Your funding body will usually ask you to have a needs assessment at an approved centre to make recommendations for your DSA. They need information about the support available at Oxford Brookes.
Information for your needs assessment
Does the University have any networked assistive software that students can use?
All software is subject to change as a result of annual licence review / renewal and as such DSA assessors should not rely on it being available for the duration of a student's course.
- ClaroRead and Writing Helper are available for windows devices.
- Inspiration v9 and Mindview v7 are available on campus and some students may be able to access off campus (these are not the most up to date versions).
- SuperNova may be available for a short-term loan.
- Glean/Genio available for short-term loan
- Dragon v15 is available to students with a particular need, in the Assistive Technology Suite.
All students can register for Learning Labs AT support portal (does not include Mental Wellbeing) for tutorials about using AT software and browser extension.
Are there any grants/bursaries that are provided by the University to support students?
Enrolled students who have been asked by their DSA funding body to pay £200 towards a computer can apply for a reimbursement of this amount. For the academic year 2025/26, students on eligible courses whose family income has been means-tested by the Student Loans Company for undergraduate funding as below £45,000 or who receive the Brookes Bursary can apply for this via the Inclusive Support Service.
Do you provide study skills/mentoring support and is this delivered by qualified personnel?
Yes. For more information, please refer to our website:
Can students access other types of non-medical helpers, such as practical support assistants or library assistants?
Where possible, we try to work with programme staff to ensure teaching is as inclusive as possible; reducing the need for individual support of this type. Where it is needed, we liaise with the external providers of specialist support to assist with the arrangements for support.
How do students access an alternative format?
There is a dedicated web page for information about accessing digital resources
What assistance do you offer for students who have a difficulty with note taking associated with their disability or specific learning difficulty?
With our new digital classroom technologies, including Zoom for online meetings and the Panopto video library for storage, staff have the ability to record their lectures and post them online. This provision is available across the University for all members of staff. However, not all sessions are required to be recorded therefore personal recording devices should also be considered.
Are students provided with Microsoft Office?
Enrolled Brookes students can have Microsoft Office 365 for free for the duration of the course. This includes access to the full Office suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Onenote, etc) for up to five different PCs, five tablets including iPad, Android or Windows, plus five phones. Also included is 1TB of cloud storage.
To take advantage of this offer, please visit this Microsoft website. Students need to select the "Students" tab and enter their Brookes email address. This will trigger an email to the Brookes address asking for verification.
If you would like to know more about this offer, please contact the IT Service Desk.
Do you provide specialist 1-1 study skills support in Swindon?
We can provide 1-1 study skills support to students based at the Swindon Campus through our in-house provision. This may be via remote support
What about the recommendations for the University in the needs assessment report?
Recommendations for Higher Education institutions made in needs assessment reports are provided for guidance. Each university has their own policies and procedures and makes the final decision about reasonable adjustments. If a student has a query about the recommendations made or would like to discuss an addition or change to their Inclusive Support Plan, we would ask them to contact us.
Can a student have extensions to coursework deadlines?
When assessing a student's needs for their Inclusive Support Plan, we consider whether they may have difficulty meeting deadlines. A one, two or three week deadline may be added. Students who have an Inclusive Support Plan (ISP) for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia can have an extension of up to one week for coursework (deadline assessments). There are some exceptions where the extension cannot be applied, for example event assessments (exams, presentations or timed tests) or when there is not adequate time to allow for marking before the Exam Committee meets.
If you are unsure if it is applicable to a particular piece of work, please refer to the the module guide or check with the module leader or another relevant course tutor.
“I wish I had reached out for the extra (mentoring and study skills) support sooner, but am thankful for the time that I had. The university provides extremely good support to those with disabilities.”
Student