Long-Term Health conditions

DDS Team give advice on the support they give for Long-Term Health conditions

Support for students with long-term health conditions at Queen Mary

Many people may not be aware that long-term health conditions such as long Covid, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (e.g. Crohn’s Disease, ulcerative colitis) and sickle cell anaemia are considered disabilities under the Equality Act, even if they are well managed.

Last year, for example, 371 students reported to us that they had a “long standing illness or health condition such as cancer, HIV, diabetes, chronic heart disease, or epilepsy”.

The Equality Act definition of a disability is a long-term condition that affects day-to-day living, with “long-term” being defined as something that will last more than twelve months. As such, many students who have been diagnosed with long-term health conditions since childhood may be unaware that they are eligible for support from the university in terms of what the Equality Act refers to as ‘reasonable adjustments’.

 

What kind of support would I be eligible for?

The university’s principal service for supporting students with disabilities is the Disability and Dyslexia Service, who are based in our Student Experience directorate. Students can find out more about the service, including how to make an appointment by visiting their website https://dds.qmul.ac.uk/

Amongst the support that students may be eligible for would be what are known at Queen Mary as ‘Examination Access Arrangements’, e.g. extra time, as well as advice on how to apply for Extenuating Circumstances should their condition flare up prior to an assignment deadline, or any other form of assessment.

Information about how to apply for exam arrangements can be found here

The university’s advice guide for applying for Extenuating Circumstances can be found here 

Home students with long-term health conditions may also be eligible for a Disabled Student’s Allowance; this support is provided through Student Finance England and its regional equivalents on a non-means tested basis. Click here for more information about how to apply.

 

Recent News

Elections Giveaway Winners

Tue 04 Mar 2025

As a thank you for voting in the Elections, voters were entered into the Great Elections Giveaway. We're plea

 
Ethical & Sustainable Investments Student Forum

Mon 03 Mar 2025

We're launching a new space to work together to tackle issues and share ideas relating to ethical and sustaina

 
LGBTQIA+ History Month 2025: Activism and Social Change

Wed 26 Feb 2025

LGBTQIA+ History Month was established by the LGBTQ+ education charity Schools OUT in 2004 and observed for th

 
Our Women's Fencing are our first fencing team to win their Premier League

Thu 13 Feb 2025

Our Women’s Fencing team are champions of the 2024/25 Southern Premier Division, having won 9 out of 10 games!

 
Making Connections at the Next Gen Business Fair

Thu 13 Feb 2025

The Next Gen Business Fair was designed to connect students with startups, visionaries and exciting career pro

 
 
see more news