LSHTM welcomes students with disabilities. We aim to provide appropriate support and facilities for each student and to review practices and procedures to enable and encourage disabled students to participate fully in life at our School.
The Student Advice team within Student Support Services offers support to all London-based students with disabilities registered on full-time or part-time face-to-face programmes of study, including short courses. If you are a distance learning student, you can contact the team for disability support.
Disability resources
The Student Disability Handbook contains detailed information about disability support provision for students registered on face-to-face programmes of study, including information on 1) eligibility, 2) how to access disability support, 3) types of support available, 4) funding, and 5) relevant LSHTM policies.
- Disability information for applicants
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Admission to the LSHTM
All applications are considered on abilities, qualifications and experience.
Declaring your disability
As part of the online application, there is an opportunity for you to declare your disability and inform us of any support you may need.
This information is passed to disability support staff, i.e. the Senior Student Adviser in Student Support Services (SSS). Information about your disability is kept confidentially in the Registry and SSS and will not be shared with any other members of staff without your consent.
Students who may need significant adjustments or special arrangements for their studies should contact the Student Advice team well in advance of the start of their course, to ensure their learning support needs can be fully considered and reasonable adjustments put in place in a timely manner. If you have a mobility impairment, are registered blind or have severe/profound hearing loss, please contact us in advance to discuss your requirements.
If you are unable to apply online, please contact our Admissions team at admissions@lshtm.ac.uk to request a paper application form.
Further information for applicants about declaring a disability can be found in Section 2 of the Student Disability Handbook.
- Information for Needs Assessors
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Needs Assessors should share copies of the Needs Assessment report with the Student Advice team, with the student’s consent.
To send a report or for any queries, please contact: studentadvice@lshtm.ac.uk.
Disability support available at LSHTM
Students may be able to access the following types of support at LSHTM:
- Special examination arrangements
- Extensions for written assignments
- Library support including extended library loans, book fetching service and one-to-one introduction to services
- Increased printing allowance
- Resources for modules including lecture slides and reading lists are made available via Moodle (which is LSHTM’s virtual learning environment)
- The majority of lectures are recorded and podcasts are made available to students via Moodle
- Permission to record lectures for personal use
- TextHelp Read & Write Gold software is currently available on the LSHTM network
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All students have access to SensusAccess, which is a self-service solution to convert files into a different format based on individual needs.
LSHTM does not have any in-house Non-Medical Helper support and so external providers are used.
Specialist Study Skills Support and Specialist Mentoring
LSHTM’s preferred provider for Non-Medical Helper Band 4 support is Equality Focus Ltd. LSHTM works with Equality Focus as they are able to offer flexibility in relation to our student’s intensive timetable and can meet with our students on campus or in a nearby location where they have office space available. You can access their DSA QAG rates .
- Information for External Non-Medical Helper (NMH) Providers
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The Guidance for External NMH Providers document (pdf) provides key information and guidelines for external non-medical helpers working with our students, to support the provision of quality services for students and to maintain and enhance working relationships between the LSHTM's students, staff and external NMH providers.
- Disability documents & policies framework
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Other:
Disability support during your studies
The Student Disability Handbook contains detailed information about disability support provision at LSHTM. The information below is a brief summary of some of the main points.
- What is considered a disability?
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Under UK law, a person is considered to have a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment which has a 'substantial' and 'long term' effect on their ability to carry out daily activities (including education).
Examples of a disability include:
- Physical or sensory impairments such as visual impairment, restricted mobility.
- Mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression.
- Specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD.
- Long term health conditions such as epilepsy, arthritis, Crohn's disease.
- How to arrange support?
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If you have a disability and need adjustments to your studies, you should contact the Student Adviser to arrange a meeting. In the meeting, the Student Adviser will create a Learning Support Agreement to ensure appropriate support and/or adjustments are put in place for the duration of your studies.
Please note: To access disability support, you must provide documentary evidence which outlines how your disability may affect your studies, e.g. Educational Psychologist’s report, or other medical evidence. Details of what is considered suitable evidence can be found in section 2.5 of the Student Disability Handbook.
We have created a medical evidence template, which you may give to your medical professional to complete to capture all the relevant information that we require.
For SpLDs (such as dyslexia), the evidence must be a full diagnostic assessment report from an Educational Psychologist or a suitably qualified specialist teacher.
- Support at LSHTM
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Adjustments to module assessments and end of year exams
Assessment adjustments are made in line with the .
Examples of assessment adjustments include:
- extensions for written assignments
- additional time for timed assessments
- use of a computer
- rest breaks
- use of a scribe or amanuensis
See our ‘standard’ assessment adjustments page for descriptions of adjustments and how they are implemented at LSHTM.
IT Support
The majority of lectures are recorded, with the recordings and presentation slides made available to students via Moodle (which is LSHTM’s virtual learning environment).
An assistive software package, TextHelp Read & Write Gold, which provides literacy support, is available to all students on LSHTM network computers.
