Useful resources

On this page you will find a selection of information sheets and links covering various study skills, video tutorials, careers and physical access guides.

Hear from our disabled students

The Summary of Reasonable Adjustments (SORA)

On this page you can find resources on the following:

• The Summary of Reasonable Adjustments (SORA)
• Assistive technology
• Careers
• Study skills
• Physical accessibility
• Academic study skills
• UCL's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Network
• Sunflower Lanyard scheme

What is a SORA?

The SORA, or Summary of Reasonable Adjustments is a document that outlines the reasonable adjustments that UCL will provide you. You will create this in a consultation with one of our advisers. Once this has been created and with your consent, your SORA will be passed onto your department so that they're aware of any adjustments that they'll need to put in place to ensure you experience no barriers to your learning.

The adjustments outlined in the SORA are not fixed, so if your circumstances change during your time at UCL, your SORA can be changed in line with your support needs. You just need to get in contact with us so we can discuss the changes.

How to get a SORA put in place

In order to determine what support you'll need and the content of your SORA, our Disability, Mental Health and Wellbeing Adviser will:

• Discuss your past support, experiences and expectations with you
• Consider your programme of study
• Review your evidence of disability

The benefits of having a SORA

Having a SORA ensures that you will receive appropriate reasonable adjustments to enable you to access your course and facilities at UCL. It will mean that you do not have to keep sharing your circumstances with different people, as the information will be provided to staff on a need-to-know basis, such as those who have responsibility for teaching you and the Examinations team.

Assistive technology

Digital Accessibility Hub

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Digital Accessibility Hub workroom is now closed until further notice. Student users of this service should contact atteam@ucl.ac.uk for support and guidance on remote working.

The Digital Accessibility Hub has a range of specific hardware and software designed to assist disabled students to study independently, including Dragon, Inspiration, Read & Write Gold, ZoomText and more.  

There are a range of adapted workstations and ergonomic accessories to suit most people and additional adaptations are possible depending on the individual need. 

The Digital Accessibility Hub is located at lower ground floor level, in room B10 of the Wilkins building, Gower Street, near the Print Room Café and the UCL Shop. 

The room is wheelchair accessible from the lift at the South Junction of the Wilkins Building or from the entrance to the UCL campus on Gordon Street next to the Student Centre.

The room is available for use by students registered with Student Support and Wellbeing. Opening hours are 9am to 8pm, Monday to Sunday. Students must have an induction before they are able to use the Digital Accessibility Hub.

Inductions and further training are available along with on-site support from the Digital Accessibility Technologists, Michele Farmer and Reena Babu. Please contact Student Support and Wellbeing on +44 (0)20 7679 0100 or enquire through askUCL to arrange an induction session. 

Read more about the Digital Accessibility Hub on the ISD (Information Services Division) website.

Seeing the screen

We have a whole host of free applications, programmes and tools to help users with visual and tracking impairments. These include screen-readers for Windows, other computer apps, browser plugins and web tools, and Apple apps.

View our range of screen-reading support tools.

Time management tools

We have a whole host of free applications, programmes and tools to help users with time management, planning and research. These include programmes that video record your screen, create mind maps, edit sound and manage documents in the cloud. There are also tools to help block possible distractions and other web resources.

Here are some resources that will help you with time management, planning and research:

• CamStudio - Video record your screen
• Zotero - Referencing software
• FreeMind - Mind mapping software
• Google Drive - Manage documents in the cloud
• CopyClip - Cut, copy and paste history manager
• Audacity - Sound editor

Accessibility tips 

You can convert PDFs, JPEGs and other files into an e-book, text file, audio or braille using a programme called Sensus Access. You can combine more than one JPEG into a single file.   

Use the Sensus Access website to convert documents to accessible formats. 

When it comes to accessibility, we recommend that you first check the inbuilt accessibility options of your operative system or device. Windows has the Ease of Access Centre and Mac comes packed with a lot of assistive technology. Explore the settings on your tablet or mobile phone to see what accessibility options are available. You'll find the relevant accessibility information below:

• Windows Accessibility
• Mac Accessibility
• iPad/iPhone accessibility
• Android accessibility
• 'My Computer My Way' guide from AbilityNet

Careers 

UCL Careers is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. This informs their provision for students with disabilities or long-term health conditions. If you have a disability or long-term health condition you can:

• Request an extended one-to-one appointment with a careers consultant
• Request a video or phone careers appointment
• Request reasonable adjustments for an event/workshop you will be attending (please email at least 48 hours in advance)
• Request access to the quiet half hour at the start of one of our Careers Fairs
• Receive careers information for students with disabilities or long-term health conditions

Please email UCL Careers to make any of these requests.

UCL Careers has a team of experienced Careers Professionals who are dedicated to helping you find jobs or options for further study. You can come and talk to them at any stage during your studies, whether you have a clear idea of the path you want to take or are just beginning to think about career ideas.

They can guide you on how to build a portfolio of experience so that you’re in a strong position when applying for jobs. When you reach that stage, they can give you application advice and interview practice. They also run workshops which cover topics from improving your CV to finding and funding a PhD. 

Find out more from the UCL Careers website.

Physical accessibility 

An audit of all UCL buildings has been undertaken by AccessAble - a handy website which has accessibility information on thousands of buildings across London, including around UCL’s campus. This allows you to see how accessible buildings you might want to use are before you use them.

Find out more about AccessAble and use their service.

UCL is committed to supporting disabled staff and students and to ensuring our return to campus is done in an inclusive way.

Find out more about support for disabled staff and students on campus.

Academic study skills

UCL provides our students with a wide range of more generalist study skills support. This includes:

• academic communication skills
• library skills
• research skills
• writing for dissertations and projects
• digital skills
• LinkedIn Learning tutorials
• UCL life learning
• e-learning services

View the range of generalist study skills support on offer. 

UCL's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Network

UCL has the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Network for students and staff providing useful and more indepth information across issues relating to disability, race, gender, religion and belief and sexual orientation amongst other equalities initiatives. Through this you'll be able to access:

• Various networks focussed on equality, diversity and inclusion
• Support for students and staff
• Dignity at UCL - UCL's policy towards harassment, intimidation and bullying
• Equality, diversity and inclusion training opportunities

Find out more about the EDI Network.

Sunflower Lanyard invisible disability scheme

UCL supports the ‘Sunflower Lanyard scheme’ which is a national scheme to help people with ‘invisible’ disabilities to discreetly signal that they may require additional assistance while out in public. Sunflower lanyards are available on the Bloomsbury campus from the security office at Andrew Huxley or can be requested from SSW by requesting one via askUCL.

You do not have to identify yourself or register any information to access a lanyard, and they are available to free of charge.

More information about the Sunflower Lanyard Scheme can be found on UCL Estates webpages.