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Bradford College

Disability Services

About the Service

The service assists students with a learning difficulty, disability, medical condition or other learning need to realise their full academic and personal potential whilst studying at Bradford College.

Our staff have a great deal of knowledge and experience in working with disabled students studying on Further Education (FE) or Higher Education (HE) courses and will offer advice and support to any student who makes a referral to the service or wishes to know more about the support available.

Contact Us

01274 08 8344
[email protected]

Students with an Education Health and Care Plan

If you have an Education Health and Care (EHC) Plan, we will work with you to put together a bespoke support plan that will support you in your college journey. This may include strategies for your tutors, exam access arrangements and a range of other support strategies in and out of class, as outlined on your EHC Plan.

Students without an EHCP Plan but with Support Needs

If you don’t have an EHC Plan, but have a learning difficulty, disability, medical condition or other learning need you can make a referral to the service.

Our team of staff will assess students’ needs using the student’s own experience of study, any supporting specialist evidence and their knowledge of the demands of the course of study the student is undertaking.

Based on this assessment they will recommend strategies to use and commission further support from the Disability Services team if required. Our service comprises of a range of experienced staff, support services and resources in order to support the students registered, examples of these are covered in the support we provide section.

About Us

FAQs

The Disability Service provides advice and support for students with a learning difficulty, disability, medical condition or other learning need.

Each person’s disability can affect them in different ways so the support we offer is bespoke to each individual student and will depend on the initial discussion / assessment, any supporting information you may have.

To access support, you will need to make a referral using our online referral form. You may also visit us in person at Trinity Green or The David Hockney Building where a member of staff will be able to help you complete a referral in-person. 

Once your referral is submitted, this will be triaged and passed to the relevant staff member.

The member of staff will schedule an initial appointment to discuss and assess your support needs.

Based on this assessment the member of staff will recommend strategies to use and commission further support from the Disability Services team if required. This will include a learning support agreement which will be shared with you, your course teams and Disability Services staff.

For Higher Education Students, the department provides NMH (Non-Medical Helper) support for certain support roles as itemised in your needs assessment report. We will also make the necessary reasonable adjustments to meet your needs during your period of study as a Higher Education (HE) student.

There will be opportunities to attend open days for the curriculum area you wish to study on.

During these events the Disability team will be present to offer advice on the support that may be available.

If you have an EHCP (Education Health and Care Plan) it is helpful to know in advance if you are planning on attending Bradford College. We will work with you to put together a bespoke support plan that will support you in your college journey including relevant transition. This may include strategies for your tutors, exam access arrangements and a range of other support strategies in and out of class, as outlined on your EHC Plan.

We would encourage you to disclose your disability, which may affect your study and time at college, so we can advise on any adjustments that may be required. We have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments.

As a higher education student living in England, you can apply for Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) if you have a disability, such as a:

  • long-term health condition
  • mental health condition
  • specific learning difficulty, e.g. dyslexia

The DSA is a non-means tested allowance for disabled students who are already studying or about to study a higher education course. It covers additional study–related costs that you will incur because of your disability. It doesn’t provide you with money; it pays for the support you need, such as specialist equipment or dyslexia support.

You should apply for the Disabled Students Allowance as soon as possible. You do not have to wait until you have a confirmed place. The team can help you apply for DSA once you are an active student at college.

For further information regarding the DSA, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowance-dsa

If you have a Blue Badge, you can contact the team to arrange a parking permit on-site. If you do not have a blue badge but consider yourself to have a medical need that warrants on-site parking you can contact the team to discuss a parking permit based on medical information.

We would recommend that you contact us  to discuss your disability to ensure you are aware of the range of support available to you. You can also refer yourself at any point during your time at college.

Ask a Question

This is for service related queries only, if you are a current student who wishes to refer please visit the ‘Referring to the service’ section of website.

The Support we provide

Your support package will depend on your individual needs but can include:

Exam Arrangements (e.g., extra time, reader, scribe etc)
Classroom based support (e.g., Learning Support Assistant)
Mentoring
Note Taking
Assistive Technology (loan of specific hardware, software and training)
British Sign Language Interpreter or Communication Support Worker
An assigned Access and Inclusion Advisor, Specialist Assessor or Lead Practitioner
Support as outlined in an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) including transition support
Adapted materials in a format such as large print, braille or tactile

Referring to the service

If you are a registered student

Please use this link to make a referral https://forms.bradfordcollege.ac.uk/send – you will need to login with your student number and IT password to complete. You may also contact us on 01274 08 8344 or via email [email protected] should you have any difficulties or if you have queries around referring if you have not yet applied for a college course.

