Supporting students with physical or mobility impairment

As with other disabilities, the nature and severity of difficulties is individual to the student.

Some students may use wheelchairs, others may need assistance with daily living, taking notes or accessing the library. Some students will have mobility difficulties which will make it challenging for them to access stairs or to sit for long periods. Students may have difficulty with manual dexterity including using a keyboard or completing practical experiments.

The physical environment usually forms the greatest barrier for these students.

Adjustments you can make

• Ensure rooms are accessible.
• Allow additional time to move between lectures and classes.
• Provide a notetaker, recorded lectures or a scribe.
• Help to undertake experiments (eg. a partner or another student who would follow direction).
• Be aware of assistive technology students may use with their studies, eg. voice recognition software, adapted keyboards etc.