Telling the OU about your disability

Telling us about a disability or health condition helps us to support you more effectively while you study.

If you need specialised support while studying, we can develop a support plan for you. To do this we need to know more about the support you need.

If you don't need specialised support we would still ask that you let us know about your disability or health condition so that we're aware of it, as there may be other ways we can support you.

You can find out about the standard adjustments and support available to everyone at Adjustments and support available through the OU.

Why tell us about your support needs

Understanding your needs will help us to develop your support plan, for example:

how your disability affects you
how your disability may affect your study
what specialist support you may need
what adjustments you may need from your tutor
what adjustments you may need to attend online or face-to-face tutorials
how you would like us to communicate with you.

There are specific request forms if you need additional arrangements for residential school or any exam arrangements.

Timescale for getting disability support

The timescale for getting disability support will vary depending on your individual needs and the level of support required. As a guide, it takes around six weeks for us to develop a support plan.

We recommend you tell us about any support requirements as soon as you have registered for study. The earlier we know the more likely we can have your support plan in place by the time you start studying.

We would also recommend you apply for Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) as early as you can as well, so to have that in place by the time you start studying too.

What type of supporting evidence is needed

For specialist support you’ll need to supply evidence of your disability or health condition. Supplying evidence helps us to better understand your needs as we develop your support plan. If you don't have the evidence yet or are unsure what to provide, you can send it to us after you've applied for disability support.

If you just want to tell us about a disability or health condition you have, without requesting specialist support, you don't need to provide evidence. If, in the future, you find you do need specialist support, you can supply evidence at that time.

Suitable evidence can include:

a medical evidence report completed by a medical professional
a letter from a medical professional such as a GP, signed, dated and on headed paper
a letter or report from a medical doctor or qualified practitioner for temporary conditions (alternative and complementary therapists are not accepted)
a letter from a religious leader for support relating to religious beliefs
an Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
a Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN)
some benefit statements such as a Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
a full diagnostic assessment report confirming a Specific Learning Difficulty
a Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) Needs Assessment report or entitlement letter
a copy of a Certificate of Vision Impairment or a letter from an audiologist
proof of registration as a blind or partially sighted person from your local social services
a copy of your blue badge.

This evidence is held securely and is only ever seen by the staff who decide what specialist support you'll receive.

If you’re concerned that you’ll be asked to pay for evidence, for example by your GP, we can discuss this with you. You can find our contact details in Contacts for disability support.

Ways to send your evidence

There are three ways to send us your evidence.

Upload it as you fill in the disability support form.
Send by email.
Use the Secure File transfer option detailed below.

If your evidence is on paper, you can scan it using a smartphone and either upload it to the form or email it to us.

Send by email

To email your evidence use the appropriate Disability Support Team email address for you on Contacts for disability support.

Make sure you include your Personal Identifier (PI) in the email.

We recommend you use your OU email address ending @ou.ac.uk to send us your documents securely. You should always ensure your data is secure when using email. For tips on how to do this see Being safe and secure online.

Secure File Transfer

Go to: https://filetransfer.open.ac.uk/. Do not log in.
Select the ‘drop-off’ option.
Type in your name and email address.
Leave ‘Your organisation’ blank.
Click the ‘Send confirmation’ button.
You'll be sent an email – check your junk folder if you don't receive it.
Click on the link in the email sent to you.
In the Add Recipients box type disability-support@open.ac.uk in the Email field (you do not need to write a name in the Name field) and click Add & Close.
In the Short Note to Recipients box enter: DSF Evidence.
Click on the button 'Click to Add files’ and attach your application form, submission form and evidence.

You can send your evidence by post if you can't send it any other way. We don't recommend doing this, however, as it will delay your application. For address details see Contacts for disability support.

How to give us your information

Most students can complete a Disability Support Form, however some students will need to call us or send their information in an email. Work through the questions to get to the right route for you.

Share details about your disability with us

What happens next?

We'll contact you for a chat about your needs. We'll then write a personal profile which summarises the discussion. You'll be able to view this profile in Identity, needs and circumstances on your StudentHome profile.

The process of getting your support in place will take around six weeks from when we receive your information. This is so we can explore the various options and routes of support for you.

We'll also discuss other opportunities for support and funding with you, for example the Government-funded Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) or, if you're an apprentice, Access to Work.

While you're waiting for us to contact you, or to receive support, there may be things you can do yourself to help you start studying. Go to Studying on a screen to find out about the accessible formats available to all students and get tips on setting yourself up to learn online comfortably and successfully.

You’ll also find details of alternative digital format resources, accessibility guides, library resources and other support services under Resources on your module website once it opens, via StudentHome.

If your needs change, you can contact the Disability Support Team to discuss any adjustments.

How we use your disability information

The information you give will be used to create a summary of your support needs (usually called a profile). You'll be able to see this summary and can request to change or update it at any time.

Your information will be used by your tutor to make sure they can adapt their teaching to meet your requirements.

We keep a record of the information you give us so we can put in place the support you need to help you study successfully. It is only available to those who need to see it and saves you having to repeat what you've already told us.

We're also required to share information with third parties (non-Open University organisations) when dealing with funding applications, for example Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA).

We may also record our phone calls with you to make sure that we have carried out your instructions correctly, and to help us improve our services through staff training.

The information you provide will be used and managed in line with the Student Privacy Notice.

Contacting us

You can contact the Disability Support Team if you have any questions about supplying supporting evidence or the kind of support you can expect to receive.

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