Policies and legislation
University of Nottingham policy is underpinned by current legislation, the Equality Act 2010.
The Equality Act 2010 states that disability is viewed as a protected characteristic, but what do we mean by the term 'disability'?
The definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010 refers to anyone who may have:
...a physical or mental impairment that has a 'substantial' and 'long-term' negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.
In this context, the terms 'substantial' and 'long-term' are explained as:
'substantial' is more than minor or trivial e.g. it takes much longer than it usually would to complete a daily task like getting dressed.
'long-term' means likely to last for 12-months or more, e.g. a breathing condition that develops as a result of a lung infection.
Therefore, if you have a mental health difficulty, long-term medical condition, autistic spectrum disorder, or a specific learning difference such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia or ADHD you can access support from the Disability Support Services Team.
The Equality Act 2010 Legislation
The Equality Act came into force on 1 October 2010 and brought together separate pieces of equality legislation into one single Act to provide a legal framework to protect the rights of individuals and advance equality of opportunity for all.
The Act protects people against discrimination, harassment or victimisation based on nine protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
The University of Nottingham is strongly committed to the principles outlined in the Act and is focused on providing an accessible and inclusive environment for students in line with our anticipatory duty supported, where necessary, by appropriate reasonable adjustments to facilitate, learning, living and independence.
Equality Act 2010 in full
University of Nottingham Policies
Specific policies which may be relevant to students with a disability or long term health condition are shown below.
These policies are regularly reviewed to ensure that they are up to date and are in line with legislative requirements and also the Quality Assurance Agency's Quality Code for Higher Education.
Teaching and Learning
University policies relating to teaching and learning are contained within the Quality Manual.
Medical Evidence
Evidence that can be accepted to support a disability disclosure and for reasonable adjustments to be put in place.
Admissions
Information on the application process including pre-entry meetings, open days and interviews
How applications are assessed including flexible admissions policy and extenuating circumstances
Assessments
How to bring to the attention of the University, circumstances having a detrimental impact on studies
Institutional and individual responsibilities, reasonable adjustments and requests for extensions to coursework and assignment deadlines
Organising reasonable adjustments covering exams, coursework or other assessments for disabled students or those with long-term health conditions
Legibility of examination papers and assessments and reasonable adjustments for students with dyslexia, other types of disability or long-term medical conditions
Guidance on the when short term arrangements can be put in place
Disability Support Services Privacy Statement
We hold a range of personal data about you including disability related information. This data may have been provided to the University by you directly or it may have come from a third party such as UCAS or the Student Loans Company. Data relating to a disability is termed sensitive data.
Your information is securely held by the support team for disabled students and will be treated confidentially and appropriately under the terms of the Data Protection Act and the University’s Data Protection Policy.
We hold disability related information to enable us to make reasonable adjustments in relation to your disability, specific learning difference, mental health issue and/or long-term health condition. In order to ensure this support is effective we may need to share your data with colleagues in different areas of the University such as:
- Academic Schools (including personal tutors, module convenors, Disability Liaison Officers and laboratory) to ensure relevant colleagues are aware of recommended reasonable adjustments
- The Examination Office for special examination arrangements
- The Accommodation Office to make specific room allocations and adaptations where necessary
- Other Administrative and Support Services, including School Welfare Officers and the Support Worker Service, for the purposes of support.
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list.
We may also need to share information externally with:
- Funding bodies, such as the Student Loan Company
- Placement or study abroad partners, both inside and outside the EU
We keep your data in accordance with the University of Nottingham retention schedule.
If we are holding information about you that is incorrect, you have the right for it to be corrected. Please email disability-supportservices@nottingham.ac.uk.
You can ask that we delete your data and where this is appropriate we will take reasonable steps to do so. However, you should be aware this will affect the support that the University can provide. Some information will need to be retained in order for the University to meet its legal obligations.
The University of Nottingham Privacy Statement
University of Nottingham Policy Finder
The Policy Finder is a resource to help staff and students find any university-approved policy, as well as other key information such as governance statements and discipline and grievance processes.
It is particularly helpful for highlighting Tier 1 policies – the policies that colleagues and students need to be aware of from the start of their contract or study to fulfil their responsibilities e.g. GDPR and data management requirements, health and safety, and equality, diversity and inclusion policies.
You can access the Policy Finder here