Disability & Dyslexia Support Service
Disability Liaison Officers (DLOs)
Resource Pack
September 2012
Table of Contents
I.
Introduction
II.
The Roles and Responsibilities of the Disability Liaison Officer
III.
The Responsibilities of Disability & Dyslexia Support Service
IV.
Understanding the Law: The Equality Act 2010
V.
Information about Disabilities
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Disability Awareness
Specific Learning Difficulties, e.g. Dyslexia
Mental Health Issues
Hearing Impairment
Vision Impairment
Medical Conditions
VI.
Disclosure and Confidentiality
a. Responding to disclosure
b. Confidential Information
VII.
Additional Resources
a. List of Departmental Disability Liaison Officers
b. University services for disabled students
c. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
I. Introduction
The DDSS (DDSS) is part of Student Support and Wellbeing, which is in
turn part of the Student Services Department.
Student Support and Wellbeing draws together the Student Support &
Guidance, the University Counselling Service, the University Health
Service and the DDSS.
Each of these services, in different ways, aims to support students in
making the most of their time at university by:
 helping them to maintain their physical and psychological health
and well-being
 and providing support to disabled students to enable them to
pursue their academic studies without disadvantage
How to find us
Our office (known as the Hillsborough Centre) is located on the ground
floor of the Alfred Denny Building (no. 112 on the University map).
Access is via the south entrance to the Alfred Denny Building (across the
concourse from the Students Union Building), our office is on the left.
We are here
How to contact us
Reception: 21303
Email: disability.info@sheffield.ac.uk
II.
The Roles and Responsibilities of the Disability Liaison Officer
(DLO)
The most important point to remember is you are not alone in being
responsible for disabled students. Everyone in your department shares
this responsibility, including visiting lecturers. The institutional
response to disability issues is to be proactive and promote
inclusiveness. Disability issues are incorporated into the strategic
planning process of the institution, are on the agenda of senior
management committees, are integrated into equality and widening
participation policies and are regularly reviewed and monitored for
quality. Responsibility is devolved throughout the institution and
practically everyone (students and staff) should be involved in
developing an inclusive environment for disabled students.
The role of the DLO is to:
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1
Develop an understanding of disability legislation and keep
abreast of changes to the legislation and current best practice
through the DDSS
Ensure that disability support is on the departmental agenda.
Act as both a contact and referral point for staff and students
within the department and a link to staff in the DDSS.
Keep the DDSS informed of any changes/developments in the
departments, as appropriate and with students’ permission e.g. a
change of module, including those taken outside of home
department. (Students also have responsibility to inform us of any
changes to their modules)
In collaboration with other departmental staff, keep a register of
disabled and dyslexic students – who and where they are – and
communicate this to teaching staff.
 Liaise with Admission Tutors to encourage students within your
department who may not have declared a disability on admission1
 Keep copies of evidence in each student’s file, e.g. medical letter,
educational psychologist’s report, etc
 Liaise with exam board about mitigating circumstances if
necessary
A proforma should be circulated by the departmental DLO to all new students at the
beginning of each academic session inviting them to inform the department of any disability or
additional support requirements they might have
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Monitor and review the department’s provision of support for
disabled students and, where necessary, raise awareness within
the department of issues relating to those needs.
Be sensitive to the students’ wishes regarding confidentiality and
seek permission to disclose information where necessary in order
to support the needs of the student. (Further information on
‘Personal Information and Confidentiality’ can be found in the
Student’s Charter at
http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/ourcommitment/charter )
Ensure all confidential information about a student’s disability is
stored in accordance with the Data Protection Act. (See this link
for information for organisations:
www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/data_protection.aspx )
Promote and disseminate staff development initiatives in relation
to disabilities and dyslexia
Attend relevant staff development courses in relation to
disabilities and dyslexia to update knowledge with help from DDSS
Attend regular meetings with the DDSS (3-4 times a year) and
work together to develop an effective service for disabled
students
III.
