All the support I've received has allowed me to work at the same level as others on my course and helped me to achieve the best grades I can.
Starting university can be an anxious time, and having additional needs can make this a bit more difficult.
Before starting university I had been referred to be assessed for ADHD and ASD. I had a couple of assessments at college which resulted in me having extra time in my exams and additional learning support at college. This had all been put into my UCAS application to make sure I got support during my time at university. This has been very helpful as support has been on hand through email, phone or Teams if I ever need it both while I'm here and even before I started.
During the summer before I joined UCLan, the inclusive support team offered for me to attend the STAR (Student Transition and Residential) programme. This allowed me to attend a residential on campus for 3 days in the summer.
During the residential we had a campus and library tour, we met inclusive support officers, found out about services at the university and also had the chance to have a small tour of the city which ended at Avenham Park.
This really helped me as I was able to become more familiar with the campus and meet other students with various additional needs. This was helpful as I knew then that I wasn't alone.
As well as the residential they had multiple different online sessions over 6 weeks before starting in September such as quizzes, workshops, competitions, exploring facilities and more.
When I started university, I was very nervous about getting lost and being late to classes. During welcome week I was offered orientation support with a Student Wellbeing Ambassador who helped show me the way around campus. Once I had settled in and knew my way to my buildings I no longer needed the support as the campus didn’t feel as big as it had previously done.
During the first semester of my first year the inclusive support team put me through a dyslexia test. The results identified a specific learning difficulty where I struggle with my working memory and processing speed. This assessment not only allowed me to gain support from within the university but also externally. The report from the assessment allowed me to apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA).
Through the DSA I have been provided with multiple different software programs to my life easier and also extra study skills support sessions. The software helps me with time management, workloads, and summarising large pieces of text. This helps me tackle my assignments, revision and more.
All this support has allowed me to be at the same level as others on my course and allowing me to achieve the best grades I can.
