Disability/chronic illness support?
I’m in year 12 and starting to look at which universities to apply to, however, recently my health has plummeted and although I would’ve had to consider a unis support before, now it is absolutely crucial.
For a bit of background, I have POTS, ASD, ADHD, and now suspected me/cfs. I have been really struggling with college, my college is only 4 days a week, but I have had to cut my timetable down even more recently. I’ve had to stop almost everything I enjoy, just to be able to handle the bare minimum of my studies. I used to study almost everyday, for hours (with breaks ofc!!), and now, I’m lucky if I can do my homework for 3 hours 2 days a week, and attend for 2 full days + 2 half days. In January I think I managed about 7 days at college in the whole month, because I could just barely get out of bed.
I was wondering if anyone could comment on how support is/was for them at specific unis? Currently I’m looking specifically into Bath, Liverpool, Nottingham, UEA, Leeds, Durham, (perhaps Oxford…?), and Queen’s Belfast, but am unsure as to how my receiving support could look at university other than DSA, and which unis tend to be best with this stuff.
For a bit of background, I have POTS, ASD, ADHD, and now suspected me/cfs. I have been really struggling with college, my college is only 4 days a week, but I have had to cut my timetable down even more recently. I’ve had to stop almost everything I enjoy, just to be able to handle the bare minimum of my studies. I used to study almost everyday, for hours (with breaks ofc!!), and now, I’m lucky if I can do my homework for 3 hours 2 days a week, and attend for 2 full days + 2 half days. In January I think I managed about 7 days at college in the whole month, because I could just barely get out of bed.
I was wondering if anyone could comment on how support is/was for them at specific unis? Currently I’m looking specifically into Bath, Liverpool, Nottingham, UEA, Leeds, Durham, (perhaps Oxford…?), and Queen’s Belfast, but am unsure as to how my receiving support could look at university other than DSA, and which unis tend to be best with this stuff.
Reply 1
Hey there!
I can see that you reacted to one of my other replies on another thread about a very similar topic, so I thought it might be worth giving you some advice here too, specifically about UEA! 🙂
I'm a third year (currently on a year abroad) ecology student, and I have diagnosed ME/CFS and fibromyalgia, but suspected POTS, EDS and ASD, so I can definitely relate to some of your struggles and concerns. It's great that you're considering UEA, and, objectively speaking, it is a fantastic place to study for disabled students, they recently performed really well in the Disabled Students UK 2025 Access Insights Report, which you can look at in more detail, if you're interested. I have friends who went to other universities that may have benefitted from more support, but I have several disabled friends at UEA who can also testify as to their fab disability services!
Speaking from personal experience too, I can say that the support I have received at UEA has been incredible, they have a wonderful disability service, which has been able to put a lot of support in place for me, both during exams and during lectures/classes, but they have been fantastic in supporting me personally, too. Some of the accommodations I recieve include:
These things have helped me enormously during my time at university, and have made it much more accessible for me! On top of that, they have also supported me in DSA applications, as well as other funding applications during my study abroad year. I've spoken to them when I've had concerns about field trips, personal issues such as bereavements, or just been overwhelmed, and they're all such lovely people- I really cannot recommend them enough! These are also just the accommodations that I access, I know that some people have accessed disabled lift passes, disabled toilet passes etc through the disability service, so it is well worth talking through the support that you might benefit from. You can also set up support in advance, so you can put provisions in place before you even arrive at university
I can see from one of your other posts that you're interested in the biological sciences or chemistry. I study ecology and conservation, so I am within the school of biological sciences (BIO), so I can comment on that, too! The staff are wonderful, and if you have any concerns about how a lab might look for you, what to do if you can't attend a lecture etc, it is worth talking to them, and making them aware of the sorts of things you might struggle with, they will also be able to provide individual support within their modules. You will also be assigned an academic advisor within your school, who you can talk to as well if you have any concerns. They can help you with things such as assessment feedback, understanding assignment tasks, and accessing extensions. Additionally, BIO has a Disability Liason Officer, who you can reach out to if you ever have any concerns about accessibility within the school.
