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Assessment Policy for Students who have a Disability
1. The term "disabled student" has been used throughout this document to describe students who
may have a wide range of physical, sensory and cognitive impairments and/or other additional
needs.
2. In common with the majority of Higher Education Institutions, Loughborough University's
programmes are modular by nature and are assessed in various ways. Some of these forms of
assessment may pose particular problems for disabled students.
3. Loughborough University recognises that in accepting a disabled student onto a programme of
study some adjustments may need to be made with respect to examinations and other
assessments so as to accommodate the particular support needs of the individual.
4. Such adjustments must not compromise the academic credibility of the assessment, nor put the
disabled student at a disadvantage compared with non-disabled students by preventing him/her
from adequately demonstrating his/her achievement of learning outcomes. Similarly, any
adjustments that are put in place must not give the disabled student an unfair advantage over
his/her non-disabled peers.
5. Students requesting alternative assessment arrangements should first discuss their individual
needs with the Disabilities and Additional Needs Service (DANS). A range of possible alternative
arrangements are set out in Appendix 1 and guidelines on examinations and coursework for
students with specific learning difficulties are set out in Appendix 2. Documentary evidence
(medical or psychological) of the student's disability must be produced. This evidence should be
no more than two years old at the time of the student making his/her initial application for
alternative assessment arrangements.
6. Students should apply for alternative assessment procedures (particularly for University
examinations) at least three weeks before the date of the assessment. Late applications may not
be accommodated due to the difficulties in making the necessary arrangements at short notice.
7. The Head of DANS will advise the student's department and the Examinations Office what
alternative assessment arrangements should be made to accommodate the student's needs.
8. Where an allocation of extra time for University examinations has been detailed, this will
normally be 15 minutes per hour (or 25%) unless a different amount is deemed necessary on the
basis of independent evidence in individual circumstances.
9. In cases where an allocation of extra time for University examinations is the only requirement,
the necessary arrangements will be made between the Examinations Office and the student's
department in accordance with the guidelines in Appendix 2.
10.In other cases, the student's department will make the necessary arrangements, taking advice
from DANS as appropriate. The department will make arrangements for the invigilation of
University examinations involving the student and supply the names of the invigilator(s) to the
Examinations Office. A disabled student's helper may not act as an invigilator.
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11.It will be the responsibility of the invigilator(s) to ensure that University examinations involving
disabled students are conducted in accordance with agreed alternative arrangements, including
the allocation of extra time, and that as far as possible in other respects the usual rules for the
conduct of examinations are observed.
12.Any variations in the above procedures should be approved in advance by the appropriate
Associate Dean (Teaching).
13.If a student feels that in the event his/her individual needs have not been satisfactorily
accommodated in the assessment process, he/she is advised to submit a claim for impaired
performance in accordance with Regulation XX or XXI. He/she should also submit a request to the
Disability and Additional Needs Service for the assessment arrangements to be reconsidered.
14.Where students have received academic support due to disability (including in the assessment
process) this will not be indicated on the academic transcript or degree certificate.
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APPENDIX 1: ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT ARRANGEMENTS
It is not possible to detail all the arrangements that may be required by students with every disability.
This document focuses on the most common disabilities encountered in Higher Education. This is not
meant to imply that students who have a disability not detailed will not be given due consideration
to having their assessment needs accommodated. Each student will be considered on an individual
basis.
Students who are blind or partially sighted
It is important to note that not all students who have loss of sight require the same adjustments to
the assessment process. Not all students are braille users and many will prefer to have material
presented in large print or on tape.
Students may be permitted to present or request material in braille, large print or audiotape. They
may be permitted to undergo formal assessment:





using adaptive technology
in a separate room
using an amanuensis or reader
with the addition of extra time.
Students who are deaf or hard of hearing
For students who have a hearing loss, written and spoken English can cause significant problems due
to a delay in acquiring language in early childhood. This can manifest itself in the student having a
limited vocabulary, poor grammar and syntax, and a general poor grasp of the use of language. In
addition, for students who use British Sign Language, English will, in most instances, be their second
language. Care must be taken to ensure that students are not penalised in the assessment process
by the use of overly complicated language and some adaptation of the 'carrier' or non-technical
language may be required.
Students may be permitted:
to have the examination paper 'overwritten' to modify the carrier language (this must be
undertaken by a suitably qualified person eg. a teacher of the Deaf) to have questions
communicated in sign language to have questions communicated by oral rephrasing to have
questions communicated by lipspeaking to sit the assessment in a separate room to have
extra time.
Students who have a physical disability
For most students who have a physical disability, the major difficulties encountered will be in
physically accessing the room in which the assessment is to take place and using traditional
(pen/paper) methods of sitting the examination.
Students may be permitted:


to use a reader or amanuensis
to use adaptive technology
to have alternatively presented papers (eg. on audiotape or computer) to sit the paper in a
separate room to have extra time.
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Students who have dyslexia
Students who have dyslexia may experience difficulties in auditory and/or visual processing of
information, they may have weaknesses in memory skills and difficulties in organising information.
They may also experience difficulties affecting handwriting (which may be slow or illegible) and
difficulties in spelling, reading and sequencing information. These difficulties may result in them
having significant difficulties in expressing themselves in writing.
