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Meeting with University Disability Team

Fibonacci Squid

More specifically I have a meeting with the autism specialist on the disability team. I am not diagnosed yet, I have had a triage appointment but since then they have just postponed and postponed my final assessment and it's now probable it won't happen pre 2022. In the meantime I was referred to nearly every NHS and charity based mental health organisation but all but one rejected the referral because my issues are 'too acute' and they 'don't manage that level of risk' and the one that didn't rejected it because they felt that my issues matched my "possible autism spectrum condition" and therefore it wasn't in their remit to deal with. So on that front I am in complete limbo at the moment and have been discharged back to my GP who has said she doesn't have anyone left to send me to and to come back if it gets significantly worse.

Throughout this I have endeavoured to stay in contact with my future universities disability team and keep them up to date, I will be leaving for the Uni on the 27th of September and the university have booked a meeting (online) for Wednesday. I'm very unsure of what to ask for or talk about in terms of possible accommodations. The uni has been very reluctant to give any suggestions or limitations or fundamentally any information or commitment at all via email, which while I understand is extremely frustrating.

Does anyone have experience dealing with university disability teams and autism? What type of things are reasonable to ask for? Anything you or someone you know found particularly helpful? Any suggestions or help would be gratefully appreciated.

  • I also work WITH a University Disability Team but not in it so this is what you could access where I work:

    Most support for disabled students is funded by the Disabled Students Allowance, which requires a formal diagnosis. However this could be for mental health rather than ASD if you have that? The medical evidence for mental health conditions can be a form signed by your GP so it is comparatively easier to get evidence for that, although your GP would need to be happy to say your mental health issues are ongoing and likely to be more than (I think) 12 months in duration. If you think you could get that apply ASAP as it takes at least 14 weeks for the process of assessment and to get your support in place, probably longer. https://www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowance-dsa  DSA can pay for a mentor and specialist computer software and a laptop if needed. Even if you apply under mental health you will probably get a mentor qualified in ASD as well as its relatively easier to qualify for ASD than Mental health and the qualification criteria are really strict. 

    Internal support within the university would still require some medical evidence where I work but not necessarily a formal diagnosis eg a letter from a GP would be sufficient. Things like outlines of the course and lecture slides in advance are commonly offered as well as highlighting the assistive tech on all university PCs and right of students to record all lectures (with some exclusions). You can request a note on your record to lecturers to say you might need to leave the room at any time and should be allowed to leave and come back when you are ready and that you might occasionally be absent and this shouldn't trigger absence procedures. There are quiet places on campus, and we do an ASD familiarisation day before the start of term. You can also have exams and assessments changed like a smaller room not an exam hall, and perhaps (not on all courses) not to be assessed via group work or group presentation. The Disability team can also support an application to stay in university owned or managed accommodation. 

    I agree with comments on sensory environment below, but disagree about the note taking - this would have to be funded by the university and its really expensive so its very unlikely you would get that. (Again, at the university I work at, other places may have more funding available, but to be honest at the moment its unlikely.) But it is worth asking for if it might help because if someone else in your course already has an externally funded notetaker you might be able to get copies of the notes they produce. Alternatively we encourage use of audio recording software you can record in chunks and then label for playback. 

    We also have an internal mental health team and a team that help 1:1 with academic writing - they aren't qualified in supporting ASD in particular but can help with, for example, clarifying what a question is asking. This more generic kind of support isn't ideal but may be helpful until you can get specialist support. There may also be buddies either in your department or from other students with disabilities who are either paid or volunteers and are student/recent student mentors who will just check in with how you are doing. 

    Having listed all of that... one of their first questions should be how does suspected ASD and your mental health challenges affect YOU, on your course. So I would expect a conversation about your needs, then to go through info on DSA and everything they can offer internally and then you agree what you would find helpful, or what you want to try first, and they put it in place for you. They should then let you check the wording or agree exact wording you are happy to have shared with your lecturers. If you change your mind, or circumstances change eg. you are going on a placement, you go back to the team and they amend your records. 

    As I said, thats how it works where I am at a small university and different universities have different processes, however the end result, in trying to identify which changes they can make to suit your needs, should happen everywhere. 

  • My daughter - entering her third year on a chemistry degree - had software to help her organise her time, a microphone for recording lectures, examinations in a small room with a few other ND people, an extra 20 minutes in each exam. She also had a named contact in the disability support team, who would check up on her by email from time to time. Her lecturers were told that she was autistic and that she might ask more questions and require greater clarification than most students. She has also contacted her course leader to arrange days away from lectures ,when she is feeling overwhelmed. She received course work notes to fill in any gaps that her time off might have created. She averaged a score of 94% in her second year, so autistic students can thrive at university when given appropriate accommodations.

  • I haven't dealt with a university disability team as a student but I work in a university and have engaged with them on a professional level.

    What I would say is, there is every chance you will be dealing with a very well intentioned person who is not autistic. This means that they may not fully understand your needs or think they do but don't.

    What I would advise is think about your sensory needs:

    • Would you be comfortable sitting in a lecture room/tutorial room/exam hall in close proximity with a lot of people? If not, you can possibly be assigned an individual room for exams
    • How do you do with bright lights? Would you be able to sit under them for several hours a day?
    • Can you take notes based on what someone is saying? They may be able to assign a notetaker for you
    • Is there a quiet place on campus you could use when you need it?
    • Are there assistive technologies such as text to voice readers you could avail of?
    • Do you think you may need longer to complete assignments?

    Dublin City University is the first Autism Friendly University in the world. It may be worth looking at what they do as an indication of best practice. https://www.dcu.ie/students/autism-friendly-0