Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) include Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Attention Deficit Disorder/ Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder, Dyscalculia and Dysgraphia and other unnamed cognitive differences. This survival guide is designed to give you some useful tips and tricks for studying at ULIP! This guide will be of particular help to SpLD students, but may be helpful to anyone.
Know your diagnosis and what you are entitled to. After your formal diagnosis and ‘Needs Assessment’ you should have documentation that lists what you are entitled to during your time at university. You should also have a section on your ‘Mysis’ account that lists your required exam conditions. Entitlements and Conditions may include: an online SpLD cover note pdf to include with all your coursework and exam submissions, right to record in lectures, right to print with yellow paper, right to access lecture material in advance of the lecture, skype appointments with a study skills tutor arranged via Queen Mary’s, extra time in exams, use of a laptop in exams, a reader or a scribe in exams, rest breaks in exams, a private room for exams etc.
Know who to contact for support. Introduce yourself or at least be aware of people at ULIP who are here to help you with your educational needs. For example, the Students Services team located on the ground floor to the right of the entrance foyer. The librarian, located in the library on the 1st floor (our official 2019-2020 librarian will start working in October therefore contact Student Services for library queries in the meantime), and your Student’s Union Education Officer Bea Kessedjian who you can either find in her office hours in the SU office located by the entrance to the basement on the left or via email (su.education@ulip.lon.ac.uk).
Keep up to date with events/support workshops throughout the year. Look out for emails and notices on boards in the basement and social media for events, meetings and workshops tailored to your learning needs. For example, there are regular student support meetings held for SpLD students where you can share and discuss how things are going, get study tips off other students or vent about your deadline stresses, your peers and Education officer will try and provide some guidance and moral support! Annual or biannual (to be confirmed) Study Skills workshops for SpLD students will also be provided by Katie Tidmarsh and Mental Health workshops specifically for SpLD students will be held by our university counsellor Christopher Butler. These workshops are specifically for SplD students but as we are a small university we can often accommodate non SpLD students.
