Disability Support
Student Affairs provides confidential advice and support to both prospective and enrolled students with disabilities – including physical disabilities, sensory impairments, specific learning disabilities, long-term medical conditions and mental health requirements. If we are aware of your disability, there are many things we can do to assist you.
To ensure that your needs are catered for we can offer:
- individual consultation and supportive sessions with the Study Skills & Disability Coordinator,
- screening for specific learning difficulties (including Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and ADHD),
- a programme of specialist study skills tuition within the School,
- assessments, recommendations and adjustments of residential and learning environments,
- liaison with academic departments to make special arrangements for auditions, interviews, examinations and to ensure students’ needs are being met in learning and performance contexts.
In addition we have counsellors and mentors who are available to support students who need this. The Study Skills & Disability Coordinator also works closely with the Health & Welfare Officer to ensure that students with longer-term health needs receive suitable advice and support.
We can make referrals for diagnostic assessments, guide students through the process of applying for Disabled Students' Allowance, provide information on alternative financial support where required, support students as they begin to use specialist equipment/software and implement new strategies for studying.
The Study Skills & Disability Coordinator
If you are thinking about coming to the Guildhall School to study, the Study Skills and Disability Coordinator can meet or talk with you on the telephone, to discuss your needs, the demands of the course and the provision for people with disabilities – in order to assist you in making a decision about applying or accepting a place. This can take place during an open day or at any time during the academic year that is convenient for you.
Learning Resources
The IT department has provided additional workstations which offer specialist facilities for dyslexic or visually impaired students including large letter keyboards, Inspirations; Read and Write software, Lunar magnification package and Dragon Speech software. There is also a Training Room within the Student Affairs department where students receive support with planning and assembling academic assignments and developing IT/research skills. It is also available for students to book. Please note that support for English as a foreign language is provided by the Academic Departments. The Library is also extremely supportive of students with disabilities – help is available for navigating around library resources, using electronic databases and extended loans can be arranged for those who need them.
What do I do if I have disability and/or a long-term medical condition?
Please ensure any information about any disability and/or a long-term medical condition that may affect your studies is disclosed to the Study Skills & Disability Coordinator or the Health & Welfare Office in Student Affairs.
UK students may be eligible for a Disabled Students Allowance (DSA); however, since you will need to be formally assessed to receive this, you should get in touch with Student Affairs as soon as possible or it may not be available in your first term of study. Student Affairs will also try to get in touch with all students who disclose information about a long-term medical condition and/ or disability before the start of term so that they can understand each student’s specific needs and provide individual advice.
You can obtain further information from your local DSA funding body:
Students from the Republic of Ireland may be entitled to funding via the Fund for Students with Disabilities (which is funded by the Irish Government). For further information about the fund, guidance on making an application and other financial support, please visit their website.
Unfortunately, international students are not eligible for the UK government disability allowances. However, the School can offer some Study Skills sessions and some basic equipment. It is the responsibility of the EU and overseas students to enquire from their own country whether or not they are eligible for any financial help.
You may also wish to look up the following helpful guides for prospective students:
Evidence of Disability or Health Condition
If you have a Specific Learning Difficulty (Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, ADHD/ADD etc.) and had a diagnostic assessment after your 16th birthday, please contact us so that we can advise you on applying for funding (Disabled Students Allowance/DSA). We can then have the appropriate support in place for when your studies commence. If your diagnosis occurred before your 16th birthday, you will need to organise another assessment. The sooner this takes place, the more likely it will be that support can be set up for you before your course begins. For all other disabilities and long term health conditions, you will need medical evidence or a report from a suitably qualified specialist to support your funding application.
What should I do if I suspect I may have a disability or learning difficulty?
If you are unsure but think you might have a disability, we would encourage you to contact the Study Skills and Disability Coordinator in Student Affairs as early as possible, prior to starting your course or at your earliest opportunity once your studies commence (although this can be at any point during your course) so we can offer you an informal discussion regarding your needs and studies at the Guildhall School. Once your course begins it can be difficult to prioritise this so we would encourage you to get in touch as soon as any issues arise, so that we can get appropriate support in place to enable you to get the most out of your time at the school. Academic staff are also incredibly supportive and you may wish to discuss your concerns with a tutor in the first instance.
Non-Medical Helper Information for Practitioners/Needs Assessors
The information below is intended for disability practitioners, particularly Needs Assessors who are writing an Assessment of Needs report. It includes the current rates charged for supporting students with a disability and is a requirement of DSA- QAG, (Disabled Students Allowances Quality Assurance Group), that we publish this information on our website.
Non-Medical Helper Support
Guildhall School of Music & Drama aims to provide non-medical helper support to all of our disabled students as required. Where we do not necessarily have the support in-house, we work and liaise with external specialist agencies to provide this.
If you require any further information regarding this information, please do not hesitate to contact:
Further information:
Download our Disability Statement (PDF)
