Disability Office News
Exam arrangements drop in day
The deadline for new requests for special exam arrangements (SEA) is Friday 22nd February 2013
The disability service is holding two open days for students to make requests for any SEA they might require on Wednesday 30th and Thursday 31st January at the Vernon Square campus. Appointments are available between 10.30am and 12.30pm, and there will be a drop in (no appointment necessary) both days between 1.30pm-2.30pm. Please contact studentservices@soas.ac.uk if you wish to make an appointment.
This event is targeted at students who are not already known to the disability services. Students who have existing special exam arrangements in place do not need to attend this event unless they believe their condition has changed so that current arrangements are no longer suitable.
Disabled Students Allowance
If you have already been receiving the DSA please remember you will need to apply again for 2012/13 as follows (you do not need to resubmit your evidence):
- Undergraduates who are full-time and also getting 'core' student finance (loan/grant): you do not need to do a separate DSA application provided that you have ticked the DSA box on your student loan application form. In that case your DSA will be automatically renewed, However, if you have missed ticking that box then you should fill in the short form DSASL 12/13
- Everyone else: you should fill in the long form DSA1F 12/13 which needs to be countersigned by us - if you complete and send it to us we can sign and post it to Student Finance England (or other funding body).
If you are coming to SOAS in September for the first time please do apply for the DSA in plenty of time. It really helps if you have it in place before you start. If you need any advice on this please contact Caroline, the disability administrator, on disabilities@soas.ac.uk
Student run self help group
SOAS students have set up and are running the following groups:
AD(H)D
An information and social networking site for students with AD(H)D was launched this year at www.addstudy.org Addstudy has also been holding student-run support group meetings on campus. Please contact Zoe zd@soas.ac.uk if you would like to join a mailing list to hear more about these events.
Chronic Support Group
The group is primarily aimed at students with chronic, long term or serious health conditions which have an impact on their daily life. Whether these result in fatigue, mobility problems, depression or the feeling of isolation caused by a long term illness. The group is useful for exploring some of the problems relevant to studying alongside managing a long-term health problem. The group discusses various areas such as time management, how to alert your lecturer to your situation, or how to cope with being ill, but the discussion can also focus on more specific problems. The group is confidential and run by students, and provides a safe environment in which to explore anxieties, concerns and strategies for coping. For more information on this group and to find out when it meets please contact chronic.soas@gmail.com
Tea and Empathy
For more information on this group and to find out when it meets please contact Alex Fulton, the student union welfare officer on af20@soas.ac.uk