Students may be permitted:
to use electronic spellcheckers or dictionaries to use coloured overlays to use a computer
with spellcheck facilities questions on audiotape the use of an amanuensis or reader to mark
the answers to multiple choice questions on the question paper rather than the answer
sheet to have extra time NB. Assessment papers for students who have dyslexia should
normally be in Arial 12pt, with 1.5 spacing between lines and with a ragged right hand
margin.
Students who have a disability not listed above
All students who have a disability will be offered flexibility in the assessment process. Many of the
alternative assessment procedures already detailed will be beneficial to students who have other
disabilities. Each application for alternative assessment procedures will be considered on an
individual basis to ensure that the student is not disadvantaged in the assessment process. For many
students the effects of stress will be a key factor to consider, whilst for others the effects of
medication may need to be taken into account. The allocation of extra time, or the use of a separate
room in which to undergo the assessment, will be key to resolving the assessment needs of students
with a wide range of disabilities. For certain individuals rest breaks during formal
assessment/examinations will be beneficial and considered if required by the student.
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Appendix 2: Guidelines on Examinations and Coursework for Students with Specific Learning
Difficulties (e.g. Dyslexia)
Examinations
Where additional time is indicated in the student’s Educational Psychology report 25% additional
time is the standard allocation at Loughborough. Exceptionally, more time, in addition to the 25%,
may be recommended and arranged for individuals. This should be discussed by the student with
DANS and then with the academic department. Students requiring extra time should ordinarily sit
their examinations in a separate room to the main body of students. Where more than 25%
additional time is recommended for a student, the Department that the student is based in will
make the arrangements for the examination room. Students who have 25% additional time will sit
their examinations in the central extra-time venue.
It is important that departments remember that where extra time is a recommendation for students
this should be allocated for class tests as well as more formal examinations. Where possible the use
of a separate room is recommended in these circumstances.
Where the recommendation is that students be permitted to use a scribe, a computer, or a reader,
the standard allocation of extra time should still apply. Students identified as having a Specific
Learning Difficulty should be permitted to use coloured overlays in examinations where this is a
recommendation in their assessment of support needs.
Examinations and coursework
The use of sub-headings and bullet points should be permissible for all students, and this fact should
be brought to the attention of students. Where the ability to structure an essay or report is part of
the assessment, and thus the use of bullet points would not be acceptable, this should be clearly
detailed in the information given to students when the work is set.
Students who have been identified by DANS as having a Specific Learning Difficulty should have the
option of using a sticker, or some other way of identifying themselves. It is accepted that such
students would have to waive their right to anonymity.
For students who have Specific Learning Difficulty , spelling and grammar that does not affect the
clarity of the writing should not be penalised. Departments should consider how this can be
achieved within their marking scheme and submit a suitable proposal to the University Examinations
Office for approval. A suggested scheme is detailed below:
Departments should specify the maximum that any student should lose for poor spelling and
grammar that does not affect the clarity of the writing – 5% is a possible figure. Students who have
dyslexia should have their work marked out of 95% (i.e. 100 minus the figure chosen by the
department) and then their mark should be scaled up to produce a mark out of 100%.
(Where students have used a scribe in the examination, allowances for poor spelling and grammar
should not apply.)
Spelling and grammar that does affect the clarity of the writing should be treated in the same way
for all students.
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Coursework
All students should meet the specified deadlines. However, exceptionally, the academic department
may allow an extension to a deadline. This should be done in conjunction with DANS and approved
by the Head of the Academic Department concerned.
Early identification of students who are experiencing difficulties that may be dyslexia-related is
desirable and academic departments should endeavour to refer students to DANS/ELSU at the
earliest opportunity. All students should be made aware of the demands of work required in
subsequent years of the programme (e.g. dissertation, final year project) so that any student who
has difficulty with the written/organisational element of their studies has ample time to seek
support.
Use of calculators
Students are permitted to use calculators in examinations where indicated in the rubric to the
question paper. Calculators must be of an approved type. A list of approved models is published by
the Examinations Office. Departments may sometimes allow calculators or other devices to be used
that are not on the approved list, but only when explicitly stated in the rubric to the question paper.
Due to difficulties with short term memory, students who have a Specific Learning Difficulty may
become reliant on using a particular calculator that they are familiar with, and may find it difficult to
adapt to using a different calculator at short notice. It is helpful, therefore, for departments to let
students know which calculators the University has approved for examination use, preferably in the
pre-course information sent to students. Students who have a Specific Learning Difficulty and wish
to request alternative arrangements in relation to the use of calculators should discuss their
individual needs with DANS in the first instance.
BSL users
People who are prelingually deaf will not acquire language at the same rate, or in the same way, as a
non-deaf person, and will often have difficulties in the use of spoken and written language into
adulthood. It will therefore be appropriate for exam questions to be re-written by a qualified
teacher of the deaf (or similar) and for the student to be given both altered and unaltered papers to
use in the exam.
For both coursework and exams such students should be treated the same as students with dyslexia
in relation to poor spelling and grammar that does not affect the clarity of the writing. Students
should, therefore, use a sticker on their work, as outlined above.
June 2005
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