The Disability & Neurodiversity (D&N) team sit within the Wellbeing department at Royal Holloway. They provide support to all students who have disclosed a disability, neurodiversity, a long-standing medical condition, a specific learning difficulty or a mental health condition. Their advisers will help coordinate the right support for you including liaising with external providers or support services for specialised support.
To register with the service you have to access their website, where you will find a ‘REGISTER WITH US’ tab. Click on it and follow the prompts provided in the registration form. It is important that you provide all relevant evidence with regards to your application and complete the consent form before sending off the application. Contact information along with details of their term time drop-ins are available on their webpage too, in case you have questions about registering.
D&N also provides a variety of resources to enhance your college experience once you are registered with them. These include but are not limited to Assistive Technology (eg. laptops with useful software for reading, voice recognition and text to speech conversions), Exam Access Arrangements, Accommodation and School Department and Library support. Never hesitate to make use of this service because it is confidential and can contribute greatly to your academic and social life.
The deadline for applying for your exam access arrangements with D&N is 27 January 2023. It is important that if you have any disability, the college knows so that you can have the best student experience at the college. We believe that your disability does not define you. It is only a diagnosis and with the relevant support it should be one less hurdle to jump.
If you’re worried that you need exam access arrangements and that you have an undiagnosed learning difficulty or disability, then contact D&N to ask for guidance about getting a diagnosis. This is a strict deadline and late applicants can’t be given any guarantees.
Am I eligible to apply for EEAs?
There are three main groups of students who might need alternative examination arrangements:
- Students with a medically diagnosed disability
- Neurodiverse students e.g. dyslexia, autism
- Students with a temporary condition or illness
If you think this applies to you then you may be able to apply for EAAs. If you’re not sure what needs you have, please see the D&N FAQs and contact them – they will be happy to discuss this with you.
How to register
The easiest way to register with the Disability & Neurodiversity Team is to complete the form by telling D&N about your disability and providing evidence of your disability.
When do I need to apply for EAAs?
You can apply for EAAs from the start of the academic year but the deadline for applications to request them for your May exams is 27 January 2023. This is a strict deadline and missing it could mean having to repeat the year and increased student debt, so be sure to set yourself a reminder.
How will I know what my exam access arrangements are?
After applying for your EAAs they will need to be approved by the university. You should receive an email in your university email account confirming details of your EAAs. Make sure to check these details are correct and as expected, and if they aren't, you will need to contact D&N as soon as possible.
How is extra time calculated, and how will this be shown on my timetable?
Extra time is calculated on a pro-rata basis per hour. For example, if you are granted 15 minutes per hour extra time for a two-hour exam your total exam time will be 2 hours and 30 minutes. Extra time is not displayed on your exam timetable on Campus Connect, so don’t worry if this shows the standard duration. Your EAA confirmation email will detail how much extra time you have been given per hour and the exam supervisor will reconfirm this to you at the start of your exam.
Further support
Our Advice Centre is a free, independent, and confidential service for all students here at Royal Holloway. Our friendly, experienced, and professional staff will provide a listening ear and offer general and specialist advice. We’re here to support you with a whole range of issues, big and small, and if we’re not the best people to help you with a particular issue, we’ll point you in the right direction.
Our advisors hold drop-ins on Zoom every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon 13:30-15:30. You can find more information on our events calendar and can join the virtual drop-ins using this Zoom link.
Email us at advice@su.rhul.ac.uk with any questions or to ask for a different meeting time.