Your Disability and Inclusion Adviser is your key point of contact within the service. Their role is to work with you to identify and resolve barriers to your learning and participation in the University environment. They also have a good knowledge of other services on campus and can help connect you so you can make the most of everything the University has to offer. All Disability Advisers are allied health professionals who can work with you to identify and resolve barriers to your learning and participation in the University environment.

We will endeavour to assign you with one Disability Adviser for your time throughout University. Come to your appointments with your Adviser prepared so you can get the most from this valuable time.

Every student is given the opportunity to create a plan which brings together your study aims, future direction, strengths, development needs, learning style, other people/agencies involved in your support and details both your general support needs and course specific needs. It may help to think about your goals for the trimester before meeting with your Adviser. The plans are designed to empower you to take ownership of your experience of our service.

An Adaptive Technology and IT Adviser is available to provide advice on technology, advocacy when applying for funding for personal technology, training on using the computers and technology available on campus, and troubleshooting computer problems you may be having.

Alternative facilities are available to students who have needs relating to the sitting of tests or exams. These arrangements are recommended through your Disability and Inclusion Adviser, Doctor at Student Health or Counsellor at the Counselling Service and must be renewed each trimester. Examples of facilities include rest break time, extra time, use of a computer, small shared room, use of a Reader/Writer, use of ergonomic equipment, enlarged test/exam papers.

Click to display the Working with your Reader/Writer video.

A range of ergonomic equipment is available, from high and low back ergo chairs to kneelers, foot rests, lecturns and high tables to allow for standing study. All rest and study rooms have a full range of furniture and specific items are placed into lecture and tutorial rooms when required.

The role of an Academic Support Worker when providing library and/or research assistance is to undertake study related assistance, enabling students with disabilities to participate fully in the academic environment. Duties may include reading and describing text book and course materials for students, providing assistance in using library research tools, making notations, photocopying and assisting with the location and collection of study materials.

We have a small number of lockers available for loan at the Kelburn Campus, Library 3rd Floor. These are intended for students with medical or mobility impairments. For other campuses or those without a specific need VUWSA sells lockers on a first-come-first served basis at each campus. The cost is $50 for a full-year (including the summer trimester) or $20 for a single trimester. See the VUWSA office for details. www.vuwsa.org.nz

Mobility Parking is available for those students who are holders of CCS mobility cards or who have been assessed as needing mobility parking by a Disability and Inclusion Adviser. Parking is timetabled to fit in with students’ lecture/ tutorial and lab hours. There is a small cost for mobility parking.

Your Disability Adviser will assess which note-taking option best meets your needs based on discussion with you, and with reference to the course information and impairment information. Generally, these types of personalised note-taking are only available to those students with an impairment(s) which causes considerable barriers to accessing the lecture experience.

Personal Note-Taking

A student is employed to sit in the lecture to take specific handwritten notes for you. The student and note-taker are known to each other. The notes are available to you after each lecture.

Typed Note-Taking

A student is employed to take typed lecture notes for you. These are not full notes but are summaries of lecture content, similar to personal note taking but typed.

Electronic Note-Taking

A note-taker types directly into a laptop what is being said and the student reads this in a screen in front of them. This system gives better live/ immediate access for students who are unable to access oral or written information.

The rooms are places students can access ergonomic furniture, equipment, technology or amenities that are not provided in general University study spaces and are required by the individual to study effectively. These are quiet places to rest and study.

Sign language interpreters provide access to Deaf students who use New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) as their preferred language. Interpreters are qualified professionals who follow a strict code of Ethics. They will interpret the full content of lectures, tutorials or other events into NZSL. The will also interpret NZSL into English for those that are hearing.

If you think you might have a specific learning disability we can help you determine what is going on and what support you might need. We conduct screening tests for specific learning disability tendencies. We also work closely with Student Learning Support Service who can assist with learning strategies such as reading, study skills, note taking, essay writing and exam techniques. We recommend a small number of students each year to be assessed by our Educational Psychologist, who determines if specific learning disability traits are present. We then work closely with the student to implement the recommendations, which often include use of adaptive technology or individual support.

Vic Volunteers Note-taking (or Vic Vols) is the name of the volunteer note-taking system used by students who need to supplement their own note-taking in lectures with notes from a fellow student. For example, students may benefit from note-taking if they are unable to write full notes due to a physical impairment such as a hand injury or a specific learning disability such as dyslexia. Vic Volunteer notes are intended to complement information gathered from attending class, utilising blackboard and course readings.

The mobility van is a service developed to assist students with medical conditions and/or mobility impairments move more easily around campus and between campuses.

The Mobility Van service is generally limited to between-campus runs only and is not available for pick up from home to campus. Exceptions may be made for students unable to use public transport, living in a University hostel or to/from the Railway Station.