The Responsibilities of the DDSS
 To manage the admissions procedure for applicants with
disabilities and specific learning difficulties to ensure provision of
appropriate and timely support
 To provide advice to academic departments on making reasonable
adjustments for disabled applicants and students
 To meet with applicants on open days and organise visits to
discuss support requirements
 To liaise with students’ funding bodies to apply for funding for
support (Disabled Students’ Allowance)
 To organise Full Needs Assessments to determine students’
academic support requirements
 To organise appropriate support workers (e.g. note taker, proof
reader, library support worker, support and guidance mentor)
 To organise formal testing for specific learning difficulties – e.g.
dyslexia
 To liaise with Registry Services to ensure appropriate exam
arrangements are implemented
 To provide staff training on disability issues
IV.
Understanding the Law
The Equality Act 2010 is the law which bans unfair treatment and helps
achieve equal opportunities in the workplace and in wider society. It
brings together and supersedes previous legislation such as the Disability
Discrimination Act, the Race Relations Act, the Sex Discrimination Act etc.
Under the Equality Act, disability is one of 9 ‘protected characteristics’.
The definition of disability remains the same as under previous
legislation; a person has a disability if they have:
“a physical or mental impairment [that] has a substantial and long-term
adverse effect on P's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”
(see Section V for more information)
The legislation is designed to protect people with disabilities, and to
ensure they are not discriminated against.
It is unlawful for education and training providers (such as Sheffield
University) and related services to discriminate against disabled students
or potential students, without justification.
A requirement is placed on HE institutions to make reasonable
adjustments to ensure that students are not placed at a substantial
disadvantage.
To prevent discrimination the university has a specific duty to anticipate
the barriers that disabled students may experience in HE institutions. As
these barriers are anticipated, reasonable adjustments should be put
into place to allow full access to all aspects of university life.
Reasonable adjustments might include changing admissions processes,
administrative and examinations procedures, or adapting the physical
features of the premises or changing the layout of the classroom to
anticipate the needs of disabled students.
For further information please see the following link:
www.equalityhumanrights.com/advice-and-guidance/further-and-higher-educationproviders-guidance/
V.
Information about Disabilities
a. Disability Awareness
a.1 What is ‘Disability’?
The Equality Act describes disability as:
“a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term
adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day to day
activities. For an impairment to be classed as long term it must have
lasted, or be expected to last for at least a year.”
If a student is disabled they may require additional support. Additional
support requirements may relate to a:
 Physical or sensory impairment
 Medical or mental health condition
 Specific learning difficulty e.g. dyslexia
 Temporary condition such as a broken leg
Impairments are defined as "problems in body function or structure as a
significant deviation or loss". The term disability now refers to the
negative aspects of the interaction between impairment, activity
limitation, participation restriction, and barriers/hindrances
encountered in the world.
a.2 Models of Disability
Many different terms and definitions exist in relation to disability. This is
in part because the terminology which is acceptable changes over time
and also because it is for individuals to define their own situation.
There are two main models of disability focusing on different definitions:
the medical model and the social model.
Medical Model: The term medical model defines a person’s disability in
terms of their medical condition. Terms such as ‘arthritic’ or ‘epileptic’
may be used to describe a person. This model places the disabling
factors on the individual, who has a need, and fails to account for the
disabling factors in society.
Social Model: The social model focuses on the limitations of society.
Barriers imposed by society are the disabling factor, not impairments. In
other words, disabled people are primarily disabled by the design of the
environment and/or the attitude of others in society, rather than by
their impairment. Disability is the restriction society imposes upon
people with impairments. Most disabled people believe that the social
model more accurately describes their situation than the medical model.
The following statements illustrate the difference between the two
models:
Medical Model: I have Spina Bifida and use a
wheelchair, so I can’t go to my lecture.
Social Model: The lecture theatre does not have
wheelchair access, so I cannot go.
Medical Model: I am deaf, so I cannot take
notes from the overhead projector and watch
the sign language interpreter at the same time.
Social Model: The OHP transparencies are not
available in a printed format, so I have to choose
between taking notes from the overhead or
watching the interpreter.
See here for more information:
www.scope.org.uk/about-us/our-brand/talking-about-disability/socialmodel-disability
b. Specific Learning Difficulties e.g. Dyslexia
Dyslexia
The term dyslexia is used to describe a range of specific learning
difficulties. Difficulties are most commonly associated with reading and
writing, but can also occur with spatial orientation and hand to eye
coordination.
