Student with disability & accomodation costs

Karfy

hi there,

I've got a place to study at UCL in september and am now considering accepting the offer but have also got a place at durham. I've been looking at accomodation costs for living in london and they are really high and because I have a disability I would have to be in the accomodation which is really close to UCL. I'm just wondering if I might be able to get any extra help with the accomodation cost because of needing to be close? I'm leaning towards UCL rather than durham because I live in hertfordshire and thats much closer so I have family and a support system nearer which is familiar to me. The disabled stidents allowance I think might just pay for say a computer or someone that you might need to help you like a note taker as a result of your disbility. If anyone knows anything that could help that would be great, thanks!

Katharine

MrsManda

I'm at UCL and really enjoying it
I don't think you'll be entitled to any extra funding in terms of accommodation costs as every student regardless of disability has to pay for accommodation and most of UCL's accommodation is close to the site. Have you looked into how much student funding you are entitled to? London students do get a higher rate of loans to reflect the higher living cost and also get grants from UCL themselves.
Also, as you have mentioned, DSA is likely to pay for a computer, your books, paper etc... so you'll have less general costs than students who don't qualify for this support.

You are also likely to be entitled to university accommodation throughout your degree if you are physically disabled and request it.
I recommend applying for DSA as soon as you can and contacting the UCL disability service who will be able to provide you with more information.
Their details are below.
HTH

The Student Disability Services (UCL)
Telephone: 020 7679 0100 (international callers: + 44 207679 0100)
Fax: 020 7916 8530
E-mail: [EMAIL="disability@ucl.ac.uk"]disability@ucl.ac.uk[/EMAIL]

Karfy

MrsManda wrote: »

I'm at UCL and really enjoying it
I don't think you'll be entitled to any extra funding in terms of accommodation costs as every student regardless of disability has to pay for accommodation and most of UCL's accommodation is close to the site. Have you looked into how much student funding you are entitled to? London students do get a higher rate of loans to reflect the higher living cost and also get grants from UCL themselves.
Also, as you have mentioned, DSA is likely to pay for a computer, your books, paper etc... so you'll have less general costs than students who don't qualify for this support.

You are also likely to be entitled to university accommodation throughout your degree if you are physically disabled and request it.
I recommend applying for DSA as soon as you can and contacting the UCL disability service who will be able to provide you with more information.
Their details are below.
HTH

The Student Disability Services (UCL)
Telephone: 020 7679 0100 (international callers: + 44 207679 0100)
Fax: 020 7916 8530
E-mail: [EMAIL="disability@ucl.ac.uk"]disability@ucl.ac.uk[/EMAIL]

hi, thanks for your reply. What are you studying? Thats great you are enjoying it. I will give the student disability services number a call, thanks. That would be great if I could stay in university accomodation throughout the degree I will have to speak to them about that. I just found out about the Access to learning fund which says it can provide extra help if you are in hardship and need extra financial help so I think I will talk to the uni about this.

3plus1

Karfy wrote: »

That would be great if I could stay in university accomodation throughout the degree I will have to speak to them about that

Depending on which college you apply to at Durham, you should be able to stay in halls all throughout your degree, disabled or not, if that's your preference. Most people just want to live in during their first year and maybe last year, so there will be capacity at most places for one person to live in for three/four years if given enough notice.

Karfy wrote: »

because I have a disability I would have to be in the accomodation which is really close

What kind of disability do you have and what subject do you want to study? The Bailey colleges are really close to the arts buildings, but the quick access is via a bridge with steps. If you had a wheelchair/scooter, you'd have to make a bit of a detour. The Hill colleges are really close to the science site and whilst they're on a hill, it's a flat slope. Hild Bede isn't really close to anything, and I probably wouldn't recommend that college to you!

It doesn't take long to get anywhere in Durham because it's so small. Students tend to be quite close knit, so I would imagine building up a new support network wouldn't be difficult for you.

Much of the city centre is heavily cobbled - you don't mention if your disability is of a physical or mental nature, so again, I don't know if this is worth flagging to you or not?

The cost of living is much cheaper in Durham, which is probably one of the main reasons why I took my Durham offer over my UCL one. Both universities have a good reputation, but London is an expensive place to be. Like you, I wanted to be close to everything and I didn't know if I could afford to do that in London.

From experience, if you're considering Durham and have queries, the best person to speak to regarding your circumstances would probably be the head tutor at the college you want to study at. They tend to have a senior role in student welfare and as such, have all sorts of useful contacts. Since many have been there for donkey's years, chances are, they will know someone who has the exact same disability as you, and as such, they will know what sort of extra support you might need. It's definitely worth an informal chat.