Information for disabled students on placement

Do I have to tell my placement about a disability?

The University does not share information about a disability with your placement provider – this is your responsibility. However, we strongly encourage you to do this if a disability will impact your work placement.    

In addition to ensuring that the appropriate support and adjustments are made, there are other positive benefits to sharing information about a disability. You are better able to demonstrate your competencies, it leads to improved communication between you and the employer, and it helps to alleviate any difficulties once a placement has started.   

If your placement is with a public, statutory or regulatory body, there may be a requirement for you to disclose a disability if this impacts on the work of the placement. Please ask the placement provider to give you guidance around this and it is strongly recommended that you follow their recommendation regarding disclosure. 

If you choose not to share disability-related information with a placement provider but the University is aware of an unacceptable level of risk to yours or others health, safety and wellbeing we will explore options with you such as partial disclosure. Ultimately, on very rare occasions, if the risk cannot be managed, you may not be placed in the work placement and the implications of this will be outlined to you.

When do I share information about a disability with a placement holder?

You can choose to share information about a disability at any point, in your application, at interview, once you have started work or at any point during your placement. 

You can share information in any way you are comfortable with – either in a written format or in person.  

You may need to find out from your employer who is the most appropriate person to talk to about a disability – this may be your line manager or a member of staff in Human Resources for example.

Who is responsible for putting the adjustments in place?

The Equality Act 2010 requires universities not to disadvantage or discriminate against a disabled student whilst identifying, securing, and accessing a placement. The Act places responsibilities on the placement provider to support a disabled student during placement, to make reasonable adjustments where required and not to discriminate against them in any part of the placement process. The Act also calls for individuals and organisations to be pro-active in anticipating the requirements of disabled students. 

There is therefore an overlap in the responsibilities of the University and the placement provider in terms of ensuring support throughout the process.

What kind of adjustments are available on placement?

Adjustments will be dependent on the impact of a disability and the nature of the work. The following are examples of the type of adjustments but this list is not intended to be exhaustive: 

• Support to check a CV 
• Orientation ahead of the start of a placement 
• Management of noise levels in the work place 
• Access to equipment and facilities 
• Somewhere to store medication. 
• Flexibility around work hours 
• Consideration of work load