The British Dyslexia Association defines dyslexia as follows:
Dyslexia is primarily a difficulty with the automatic processing of
language based information, especially the written word. It is important
to understand that evidence points to a constitutional origin, possibly
genetic, and that it is not related to intelligence.
There are a broad set of characteristics associated with dyslexia that
individuals may present with to a greater or lesser extent. Dyslexia
appears to have a neurological basis and tends to run in families. It may
be associated with short term memory problems so that students have
difficulties with immediate recall, sequencing, etc rather than with the
understanding of a topic.
People with dyslexia may experience difficulties with reading,
handwriting, spelling, organisation of written work, memory, sequencing
and concentration span. They may be unwilling to ask for help or
clarification because they do not want to highlight their difficulties.
Dyspraxia
The Dyspraxia Foundation states that:
Dyspraxia is generally recognised to be an impairment or immaturity of
the organisation of movement. Associated with this may be problems of
language, perception and thought.
Dyspraxia is closely associated with Dyslexia and many of the
characteristics overlap. A dyspraxic student may find elements of
practical work difficult because of problems with coordination. They may
also find handwriting laborious.
For information on supporting students with specific learning difficulties
please see the following link:
http://www.shef.ac.uk/disability/staff/support/spld.html
c. Mental Health Issues
'Mental ill health' or 'mental illness' are broad terms used to describe a
wide range of psychiatric illnesses, from anxiety and depression to
eating disorders and schizophrenia. Everyone has times in their life when
they feel depressed, anxious, or under stress. For some people these
feelings become so overwhelming they produce physical or behavioural
symptoms that affect an individual's ability to go about their day to day
life. Mental illnesses are not present at birth, but there is much debate
as to whether they are brought about by environmental or genetic
factors. In some circumstances the illness seems to have no trigger at all.
Studying at University can be a stressful time. Factors such as academic,
social, or financial pressure, lack of familiar surroundings, and drug or
alcohol abuse can trigger the onset of mental health conditions in some
people. Students with existing mental health conditions may also find
themselves more severely affected than most by these pressures, which
may worsen any existing symptoms.
Approximately one in four people experience mental ill health at some
point in their life, and the peak age range for the first onset problems is
between 18-24, coinciding for many people with their time as a student.
It is therefore more than likely that some of the students you teach will
be experiencing mental health difficulties.
However, with support and planning, mental illness does not have to be
a barrier to successful study.
For information on supporting students with mental health difficulties,
please see the following link:
http://www.shef.ac.uk/disability/staff/support/mentalhealth.html
d. Hearing Impairment
Hearing impairments can vary from someone who is slightly hard of
hearing to those who are profoundly deaf. Sounds can also become
distorted, and conditions such as tinnitus produce background noise.
The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) uses the following
definitions of deafness:
Mild deafness
Some difficulty following speech, mainly in noisy
situations
Moderate
deafness
Difficulty following speech without a hearing aid
Severe deafness
Use a hearing aid and rely heavily on lip reading.
May use sign language
Profoundly deaf
Usually born deaf or become deaf early on in life. Lip
read and may use sign language. Hearing aids are of
little or no use
“The Deaf
Community”
People whose first language is British Sign Language
often consider themselves to be part of the 'Deaf
Community', united by their shared language. Many
consider that, rather than being disabled, they are
members of a linguistic minority. They may describe
themselves as 'Deaf' with a capital 'D' to emphasise
their deaf identity
Languages are primarily learned through hearing, therefore those
people who are born deaf, or who become deaf pre-lingually do not
acquire language in the commonly accepted way. Hearing people learn
to read a language that they can already speak, but deaf people must
learn in other ways.
In addition to language difficulties, deaf people do not easily 'absorb'
information in the same ways as hearing people, through television,
radio, talking to friends etc.
Speech Difficulties
People who are profoundly or severely deaf may have difficulties with
speech as they are unable to hear and monitor their own or other
people’s voices. People with severe speech difficulties may
communicate through sign language with an interpreter who ‘voices
over’ – i.e. speaks – what they are signing.
e. Visual Impairment
Visual impairments range from total blindness to conditions such as
tunnel vision, double and blurred vision and colour blindness. Some
people may have trouble seeing in low light levels, have problems
judging speed and distance, or painful irritation to the eyes can be
caused by bright light. Only about 18% of people who have visual
impairments are classed as totally blind, and most of these people can
distinguish between light and dark. Some people will have been born
visually impaired and others may have become visually impaired as a
result of illness or accident, and this will affect the way people approach
and address their impairment.