If you have disclosed detailed of your Disability during your course application, you will receive information on how to refer yourself to the service and will be contacted by the team in order to process the referral should you wish to do so.

After the referral has been submitted

The following stages will occur:

  1. Your referral will be triaged and passed to the relevant member of staff
  1. The member of staff will schedule an initial appointment to discuss and assess your support needs.
  1. A learning support agreement will then be completed and shared with you, your course teams and Disability Services staff.

    Based on this assessment the member of staff will recommend strategies to use and commission further support from the Disability Services team if required. This will include a learning support agreement which will be shared with you, your course teams and Disability Services staff

A referral can be made at any time during your time at Bradford College by completing our online referral form or visiting one of our helpdesks as detailed below:

David Hockney Building, Floor Three: Disability Services Study Area and Helpdesk

Trinity Green Building, Ground Floor: Disability Services Study area and Helpdesk

Useful Resources

Assistive Technology Service

The phrase ‘assistive technology’ (AT) is often used to describe products or tools that support and assist individuals with disabilities, learning needs,  restricted mobility or other impairments to perform functions that might otherwise be difficult or impossible.

The Assistive Technology Service for supported students operates the provision of loan equipment, college software, support and training on various areas of inclusive technologies to support students to access learning.

Common areas of software and technology include:

  • Speech to text (dictation)  
  • Text to speech (reading) including grammar and research  
  • Low vision and blindness solutions 
  • Organisation of ideas (mind mapping software)
  • Posture and ergonomics 
  • Bespoke solutions for specific needs 
  • Solutions to meet exam access arrangements 

In addition, the service provides cross-college awareness sessions and resources, access and licensing for AT software and resources on inclusive technologies. 

Once you are registered with the Disability Services team Assistive Technology will form part of your initial discussion.

Adapted Materials Service

The Adaption of Materials Service provides large print, braille, tactile and re-formatted course materials for supported students with Visual Impairments (VI) that require materials in specific formats. 

The service is specifically for students referenced in having adapted materials within Learning Support Agreements.  

Bradford College Non Medical Helper Rates

What is a Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)?

The DSA is a non-means tested allowance for disabled students who are already studying or about to study a higher education course. It covers additional study–related costs that you will incur because of your disability. It doesn’t provide you with money; it pays for the support you need, such as specialist equipment or dyslexia support.

As a higher education student living in England, you can apply for Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) if you have a disability, such as a:

  • long-term health condition
  • mental health condition
  • specific learning difficulty, e.g. dyslexia

You should apply for the Disabled Students Allowance as soon as possible. You do not have to wait until you have a confirmed place. The team can help you apply for DSA once you are an active student at college.

For further information regarding the DSA, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowance-dsa

See the DSA Rates – (for DSA-funded non-medical helpers) effective from September 2023.

Click to download a PDF copy (attached) – please contact us on 01274 08 8344 or via email [email protected] if you need further information or another format.

Exam Arrangements

Access arrangements are exam adjustments made for individual candidates, based on evidence of need and the candidate’s normal way of working. They exist to ensure all candidates have the same opportunity to be successful in their exams, and include reasonable adjustments for those candidates with a disability or learning difficulty.

Access arrangements are given based on evidence of your needs and your normal way of working. You may be eligible for and not limited to:

  • Extra time
  • Prompt
  • Scribe
  • Reader or computer reader
  • Use of assistive technology
  • Supervised rest breaks
  • Modified Large print or braille exam papers
  • Separate room

If you are sitting exams at College as part of your course and feel you need exam arrangements, you will need to speak with the Disability Services team. You may be asked to provide medical evidence from your GP or attend an exam arrangement assessment which will suggest the arrangements, if any, you would benefit from.

If you have attended a previous college and received Exam Arrangements a copy of these will be useful and it is important that you make Disability Services aware when you refer to the service.

For further information please go to: JCQ Access Arrangements.