Autism at University of Liverpool

Hi, I am planning on starting University of Liverpool in September, I hold an offer but I have multiple disabilities including ASD. And I require quite a lot of support

I have spoke to disability services while visiting and I they seem helpful and it seemed really good for my other disabilities. But I wanted to hear from students with autism that are studying there on specific support available and how they have been regarding Autism.

Ik about DSA but just want to know people experiences before deciding to spend 3/4 years of my life at a uni where I won’t be supported.

Reply 1

Anonymous #2

Hi.. it’s good you’ve spoken to the university about the support. I would highly recommend you get a needs assessment done and look in to getting your DSA support in place asap - it can take a while to get the ball rolling! With ASC/ASD you are allocated a Specialist Mentor who is specifically qualified and trained to work with students on the autistic spectrum. It’s not so much a case of studying for 3-4 years without support, it’s just making sure that when you have your needs assessment done you are not just dished out to a large agency but to a provider who actually cares about their students! Let me know if you need help with this - I can definitely make recommendations 🙂

Reply 2

Alex095

Late reply but I was searching Google for the experience of other students at the university of Liverpool to see if their experience has been as bad as mine. I'm a current student in my final year at Liverpool, I have autism and a disability support plan.

On paper the support offered seems great, but the reality is different. Contrary to the reply above, I haven't received a specialist mentor. I do exams in a smaller room but unfortunately the university and invigilators don't seem to take this seriously - I've had exams where the papers weren't supplied, where necessary equipment was confiscated, and where the invigilators talked and laughed amongst themselves. I've had exams where I wasn't told the correct room, and when I arrived at the correct room, was too late to participate. I've complained several times but nobody seems to care.

The counselling services are incredibly difficult to access and the process isn't neurodivergent friendly. Every year I've attempted to access counselling and been unsuccessful. I've been ignored and forgotten.

I was also unimpressed by the quality of teaching during my time here. Equations have been given wrong in lecture slides, resulting in learning the wrong stuff. I've had lectures say we don't need to memorise equations, then during the final exam it becomes apparent we needed to memorise them. I've had a lecturer tell us that how he marks our work will change depending on what mood he's in.

It has the potential to be a great uni, but I think currently it's in decline and clinging onto it's Russel group status. I regret picking Liverpool.