A large amount of information in a students' course will be delivered
visually, therefore a visually impaired student may be at a significant
disadvantage academically. Difficulties may occur with:
 Accessing course material — overheads, slides, printed material,
diagrams, practical observation, on-line material etc
 Using the library — finding, collecting and returning books
 Taking lecture notes
 Practical laboratory work and field trips — recording observations
 Travelling to, from and around the campus
People with different types of visual impairment may have very different
needs as students. Students may require course materials in alternative
formats, such as Braille or large print. Providing course materials in
electronic format may be helpful as this could be used in conjunction
with screen reading software.
For further information on supporting students with visual impairments,
please see the following link:
http://www.shef.ac.uk/disability/staff/support/visual.html
F. Medical Conditions
Some students with medical conditions (such as diabetes, epilepsy,
asthma, ME, cancer, Crohn's Disease, haemophilia and cystic fibrosis)
may require support during their time at university. The type of support
will depend on the individual circumstances.
A student may require flexible timetabling and deadlines, copies of
lecture notes, and arrangements to be made for times when they are
too ill to attend. Many people with long-term medical conditions will
experience fatigue, and the effects of medication may also cause
difficulties. In severe circumstances a student may take leave of absence
until their health improves.
For further information on supporting students with unseen disabilities,
please see the following link:
http://www.shef.ac.uk/disability/staff/support/unseen.html
VI. Disclosure and Confidentiality
a. Policy on Disclosure of Disability Information
1. The DDSS encourages students to disclose any disability, or to
seek advice if they are not sure whether they might be disabled.
The DDSS can offer and organise many different kinds of support.
Requests for support can be made at any time from the point at
which contact is first made with the University (e.g. at application,
enrolment or after commencement of the course).
2. Under the DDA the University has a duty to make reasonable
adjustments for disabled students. It therefore takes a pro-active
approach and continually attempts to anticipate the needs of
those with disabilities. Part of this process is to encourage
students to disclose their disability at the earliest possible stage so
that a needs assessment can be carried out and reasonable
adjustments can be made.
3. Where disclosure has not been made prior to or at enrolment it
may subsequently be made to DDSS staff at any time. The student
may indicate that they have a disability, or an illness or medical
condition that affects their studies, or a specific learning difficulty
e.g. dyslexia. For the purposes of this policy, references to
disability incorporate all such situations in which additional
support may be required. If this happens, the staff member to
whom the disclosure is made should ensure that the environment
in which disclosure takes place is suitably private in order to
maintain confidentiality. The student will then be asked to
complete a Release of Information Form.
4. The Release of Information Form is a transparent mechanism for
the gathering and communication of information for the specific
purpose of ensuring the needs of disabled students are met. It
also provides the means to ensure confidentiality where the
student requires it. The form is designed and processed having
regard at all times to the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA).
Information about disability is classed as ‘sensitive personal data’,
the processing of which requires the explicit consent of the data
subject. (The University's Data Protection Policy is available from
the University's Data Protection Officer, (0114 2221117;
a.cutler@sheffield.ac.uk ) or via the University's website at
http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/cics/dataprotection . The Release of
Information Form sets out what the information might be used for
and the persons or organisations to whom the information might
be disclosed, and gives the student the opportunity to limit or
refuse further disclosure.
5. Where the student requests confidentiality or permits only a
limited disclosure, the University will still attempt to assess the
needs of the student and make reasonable adjustments insofar as
this can be done whilst still complying with the student’s wishes.
However, such compliance may adversely affect the level of
support which the University can give. For example, it might not
be possible to make any reasonable adjustment or the adjustment
might not be to the same standard it would have been if full
disclosure had been permitted and/or a lower level of
confidentiality required.
6. Where a student restricts the type of information that may be
shared or the range of staff with whom this information may be
shared it is expected that those who receive such information
from the DDSS will hold this information with the same level of
confidentiality as the DDSS. The level and type of confidentiality
specified will be passed onto the recipient of the information by
the disability adviser. It is important to note that where a
student has given permission for disclosure of information to a
named member of University staff, this information should not
be shared with any other member of University staff without
first contacting the student to obtain their permission.
