Disability Learning Support

Who we are

If you have a disability or condition that affects your studies, our Disability Learning Support (DLS) Team offer confidential support to help you make the most of your studies.

We have a team of Disability Advisers who are available to help you, as well as Disability Tutors at each campus who can answer questions related to your course. Each library also has a Disability Support Representative.

Our contact details can be found at the bottom of this page.

How we can help

Who do we help?

If you have a long-term health condition, specific learning difficulty or disability, we can help.

If you don’t yet have evidence, but your health is impacting your studies, or you are experiencing learning difficulties, please contact the team. We are here to support you.

The term 'disability' covers a range of conditions, including:

  • dyslexia
  • mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety
  • visual impairments
  • autism spectrum conditions
  • long-term medical conditions, such as epilepsy or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

If you have a temporary condition (eg you've broken a limb or have an injury), you will not be able to register with us, we recommend contacting an advisor for instructions. For details, check the Individual exam arrangements page.

If you've missed an assessment or submitted coursework late because of serious, unforeseen circumstances that were outside your control, you can submit a mitigating circumstances claim.

For further support with mitigating circumstances please contact the Student Centre who can book you an appointment with registry where needed.

Register for support

You’ll need to register for support with us and provide supporting documentary evidence of your disability or health condition. An advisor will then get in touch with you to explain the next steps.

If you've received an offer of a place or have already enrolled with us, you can apply to register now.

If you’ve applied but not yet received an offer, get in touch with us via the details at the bottom of this page.

Register online now

To apply online, simply log in with your University username and password and click on the Disability Support Tab at the top right. Then just follow the instructions.

Apply online

Come and speak to us

We're also happy to meet you in person if you prefer to register this way.

To visit us, just contact us via the details below or log in with your University username and password and book an appointment with us.

Book an appointment

Dyslexia, dyspraxia and other Specific Learning Difficulties

You can complete our online screening, which will indicate whether you may have dyslexia or dyspraxia.

Complete the Dyslexia screening and/or Dyspraxia Screening.

If you'd like to chat with us, just book an appointment.

Types of support

We aim to make the University an accessible and welcoming place for all of our students and staff, and offer a variety of support to those with disabilities. There is also financial support available to students with disabilities.

For examples of types of support, have a look at our guides below:

Access to buildings

Together with DisabledGo, we've created a set of access guides for our buildings.

If you'll be driving to our central London campuses and are a Blue Badge Holder, we recommend you apply for the City of Westminster's White Badge scheme, which provides additional parking benefits, as the borough is not part of the national Blue Badge scheme.

Access to technology

We have some assistive technology networked across the University. For more information or for advice on digital accessibility, please see our Libguides.

Access and support in the library

Please see our Library Access Guide for disabled students.

Assessment support

We offer support in in-class tests and exams. This includes extra exam time, rest breaks and sitting assessments with smaller groups of students.

Feedback

We are always happy to receive feedback and use this to improve our service.

You can provide anonymous feedback on Specialist Mentoring sessions that you receive by using our review form.

DSA needs assessment

If your application for the DSA (Disabled Students' Allowance) was successful and you now wish to book your needs assessment, visit our DSA assessments page for details on next steps.

For more details on the DSA and how to apply, visit the Gov.uk website.

Student testimonial

For my entire life, I knew there was something that really interrupted my studies, as it was always taking me three times more to learn than my peers. Eventually being diagnosed with ADHD (ADD) I learned where the problem was but I wasn't willing to share it with anyone.

The minute I have started to share it at the University of Westminster I have received a lot of support from other students and University staff. I felt very welcomed and understood and that helped me to grow to a major extent throughout my studies.

Obviously, it was challenging to show my vulnerability but the more I spoke about it the more I understood myself and knew that I wasn't alone.

Speak up now! They're not your enemies, they're here to help. And if not now, then when?

Jagoda, final year student of International Business and Chinese BA Honours

Workshops and events

The Disability Learning Support team runs workshops and events throughout the year.

To find out about these activities, keep an eye on the events listing on the Student Hub homepage or get in touch with us at

male student smiling at camera, surrounded by other students, and colourful bunting above him.

Confidentiality

We appreciate the information you may share with us is personal and sensitive.

Information about your disability support needs will only be shared outside our team with key members of staff directly involved in implementing your support.

The information you provide will never be shared with other students. It will also not be on your university transcript or academic references.

For more details, please read our Disability Learning Support consent and disclosure statement below.

Contact us

Call our dedicated team on:

+44 (0)203 506 8800

Current students please email:

Applicants, staff members and external organisations please email [email protected].

See our full contact details