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The University is committed to ensuring that all students have equitable access to learning, assessment, and wider university life. This policy sets out the University’s approach to providing reasonable adjustments for students who are disabled or experience other protected characteristics, in accordance with UK legislation.
The aim of reasonable adjustments is to remove or reduce substantial disadvantages and enable students to participate on an equal basis with others, whilst maintaining academic standards, competence standards, and the integrity of awards.
The policy reiterates that there is an onus on the student to provide the university with the relevant information regarding any diagnosis in order to access reasonable adjustments.
The policy also reinforces that reasonable adjustments can be made locally and informally by course teams where appropriate as well as formally via the Disability Support Team.
This policy applies to:
– Teaching and learning
– Assessment and examinations
– Placements, fieldwork, and study abroad
– Digital and physical learning environments
– Student services and extracurricular activities
This policy is underpinned by the following legislation and regulatory guidance:
Under the Equality Act 2010, the University has a legal duty to:
The duty applies to:
This duty is anticipatory, meaning the University must proactively consider and plan for the needs of disabled students, not only respond to individual requests.
For the purposes of this policy, a person is considered disabled if they have:
“A physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long‑term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day‑to‑day activities.”
This includes:
A reasonable adjustment is a change to:
Such changes are made to remove or reduce a substantial disadvantage experienced by a disabled student.
Adjustments are individual, proportionate, and based on assessed need.
Reasonable adjustments do not:
In line with the Equality Act 2010, the University will:
Individual reasonable adjustments sit alongside, and do not replace, inclusive design.
Students may request reasonable adjustments by contacting the University’s Disability Support Team.
Disclosure is voluntary; however, the University cannot make reasonable adjustments unless it is aware of the need for them. Requests can be made:
Please note that reasonable adjustments will be implemented from the point at which they are agreed and cannot be applied retrospectively.
When a student discloses their disability on their UCAS application, they are automatically sent an email from the Disability Support Team asking them to complete some pre-entry information and provide supporting documentation if they wish to access support. Following completion of the pre-entry information request, if appropriate, they are also offered an appointment with a Disability Adviser.
Students who do not apply through UCAS are encouraged to disclose through the University’s enrolment process, and they will be sent an automated email to encourage them to connect with the Disability Support Team, if they have not already done so.
Students may be asked to provide evidential documentation to support their request. This may include:
The University will apply flexibility and recognises that:
The University is committed to protecting the privacy and security of personal data processed as part of the reasonable adjustments process. All processing of personal information, including special category data such as disability‑related health information, will be carried out in accordance with UK Data Protection legislation. Here is a link to our Privacy Notice
https://www.glos.ac.uk/information/knowledge-base/studentprivacy-notice/
Right to amend or withdraw – students can amend their personal data or withdraw their consent at any stage by emailing [email protected]. However, this may impact the support they are able to receive.
In determining whether an adjustment is reasonable, the University will consider:
Decisions will be made collaboratively, centering on the student’s lived experience.
Agreed reasonable adjustments will be documented in a Reasonable Adjustment Plan (RAP) individual to the student. The RAP:
Staff are responsible for implementing adjustments outlined in the RAP. If it is felt that an adjustment is not reasonable within a specific context, the member of staff should consult the Disability Team as soon as possible.
Reasonable adjustments may include (but are not limited to):
Learning and Teaching
Assessment
Physical and Digital Environment
Placements and Professional Practice
Adjustments for placements would be carried out by academic teams and discussed with the placement provider. The adjustments needed will be detailed in a Health Abilities Passport that is created by the student and academic team.
University of Gloucestershire courses are not validated for online or distance learning (apart from HEP online and blended programmes) therefore we will not normally consider remote attendance as an adjustment unless there are exceptional circumstances in which case a request for remote attendance will be considered on a case-by-case basis
All staff are expected to implement approved reasonable adjustments accurately and with care, working closely with Student Support Services to help the University meet its responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010. This collaboration is essential to ensuring that disabled students can access equitable and inclusive learning experiences. Reasonable adjustments can be made informally at local level within the course team or formally via the Disability Support Team.
If reasonable adjustments are not implemented, this may place the University at risk of not meeting its legal duties under the Equality Act 2010 and could disadvantage students academically or impact their wellbeing. For these reasons, the University treats the consistent delivery of reasonable adjustments as an important professional responsibility. Where concerns arise, they may be addressed through the University’s usual support, training, or performance processes to ensure staff are fully equipped to meet these requirements in future.
Under the Equality Act 2010, the University is not required to adjust genuine competence standards, defined as:
An academic, medical, or other standard applied to determine whether a person has a particular level of competence or ability.
However, the method of demonstrating competence may be adjusted, where reasonable.
Students
Academic and Professional Staff
Disability Support Team
Reasonable adjustments will be reviewed:
The University will monitor consistency and effectiveness to meet regulatory expectations.
If a student is dissatisfied with a decision or implementation of reasonable adjustments, they may request a review of the decision by the Disability Support Team.
If they remain dissatisfied following this, they will be referred to the Student Complaints Procedure or Academic Appeals Procedure as appropriate. Students will not be disadvantaged for raising concerns.
This policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure compliance with: