Introduction: BG and students with access needs

BG recognises you may require additional assistance to engage fully with your studies due to your access needs. In order to assess the level of support you might receive, we use the legal definition of disability, which is wide ranging and includes:

• Specific learning difficulties including dyslexia
• Physical mobility difficulties
• Hearing impairments
• Visual impairments
• Persons requiring personal care
• Autistic Spectrum Disorders including Asperger's Syndrome
• Mental health difficulties
• Medical conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes or asthma

This is not an exhaustive list - you may have access needs that are not listed above. If you are unsure whether you have access needs which are covered by disability legislation, please contact us - we will be happy to offer advice and guidance.

We recognise that you may not regard yourself as "disabled", even though your circumstances satisfy the legal definition. Students have told us they prefer the terms "accessibility" and "access needs", so we use these terms instead wherever we can. It is important to recognise that your interpretation of your situation does not rule out the availability of additional support - particularly via the Disabled Student's Allowance.

Please contact us and we will be happy to explore available opportunities to address your needs - we will seek to ensure those needs are met and remain sensitive to your perspective of your circumstances. A wide range of reasonable adjustments exist which seek to address the issues that arise from the above list of conditions.

We can help you apply for financial assistance and specialist support in respect of your access needs.

You will have the opportunity to indicate whether you have access needs on your UCAS/GTTR application and through the BG Admissions process. You can also approach us for support after you have registered on your course, but we recommend doing this as early as possible (prior to Registration) wherever possible in order to ensure support is in place at the beginning of your studies.

Student Support plays a key role in co-ordinating services available to BG's disabled and sensory impaired students, and/or with specific learning differences or other access needs before and during their studies.

If you wish to contact Student Support on a matter related to accessibility needs, please use the details in our Contact Us page.