Good morning all! It has been such a tough year for everyone and we understand that it can feel so much worse for those of you living with a disability. Whether it’s a physical or a mental health disability, we will always here to support you throughout your time here.
Todays blog is written by Ellen, who works for our wellbeing team and is always happy to address any questions you may have. Please read her blog below:
Clearing: Arranging accommodation when you require support for a disability, health condition or mental health condition
Coming through the clearing process can be a stressful but ultimately exciting experience, and once you know that you are coming to Exeter, one of the most important things to consider is your accommodation. This can be especially important if your accommodation choice is affected by a health condition or disability.
In these circumstances, the University of Exeter Wellbeing Services can support your accommodation requirements and are able to discuss possible adaptations with you in more detail if needed. It is best if you get in touch with us as soon as possible once you know you are coming to study at Exeter, and the first step is to fill out our Prospective Student online form in order to inform us of your health condition or disability:
Click here to fill out our Prospective Student online form
How does the Prospective Student online form work? The form allows you to give the University details of the adaptations or requirements you may need for your accommodation, as well as details of adjustments for your studies which can include exam and teaching adjustments.
You will need to upload medical evidence to the Prospective Student form in order for it to submit. If you do not currently have medical evidence you can still complete the form by uploading a word document explaining that you will provide it at a later date, but we cannot put your support in place until we have received your evidence. Please note that your medical evidence will need to specifically state the type of adjustments you may need as well as stating a diagnosis; for example, this may be for en-suite accommodation or to have a fridge in your room if you have to take refrigerated medication regularly. Further information is available on our website.
Once you have submitted your form, our Wellbeing Services advisors will aim to respond to you within 5 working days. If appropriate, our advisors will then email the Accommodation Team in support of your requirements, but rest assured that details of your health condition or disability won’t be shared unless you have given explicit consent for this. If we need further evidence from you in order to support your request, we will get in touch with you.
What happens if my accommodation adjustments are supported? Our advisors will confirm with you if they have supported your accommodation adjustments, usually via email. If you are supported for specific accommodation due to your disability then you may also be eligible for help in the form of a rent subsidy. For more information please see the ‘Accommodation Financial Subsidy’ drop-down at the bottom of the Accessible Accommodation web page. Please note, although you may receive support, you are not guaranteed if you are applying from 1 August onwards.
You will also need to apply for your preferred accommodation; you can do this before or after you have filled out the Prospective Student online form, as there is a tick box you can select within the Accommodation application form to let the team know you are in touch with us. Please see the Accommodation webpages for more details.
If you have any queries please do get in touch with us, either by emailing wellbeing@exeter.ac.uk or by calling us on 01392 724381. We will be happy to help!
Wellbeing Team