Disabled Students at Durham - Background

Studying at Durham has much to offer students with disabilities.  The collegiate system offers excellent pastoral care and each college provides its own students with accommodation.

Some disabilities are obvious but most are not.  Most students will try to conceal their disability as well as they can, and so integrate easily into College and University life. 

Many disabled students have been enabled to overcome their difficulties to achieve great success to date, and much of this success is due to the support they receive in their departments and colleges.  This handbook is designed to set down some basic tips on how members of staff can help disabled students study and fulfill their academic potential.  Many of the points mentioned may seem obvious or trivial, but they can make an enormous difference to the way a disabled student is able to cope in a University environment.  They are suggestions for possible ways to enable a disabled student to gain maximum benefit from a situation in which he/she would otherwise be seriously disadvantaged, and it is hoped they shouldn't create problems for staff or other students.  They are not designed to give any student an unfair advantage, but to ensure equitable treatment as now required by law.