Disability support
Support for students with disabilities is offered by the Disability Advisory and Support Service (DASS).
DASS offers short 20-minute appointments with a Disability Advisor. To book an appointment, contact DASS.
Your Student Support Administrators act as Disability Coordinators.
Guidance for PGRs funded by UKRI
If you are undertaking a Research Council-funded studentship, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will help cover additional costs for any study-related requirements as a result of disability, mental health problem or a specific learning difficulty requiring additional support.
UKRI can cover the cost of:
- non-medical personal assistance
- items of specialist equipment
- extra travel costs
- general expenses.
Visit the UKRI website for more information: Funding for research training.
How to apply
To request UKRI support, you should register with DASS and provide details of your studentship award (start and end date and grant reference number). You can obtain this information from your Programme Administrator.
A Needs Assessment will be carried out by DASS. They will approve the level of disability support allowance (DSA) required, and make arrangements to provide personal support services and/or equipment.
Please note that you are not entitled to receive DSA during an interruption to your studies.
Introduction to PGR for Disabled PGRs
Starting a PhD is an exciting time, but it can be daunting too. Managing a disability or chronic condition alongside a PhD can feel especially challenging at times, and we recognise that our disabled PhD students might have different or additional requirements from an induction. It is important to us at Manchester that all our students are treated equitably and are supported to achieve their best during their time here.
This session is designed to make sure all disabled PGRs know what support is available to them and how to access it, to discuss study skills and hear about best practice for doing research with a range of different impairments, listen to advice from disabled academic staff and current PhD students, meet your peers, and ask questions about anything that's on your mind to do with starting your PhD. Register here for the next available session.
You may also be interested in joining the Challenging Reseach network. The network was set up as a supportive community for disabled PGRs at Manchester, a place where students can come together and share experiences and knowledge without the need to mask how their disability affects them.