The university also has a wonderful disabled students community and support system for disabled students. There is a disabled students society, as well as support groups such as the ASD peer support group, which you may find useful!
Regarding lecture setup, within BIO, you will normally have a mix of seminars, labs and lectures. For some sessions such as labs, there may be 2 different session running, due to the amount of people/lab space available, if this is the case, you may be able to switch to the one that suits you best (I had to do this in my first year!). You will likely have sessions most days of the week, however, I have definitely had days that are busier than others, so not every day is a 9-5! I've had some free days, or some with only one or two lectures, but you can always speak to people if you're worried about the amount of contact hours!
I've had a great time at UEA thanks to their disability support so I hope this can give you a bit of reassurance! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns, I'm happy to help!
Jas
UEA Rep
I can see that you reacted to one of my other replies on another thread about a very similar topic, so I thought it might be worth giving you some advice here too, specifically about UEA! 🙂
I'm a third year (currently on a year abroad) ecology student, and I have diagnosed ME/CFS and fibromyalgia, but suspected POTS, EDS and ASD, so I can definitely relate to some of your struggles and concerns. It's great that you're considering UEA, and, objectively speaking, it is a fantastic place to study for disabled students, they recently performed really well in the Disabled Students UK 2025 Access Insights Report, which you can look at in more detail, if you're interested. I have friends who went to other universities that may have benefitted from more support, but I have several disabled friends at UEA who can also testify as to their fab disability services!
Speaking from personal experience too, I can say that the support I have received at UEA has been incredible, they have a wonderful disability service, which has been able to put a lot of support in place for me, both during exams and during lectures/classes, but they have been fantastic in supporting me personally, too. Some of the accommodations I recieve include:
•
Extra time in exams
•
Rest breaks in exams
•
Smaller rooms for exams
•
The option to audio-record lectures to watch back later
•
Access to 21 day extensions on assignments if my condition flares (without the need for a doctors note), but 7 day self-certified extensions are available to everyone
•
More detailed feedback on assessments
•
A disabled parking pass, meaning that I can park in a few locations across campus
I can see from one of your other posts that you're interested in the biological sciences or chemistry. I study ecology and conservation, so I am within the school of biological sciences (BIO), so I can comment on that, too! The staff are wonderful, and if you have any concerns about how a lab might look for you, what to do if you can't attend a lecture etc, it is worth talking to them, and making them aware of the sorts of things you might struggle with, they will also be able to provide individual support within their modules. You will also be assigned an academic advisor within your school, who you can talk to as well if you have any concerns. They can help you with things such as assessment feedback, understanding assignment tasks, and accessing extensions. Additionally, BIO has a Disability Liason Officer, who you can reach out to if you ever have any concerns about accessibility within the school.
The university also has a wonderful disabled students community and support system for disabled students. There is a disabled students society, as well as support groups such as the ASD peer support group, which you may find useful!
Regarding lecture setup, within BIO, you will normally have a mix of seminars, labs and lectures. For some sessions such as labs, there may be 2 different session running, due to the amount of people/lab space available, if this is the case, you may be able to switch to the one that suits you best (I had to do this in my first year!). You will likely have sessions most days of the week, however, I have definitely had days that are busier than others, so not every day is a 9-5! I've had some free days, or some with only one or two lectures, but you can always speak to people if you're worried about the amount of contact hours!
I've had a great time at UEA thanks to their disability support so I hope this can give you a bit of reassurance! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns, I'm happy to help!
Jas
UEA Rep
Reply 2
Original post
by ophie!!I’m in year 12 and starting to look at which universities to apply to, however, recently my health has plummeted and although I would’ve had to consider a unis support before, now it is absolutely crucial.
For a bit of background, I have POTS, ASD, ADHD, and now suspected me/cfs. I have been really struggling with college, my college is only 4 days a week, but I have had to cut my timetable down even more recently. I’ve had to stop almost everything I enjoy, just to be able to handle the bare minimum of my studies. I used to study almost everyday, for hours (with breaks ofc!!), and now, I’m lucky if I can do my homework for 3 hours 2 days a week, and attend for 2 full days + 2 half days. In January I think I managed about 7 days at college in the whole month, because I could just barely get out of bed.
