Recently, the government published a Student Adjustments Planner, aimed at helping students with disabilities and health conditions. This is a quick one-stop-shop explainer of what it is and how it can be useful to you!
Alana Penney
Disabled Students Community Officer
Recently, the government published a Student Adjustments Planner, aimed at helping students with disabilities and health conditions. This is a quick one-stop-shop explainer of what it is and how it can be useful to you!
What is the Student Adjustment Planner?
The Student Adjustments Planner was created to help students with disabilities and health conditions identify the adjustments they may need in higher education settings and the workplace. The planner also makes students aware of Disabled Students Allowance and can be used to help get the right support from Access to Work.
The adjustment planner also includes everything from possible adjustments that could be made in the workplace or education to links to resources that help to explain the support that can be put in place. The document also explains what a workplace adjustment is and what it means for both the workplace and the student.
How do you use it?
It is designed to be used like a reflection workbook, allowing space for students to fill out the needs they have and the adjustments that would help. It can be updated as the needs of the student change and allows the student to be more confident in the adjustments they are asking for.
It covers travelling to work, accessing education/work, communication support, specialist IT programmes, specialist equipment/adaptations and support while you are at work. These different sections help to break down the day and make it easier to conceptualise the different parts of the day that may require different adjustments. Each of the sections also gives examples of different adjustments that could be put in place.
There is a section dedicated to Access to Work which explains the process and when to apply. It has a section that helps you to track your applications to Access to Work and gives the contact details for when you are ready to apply.
How does it help?
The Student Adjustments Planner will allow students to have a good idea of the adjustments that they need when starting in higher education, starting at a new job or applying for the Disabled Students Allowance or Access to Work. It makes it simpler when applying for support or communicating your access needs. Check out this factsheet for more information.