Tell us about your disability
On this page you can find out how and when to tell us about your disability. You can also read more about what we mean by ‘disability’ - the definition we use comes from the Equality Act. You can learn more about what it means to declare your disability to the University in our document: Declaring a Disability or Health Condition.
What do we mean by disability?
At university a disability means any health condition which has lasted, or is likely to last, twelve months or more which may have a negative impact on your studies even if the frequency, severity or symptoms fluctuate.
This includes, but is not limited to, long term health conditions, sensory impairments, mobility difficulties and mental health conditions (such as anxiety and depression) It also includes specific learning differences and other neurodivergence such as Autism and ADHD.
If you have, or think you might have any of these or another disability, please do contact us.
Why we encourage you to tell us about your disability at University
The University of Exeter encourages you to declare your health so that additional support options can be considered and put in place. We welcome and support students with disabilities to be part of our rich learning community and strive to enable all students to reach their full academic potential. We aim to support all students in accordance with the Equality Act. This legislation states that students with health conditions that meet the criteria of a disability, are entitled to additional support.
Disabilities can create additional barriers to accessing education. The purpose of additional support is to remove these barriers in order to give you the same chance at succeeding as your peers.
Please be aware that any data shared on health and disability is sensitive data under the Data Protection Act. If you tell us about your disability, this won’t be added to your degree certificate and we won’t tell your future employers.
For more information see the University Data Protection pages:
- Information for current students about your personal data
- Information for applicants about your personal data
If you would like to discuss this in more detail please email wellbeing@exeter.ac.uk.
How do I make a declaration and get support?
Prospective students: Please read more on our prospective student information page.
Current students: To access support for your disability, health condition, and/or mental health condition, please contact the team via the Disability Advice and Support Form.
If you are unable to access the above form, please use the ILP Request Form 24/25 - Downloadable Version.
The Equality Act (2010)
The Equality Act 2010 states that students who declare a health condition to the University are entitled to have their specific needs considered and appropriate support put in place.
It recognises that disabilities can create additional barriers to accessing education and you may be disadvantaged compared to your peers.
The purpose of additional support is to remove these barriers in order to provide students with a health condition the same chance of succeeding as your peers. Therefore, the University of Exeter encourages you to declare your health so that additional support options can be considered and put in place.
The Act defines disability as follows:
“A person has a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment, and the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.”
For the purposes of the Act, these words have the following meanings:
- substantial means more than minor or trivial.
- long-term means that the effect of the impairment has lasted or is likely to last for at least twelve months. There are special rules covering recurring or fluctuating conditions.
- normal day-to-day activities include everyday things like eating, washing, walking and going shopping.
There are additional provisions relating to people with progressive conditions. People with HIV, cancer or multiple sclerosis are protected by the Act from the point of diagnosis onwards. People with some visual impairments are automatically deemed to be disabled.