I was wondering if anyone could comment on how support is/was for them at specific unis? Currently I’m looking specifically into Bath, Liverpool, Nottingham, UEA, Leeds, Durham, (perhaps Oxford…?), and Queen’s Belfast, but am unsure as to how my receiving support could look at university other than DSA, and which unis tend to be best with this stuff.
For a bit of background, I have POTS, ASD, ADHD, and now suspected me/cfs. I have been really struggling with college, my college is only 4 days a week, but I have had to cut my timetable down even more recently. I’ve had to stop almost everything I enjoy, just to be able to handle the bare minimum of my studies. I used to study almost everyday, for hours (with breaks ofc!!), and now, I’m lucky if I can do my homework for 3 hours 2 days a week, and attend for 2 full days + 2 half days. In January I think I managed about 7 days at college in the whole month, because I could just barely get out of bed.
I was wondering if anyone could comment on how support is/was for them at specific unis? Currently I’m looking specifically into Bath, Liverpool, Nottingham, UEA, Leeds, Durham, (perhaps Oxford…?), and Queen’s Belfast, but am unsure as to how my receiving support could look at university other than DSA, and which unis tend to be best with this stuff.
Hi there!
I'm a second year Psychology student at Durham and I love it here. Having transferred here from another university because of a lack of disability support, I have found the support from Durham to be unmatched. For context, I am a student with ASD and anxiety, so I can relate to some of the worries you've outlined in this post. ☺️
First thing I'd like to mention is about the way that timetabling works. On my course, we have a mix of lectures, tutorials and workshops, alongside things like drop-in sessions for extra support. Lectures are not mandatory for attendance, though tutorials and workshops are: we usually only have one of these sessions per week, so they only account for an hour or two. Despite this, if you are unable to attend these sessions, this is something you could discuss with the Disability Support Team - my plan establishes that my attendance may suffer in difficult periods, which is a nice fall-back to have in place. Generally, contact hours are only around 8-10 hours a week, but this may vary by course - what is it that you're looking to study?
Disability support at Durham University is amazing, and can implement a range of interventions to support your study - over 25% of students at Durham are disabled, and henceforth it is a top priority to support their success! You can read about the specific types of support offered here: https://www.durham.ac.uk/colleges-and-student-experience/student-support-and-wellbeing/disability-support/what-support-we-offer/. Additionally, there are schemes such as the Early Arrival Programme for students, to ensure a smooth transition into university life and teaching. You can read about experiences of past students who have used Disability Support here: https://www.durham.ac.uk/colleges-and-student-experience/student-support-and-wellbeing/disability-support/student-stories/.
In my experience, all of my needs and worries were attended to and supported. Durham creates a 'Disability Support Plan' which is sent out to staff, making them aware of any help you might need. My plan covers things like extra time in exams, regular breaks in lectures, smaller exam rooms, extensions in assignments and more. There is no issue that you couldn't bring up with the staff - they're super attentive and really try their best to help you out. I also have meetings scheduled throughout the semesters, to ensure that if any new issues crop up, they can be addressed suitably.
The support Durham has offered me has allowed my time at University to be smooth-sailing and really enjoyable. I always know that support is just an email way, which is very reassuring, especially amidst stressful periods.
I hope this has given you some insight to the support available at Durham, let me know if you have any further questions & I'd be happy to help. 😊
-Rosie (DU Representative)
Reply 3
Hello!
I hate to be a downer and discourage you from applying to Oxford... but it's worth bearing in mind that Oxford terms are relentless. There's a hefty workload and if you get behind (for whatever reason: be it a relationship break-up, a broken bone, or Fresher's Flu, let alone something like ME/CFS), then it can be really hard to catch up
If you are strongly considering Oxford (due to liking the course content and structure and teaching style for your chosen subject(s)), I'd urge you to get in touch with the disability office. Find out as much as you can about what support you can expect from them if you apply, get an offer and start there. I would especially urge you to find out what reasonable adjustments can be made for exams, and whether your health conditions would be factored appropriately into your final degree classification.
