Our team of disability advisors are here to support you throughout your studies and will be able to offer appointments with students over the phone, via Zoom, or face-to-face.
Meetings and appointments can be daunting – but please do not be nervous! Our wonderful team are here to listen, advise and support students to the best of their ability.
How do I book an appointment?
In order to book an appointment with one of our team, you will need to fill out the Access Academic Support for Your Disability form which can be found by clicking the link below:
Once you have filled this out, a member of the Student Wellbeing team will be in contact with you to book an appointment with an adviser.
If you have any evidence of your difficulties from school or college, or your GP please either upload that when you complete the self referral form OR bring it along to your appointment, or you can email it to StudentWellbeing@herts.ac.uk
During your appointment:
- Your appointment will be booked for 1 hour. It might be in person (face to face), on the phone, or online (Teams or Zoom)
- Your adviser will discuss whether your disability may impact your studies e.g., during enrolment, lectures, seminars, placements, field trips, exams and assessments and tell you about the support / adjustments that we can offer. They can then complete with you a Study Needs Agreement (an agreement about the support / adjustments you will receive).
- Your adviser will agree with you whether information about your disability is shared with other members of staff and if so, exactly what they are told. Note – if you don’t give permission for information to be shared, your lecturers and other staff will not be told about your disability.
- Your adviser might refer you for support such as Specialist Study Skills sessions, mentors, support workers and
- Your adviser might discuss whether you require a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan, and if needed will develop that with you.
- Your adviser can explain how to apply for appropriate financial support e.g., the Disabled Students’ Allowance or the UH Disability Fund.
- Your adviser can also signpost you to other services with Student Wellbeing or the wider University.
You can email the disability team at any time, so if you feel like you forgot to mention something in your appointment, have a query or question, or need some advice about your studies – please do not hesitate to contact us: Studentwellbeing@herts.ac.uk
How do I make the most of my mentor or tutor sessions?
Prepare for them; make sure that you take along assignment briefs or academic work that you are struggling with. Your work will not be proofread or corrected for you; however, you will be taught skills which will improve your ability to complete work independently.
How long will these sessions be?
The sessions usually last for 1 hour, however you will agree a time and place which suits you best with your tutor.
What happens after my appointment
During or after your appointment, your adviser might book you another appointment to discuss other matters, or book a short follow up appointment to check how you are doing.
You might see your adviser once or twice or regularly throughout your studies.
If you don't have an appointment booked with your adviser, but you want to speak to them, you can contact them directly or email StudentWellbeing@herts.ac.uk who can forward your query or book you an appointment.
If your needs change then you can get in touch at any time to discuss.