assistance dog support - application form. 

Watch our video about wheelchair accessibility around the BU campus.

To ensure that our campuses are fully accessible we work with:

Student Finance England have produced a series of British Sign Language explained films for students who are thinking about going to university or college. Including how and when you need apply, who is eligible for student finance, what evidence you need to submit and what extra help is available.

If you are thinking about starting a postgraduate Master’s course then the postgraduate loans’ films will give you further information. Visit the SFE YouTube channel to find out more. 

The Thomas Pocklington Trust has online resources for blind and partially sighted students. They facilitate and enable students to network and provide peer support on anything related to further or higher education. Find out more on the TPT website and check the following pages:

• Resources for university students
• Audio resources for students
• TPT student support service Facebook group

Apprentices with disabilities are able to access Additional Learning Support at Bournemouth. Bournemouth can provide support including:

• Support to explore a diagnostic assessment for an SpLD including dyslexia.
• Learning support, which could include Specialist Study Skills, Specialist Mentoring and Assistive Technology Training.
• Providing information to your department and placement provider regarding your support needs and reasonable adjustments.

To arrange your support please contact ALS by email [email protected] or call 01202 965663.

Contact the Additional Learning Support office and speak with an ALS Student Coordinator as soon as possible. The adviser will offer information, advice and guidance on what to do next. 

To get in touch, email [email protected] or call ​01202 965663.

The assessment is a two-hour meeting with an Educational Psychologist who will take you through a number of cognitive timed tests on reading, writing, spelling, memory, puzzles and visual images.

The purpose of these tests is to get a clear indication of whether or not you have a specific learning difference and what form it takes.

The outcome will determine areas of strengths and weaknesses in your cognitive profile that may be affecting your learning.

Disability Students' Allowances (DSA) are non-means-tested grants provided by the UK government on top of your other student finance. They are ony available to UK students and you don't have to repay them. You may be eligible for funding if you fulfil the criteria. A disability for funding purposes is defined as a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, which includes studying and attending lectures.

The amount you receive will depend on your individual needs and is determined by a DSA Needs Assessor in the form of support hours and resources. The amount you are awarded does not come directly to you, it goes directly to the provider of your support, which could be for one to one specialist support, equipment or software. You can then arrange the set up of your support with those providers.

No, you will have to reapply for DSA as a Master's is considered to be a new course.

You will be in a different room from the main exam hall but with other students who require extra time or other adjustments.

If you have been allocated a room alone, you will be in a different room.

The rooms will usually be on Talbot Campus in the main exam periods and you'll receive an email for each exam stating which room to go to.

Adjustments usually apply to all assessments, but there will be concessions. During in-class tests your faculty will normally provide the room and invigilator but if a reader/scribe is requested, ALS will provide them.

ALS Marking Guidelines can be applied to online assessments by stating it in the header and footer.

You must also state ‘ALS Marking Guidelines’ in the comments box when you submit your assignment, this is for word documents and all non-word-based documents so that the marker knows you have this adjustment. 

Marking Guidelines do not apply for group work. However, it may be appropriate to attach Marking Guidelines to any work completed only by yourself within the group work.

There is no legal obligation to disclose a disability, but it is always best to follow a policy of transparency with your practice/placement mentor or employer.

Under Health & Safety legislation, you are obliged to disclose a disability if you are working with children, vulnerable adults, chemicals, dangerous equipment or where there are other health and safety implications. 

No, we don't. Sometimes the DSA will pay for these services if your disability warrants it, but you'll need to source a proof-reading service. 

Check that the laptop is under warranty and contact the company who supplied it. If it is out of warranty, you should contact the Assessment Centre, where you had your needs assessment, for an update. 

If you have a medical condition, sensory impairment, disability or mental health difficulty we will need a letter from your GP or Consultant explaining how your condition affects you in your studies. 

If you have a Specific Learning Difference (SpLD) you will need to provide an Educational Psychology Assessment Report. Please speak to the ALS Team for more information.

Email [email protected] or call 01202 965663.