If you do apply and get an offer, just remember that doesn't mean you *have* to accept it. If you apply and choose to go there, make sure you go in with all the info you need and your eyes wide open
Good luck!
I hate to be a downer and discourage you from applying to Oxford... but it's worth bearing in mind that Oxford terms are relentless. There's a hefty workload and if you get behind (for whatever reason: be it a relationship break-up, a broken bone, or Fresher's Flu, let alone something like ME/CFS), then it can be really hard to catch up
If you are strongly considering Oxford (due to liking the course content and structure and teaching style for your chosen subject(s)), I'd urge you to get in touch with the disability office. Find out as much as you can about what support you can expect from them if you apply, get an offer and start there. I would especially urge you to find out what reasonable adjustments can be made for exams, and whether your health conditions would be factored appropriately into your final degree classification.
If you do apply and get an offer, just remember that doesn't mean you *have* to accept it. If you apply and choose to go there, make sure you go in with all the info you need and your eyes wide open
Good luck!
Reply 4
i have a physical chronic disability and was looking at Queens Belfast, and I found quite a few things that put me off disability wise (not adapting lectures, not accessible rooms for things etc)
Reply 5
Original post
by ophie!!I’m in year 12 and starting to look at which universities to apply to, however, recently my health has plummeted and although I would’ve had to consider a unis support before, now it is absolutely crucial.
For a bit of background, I have POTS, ASD, ADHD, and now suspected me/cfs. I have been really struggling with college, my college is only 4 days a week, but I have had to cut my timetable down even more recently. I’ve had to stop almost everything I enjoy, just to be able to handle the bare minimum of my studies. I used to study almost everyday, for hours (with breaks ofc!!), and now, I’m lucky if I can do my homework for 3 hours 2 days a week, and attend for 2 full days + 2 half days. In January I think I managed about 7 days at college in the whole month, because I could just barely get out of bed.
I was wondering if anyone could comment on how support is/was for them at specific unis? Currently I’m looking specifically into Bath, Liverpool, Nottingham, UEA, Leeds, Durham, (perhaps Oxford…?), and Queen’s Belfast, but am unsure as to how my receiving support could look at university other than DSA, and which unis tend to be best with this stuff.
For a bit of background, I have POTS, ASD, ADHD, and now suspected me/cfs. I have been really struggling with college, my college is only 4 days a week, but I have had to cut my timetable down even more recently. I’ve had to stop almost everything I enjoy, just to be able to handle the bare minimum of my studies. I used to study almost everyday, for hours (with breaks ofc!!), and now, I’m lucky if I can do my homework for 3 hours 2 days a week, and attend for 2 full days + 2 half days. In January I think I managed about 7 days at college in the whole month, because I could just barely get out of bed.
I was wondering if anyone could comment on how support is/was for them at specific unis? Currently I’m looking specifically into Bath, Liverpool, Nottingham, UEA, Leeds, Durham, (perhaps Oxford…?), and Queen’s Belfast, but am unsure as to how my receiving support could look at university other than DSA, and which unis tend to be best with this stuff.
Hi there,
Firstly, well done for pushing on with college with some really good prospects such as aspiring to apply to those prestigious universities! I remember how overwhelming it felt when navigating university choices when going through declining health and receiving diagnosis's. For some context, I sustained a brain injury just before coming to university, causing me to defer and reapply which is how I decided to come to Swansea!
Since coming to Swansea I have felt so supported. The wellbeing and disabilities team have been truly fantastic and have gone above and beyond in helping me reach my potential within my studies. I have an array of support for exams and marking considerations on assignments. Midway through my first exam period, I realised I needed more support in exams which they were able to put in place for the rest of that exam period.
I feel so supported; not just in the academic side but also in my general wellbeing. I know the wellbeing team are there genuinely to help and I feel really lucky to be in such a caring environment.
Overall, my experience with Swansea has really been amazing, especially in regards to disability/wellbeing support and I truly would recommend to anyone. I would also say that taking a year out for my health was really beneficial too, so be careful to not put too much pressure on yourself because ultimately you have to put your health first.
I wish you all the best for the future, and if you have any questions let me know!
Lucy (first year law student at Swansea)
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