Where it is not possible for a department to ensure that
disclosure of information is restricted to named members of
staff, this should be made clear to the DDSS so that the student
can make an informed decision about information being passed
on.
7. Where the student specifies total confidentiality/non-disclosure
the information will not be passed on to any staff member outside
of DDSS and will be retained on the student's file in the DDSS. The
person to whom the information has been disclosed will, after
agreement with the student, endeavour to put in place whatever
support is reasonably practicable, having regard to any applicable
University regulations and policies and health and safety
considerations, without compromising confidentiality.
8. The DDSS understands that some individuals may not wish to call
themselves ‘disabled’ and respects their right not to do so, or to
be so labelled by virtue of receiving support. However, the
University strongly advises students to consider carefully the
implication of insisting that a disability remains confidential- e.g.
that the support available will therefore be limited.
9. Although the University will respect and adhere to requests for
confidentiality, there may be circumstances where information
about a disability will need to be disclosed to third parties. This
will only occur in circumstances permitted by the Data Protection
Act where the University cannot obtain the student’s consent to
disclose, for example in cases of sudden illness where health
professionals outside the University need to know about the
disability or where non disclosure may lead to harm to the student
or others. Disclosure of information under such circumstances is
covered under Section H of the Student Charter.
10.Further information and advice can be obtained from the DDSS,
The Hillsborough Centre, Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank,
Sheffield,
S10
2TN
Tel:
0114
2221303
email:
disability.info@sheffield.ac.uk
VII. Additional Resources
a. List of Departmental DLOs
www.shef.ac.uk/disability/support/departments.html
b. University resources for disabled students
See the following link for the disabled students’ handbook:
www.sheffield.ac.uk/disability
c. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
 I think one of my students might have dyslexia. What should I do?
This will need to be handled in a sensitive way. The student may
already have been diagnosed with dyslexia and require some further
support (for example proof reading), or they may not have a
diagnosis.
If appropriate you could have a chat with the student to explain some
of your concerns (for example that their written work doesn’t convey
their understanding of the topic)
You could suggest that they try the online screening tool for dyslexia,
available from this link:
www.eltc.dept.shef.ac.uk/shef-only/dysscreen/index.html
If they exhibit signs of dyslexia advise them to call into our office for
advice on testing.
All students can take advantage of the Writing Advisory Service run
by the English Language Teaching Centre:
www.sheffield.ac.uk/eltc/services/writingadvisory
If in doubt, please ring a Disability Adviser for a chat on 21303.
 What is Disabled Students’ Allowance funding and what does it
pay for?
Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) funding is administered by a
student’s funding body (e.g. Student Finance England, NHS, Research
Council etc). The funding is used to pay for any additional support a
disabled or dyslexic student may need whilst studying on their course.
Students usually go for a full needs assessment to formally determine
their support needs. The funding can help with the cost of support
workers, items of specialist equipment, travel or other course-related
costs.
Please feel free to pass on this link to students who are thinking of
applying: www.yourdsa.com
 Do disabled and dyslexic students automatically get extensions
for coursework?
No, students are not given automatic blanket extensions. The idea is
that disabled and dyslexic students are given appropriate support to
help enable them to meet the deadlines set by their department.
However, occasionally students may need to request an individual
extension (for example due to ill health, or anxiety related problems).
If supporting evidence is required from staff in the DDSS, please ring
us on 21303.
 How do students organise alternative exam arrangements?
Students with a temporary disability, short term illness and/or medical
condition should make an appointment with the University Health
Service.
Students with dyslexia, disability and/or long term medical condition
should make an appointment to see a Disability Adviser.
Further information can be found at
http://www.shef.ac.uk/disability/staff/exams.html
 A student has become disabled during their studies. How should
we ensure that they receive the correct support?
Ring the DDSS for advice (21303) and encourage the student to make
contact with us if they have not already done so.
If they are reluctant to contact us please encourage them to look at our
website. It is recommended that you record that you have done this.
 I am concerned about a student’s health and wellbeing, what
should I do?
Look at the following web link:
http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssd/worried
Or ring the DDSS for a chat with an adviser (21303). Depending on the
circumstances of the case they can advice you on the most appropriate
course of action.