Students also have access to SensusAccess, which is a self-service solution to convert files into a different format based on individual needs. It allows the conversion of documents such as image PDFs, JPEGs, text files, PowerPoint presentations and others into a range of alternative file formats including e-book, text file, audio (MP3, DAISY) or digital braille.
Additionally, LSHTM may be able to loan or provide specialist IT equipment to help you during your studies. For example, a digital voice recorder or specialist software packages. This will be based on a study needs assessment and supporting evidence. DSA-eligible students are expected to apply for DSA funding for their equipment allowance.
Non-medical help / human support
Some students may benefit from supplementary support to help them develop additional learning and coping study strategies. This may include one-to-one sessions with a specialist study skills tutor for students with SpLDs, or with a specialist mentor for students with mental health or long term health conditions.
Some students may require practical assistance, for example in the library or laboratory.
LSHTM does not offer this type of support in-house, but students can be referred to an external provider, based on supporting evidence and a needs assessment.
DSA-eligible students are expected to apply for DSA funding for their non-medical helper allowance.
Library support
Additional support for accessing Library Services may include extended library loans, a book fetching service and/or a one-to-one induction, among other things.
Screening for dyslexia
The Student Advice team offers a screening service for students who suspect that they may have dyslexia. If indicated, the student can then be referred for a full diagnostic assessment with an Educational Psychologist.
- Students on joint courses with other institutions
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Students registered jointly with another institution should contact the relevant disability support service at both institutions to request support and adjustments for their studies at each institution. It’s important to note that adjustments and processes may vary between institutions.
Financial information
- Disabled Students' Allowances (DSA)
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Full-time and part-time postgraduate students with ‘home fee status’ studying on a course that lasts at least a year are eligible to apply for DSA.
DSA is a non-means tested grant that help to pay for the extra costs you may incur while studying due to your disability, for example the cost of a non-medical helper, items of equipment, travel and other disability-related costs of studying, as applicable to your individual needs.
Postgraduates in England are funded by Student Finance England except those funded by the NHS or a Research Council.
Eligibility for DSA can only be determined by the relevant funding body and entitlement to funding through DSA will be based on the recommendations of a DSA study needs assessor.
Further information about DSA and the application process can be found at: and
Students who are making an application for DSA for the first time are encouraged to apply as early as possible, given that the full process can take up to 14 weeks from your initial application. In most cases, you don’t need to have a place confirmed at university to apply.
- Grants
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Disability Rights UK has produced a factsheet (F25) listing charitable trusts that may help with funding for disabled students and giving advice about how to apply to trusts. Please visit the for further information.
Snowdon Trust
Who is eligible?
Students with a physical or sensory disability in post-16 education can apply to Snowdon Trust for help with additional disability-related costs that are not fully provided for them from available statutory funding.How to apply?
Please visit the for further information – you may apply online or download an application form. In addition to a completed application form you will need to supply additional references and supporting information as specified on their website.When to apply?
Applications are accepted from February 1st to August 31st for funding for the academic year starting in September. Decisions on grants are usually made in July (for applications received by 31st May) and October (for later applications).Value? Grants range from £250 to £3,000.
Location and transport information for disabled applicants
- Campus accessibility
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Classes take place across our two buildings located on Keppel Street and Tavistock Place, in addition to buildings belonging to other institutions in the Bloomsbury area. Students often have to walk between different buildings during the teaching day. Currently most support services are located in the Keppel Street building.
LSHTM has worked with AccessAble to provide for staff, students and visitors of our buildings. Contact studentadvice@lshtm.ac.uk if you require more specific building information.
Contact studentadvice@lshtm.ac.uk if you require specific building information.
- Travelling in London and to LSHTM
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Travelling around London by public transport is not always easy, but Transport for London (TfL) are committed to improving access in order to make travelling around London easier for people with disabilities.
Please visit TfL’s for information on a range of accessible transport options.
Disabled Persons Freedom Pass
This is a Concessionary Travel Scheme in place for eligible disabled persons funded by local authorities and coordinated by London Councils. A Disabled Persons Freedom Pass entitles the holder to free public transport across London and free bus journeys nationally. For more information and to check your eligibility, please visit .
Taxicard scheme
London Taxicard is a scheme for London residents with serious mobility impairments or who are severely sight impaired who have difficulty in using public transport. It provides subsidised rides within London in licensed taxis and private hire vehicles for eligible persons. It is funded by the London boroughs and Transport for London and managed by London Councils on their behalf.
Further information about the scheme, eligibility criteria and guidance on how to apply can be found on the .
Parking
LSHTM is located in Bloomsbury in Central London and parking is very limited. Our buildings are within the London Borough of Camden. Camden Council operates the Disabled Parking Blue Badge and Green Badge Permits. For further information please visit .
- Getting to LSHTM
For further information or queries please contact the Student Advice team.
E-mail: studentadvice@lshtm.ac.uk