Providing evidence
What evidence is required to access University disability support and Disabled Students' Allowances.
Overview
To access University disability support and Disabled Students' Allowances, you need to provide DDSS with written evidence that your physical, mental or sensory impairment meets the Equality Act 2010 definition of a disability.
Evidence should show that your impairment:
- Is ‘long-term’ (has lasted - or is likely to last - 12 months or more)
- Has a ‘substantial’ effect on your ability to do normal daily activities
All evidence provided must:
- Be written by a medical/suitably qualified professional
- Be written in clear English or accompanied by a fully certified translation into English by a professional translator/translation company
- Provide a clear diagnosis or working diagnosis of a specific impairment/condition in simple terms which we can easily convert into academic support requirements
If you don't have this evidence please send us the evidence you've got. We may be able to put some support in place for you on an interim basis and we’ll advise you on how to obtain more evidence.
Send us your evidence as early as possible. This will maximise your chance of having access to support from the start of your course.
If you do need more evidence, we may advise you to wait until you’re registered as a student at the university to get this. We can then offer you more support to obtain this evidence, and in many cases can meet the costs of doing so too.
Evidence required for specific learning difference/difficulty (eg dyslexia)
Evidence required
If you have a SpLD, you must provide an SpLD diagnostic assessment report that contains a clear diagnosis.
If you don’t have this evidence
You can organise an SpLD diagnostic assessment before you arrive at University. You would have to fund the cost of this assessment. Visit the page below for information on how to organise an assessment.
Evidence required for all other conditions (including mental health difficulties, medical conditions, autism, ADHD, sensory impairments
Evidence required
You must provide diagnostic evidence confirming the impairment/condition from an appropriate medical professional (eg a doctor, a consultant, a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist).
Evidence would usually be in the form of a letter or a report and should explain the impact this condition has on your day-to-day life and studies.
If you don’t have this evidence
We recommend that you ask an appropriate medical professional to complete the form below, and then send this to us.
DDSS applicant evidence form (PDF, 116KB)
Sending your evidence
Send your evidence to disability.info@sheffield.ac.uk.
We'll check this and then email you to advise on the next steps you need to take to access disability support.