Central Services

A Day in the Life of a Disability Adviser

For those not aware,  at present, we have a total of 189 students who have disclosed a disability on their application to Keele for the upcoming academic year and of this 189, 84 declared a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD).  The total number of students currently studying at Keele who have a SpLD is 500.

My role as Disability Adviser (SpLD) involves coordinating the support for these students.  Firstly, what is a Specific Learning Difficulty?  The most commonly known is Dyslexia but the term also covers Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia and Dysgraphia.  A SpLD is defined as a combination of abilities and difficulties which affect the learning process in one or more of reading, writing, numeracy and spelling. Accompanying weaknesses may be identified in areas of speed of processing, short term memory, sequencing, auditory and/or visual perception, spoken language and motor skills.

Although it may seem surprising, there are many students who are not diagnosed with a SpLD until they reach higher education.  This is often because, due to their intelligence, the student has been able to ‘go under the radar’ at school or college and develop reasonable coping strategies to manage at that level.  However, due to the demands in H.E., particularly the level of additional reading, standard of academic writing and independent research required, means that the student can encounter difficulties so total of 119 students were assessed and diagnosed while studying at Keele over the past academic year.

Close links within schools are very important to ensure that referrals can be made.  We have designated Disability Liaison Officers (DLOs) in every school who filter information about disabilities through to academic staff.  My role involves delivering training to academic staff on how best to support students with SpLDs and signs to look out for in students’ work that may indicate an undiagnosed SpLD.

An important part of my role involves providing screenings for students who think they may be dyslexic but have not had a previous diagnosis.  During a screening I will talk to a student about their experiences with learning throughout their educational career, covering areas such as pronunciation, reading, writing and spelling to gain a picture of their difficulties.  I have key questions which act as prompts and indicators such as ‘Do you find that you must re-read text several times to be sure that you have understood?’ and ‘Do you find it difficult to organise your thoughts for academic writing?’  If there are significant indicators I will then refer the student for a full assessment with an educational psychologist.

Supporting students with SpLDs involves putting in reasonable adjustments to enable them to access their course.  These adjustments could be additional time in examinations, providing lecture notes in advance, having permission to record lectures or an extended library loan, to name a few.

In Disability & Dyslexia Support we also help students to apply for funding from the government in the form of the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) for assistive software and specialist tuition and liaising with the agencies that provide this support.

The role of a Disability Adviser at Keele is varied and challenging and there is no such thing as a typical day, just as there is no typical student.  The part of my role which I enjoy the most is helping students with SpLDs to engage with support to develop and achieve during their time at Keele.

Beverley Martin, Disability Adviser (SpLD)