BSc Chemistry
“I didn’t really know what ‘reasonable adjustments’ were before I spoke to the Disability Advisory Service. Working with them has made studying much easier.”
Tony is part the of the Imperial Inclusive personae project. To find out more about Tony and to meet other personae visit the Inclusive Personae website.
Working with DAS
I studied for my International Baccalaureate in the UK but moving to university was still a big deal. Things are so different here, the way you are expected to work, the pressures to perform academically and the social pressures are huge. As well as the pressure from my family in China to do well and get a good job when I graduate. This is all made extra hard by the symptoms of Long Covid so the welfare tutor in my department suggested I talk to DAS and it has made a real difference.
Through their website I was able to get the relevant information and then discuss it with an advisor to work out what extra help I might need.
Tony's Adjustments
In my appointment with the disability advisor, we discussed my symptoms and decided what adjustments might be helpful. They then put that into a form called an SRAD (suggested reasonable adjustment document) which was sent to my department so they could make sure I got the right support.
The adjustments were a really simple recommendation that I take regular rest breaks from work and study. To facilitate this, I got a referral for one-on-one inclusive technology training so I could explore digital tools for planning my breaks, and I started study mentoring which helped manage family pressure to do well as well as with planning and time management.
The process
