Parents and supporters of disabled students

Disability Services understands that coming to university is a big transition. For disabled students, there may be added complexity. 

We know that parents and supporters may want to be involved in setting up support for their student. However, students at university are classed as independent adults. For this reason, Disability Services cannot legally discuss matters regarding students with family members or supporters.  

As a parent or supporter, the most helpful thing you can do is encourage a student to access University services independently. 

Your student is in safe hands. Our specialist Disability Advisory Team works with the student to recommend adjustments for their university studies and will fully assist them in setting up their support. 

Consent to share 

If a student decides that they would like the involvement of a parent or supporter in their disability support, they may submit a consent to share form.

This consent means that Disability Services can involve parents and supporters in conversations about a student’s academic studies. However, the student will remain fully responsible for all decision making and will be our primary contact. 

The student should email our team on disability@leeds.ac.uk to obtain the consent to share form, and must sign and return it before any involvement from a parent or supporter can begin. Please note: a consent to share does not enable parents and supporters to advocate on behalf of the student.

How can I support the disabled applicant or student? 

Setting up support can take several weeks and we recommend registering with Disability Services as early as possible. You can help us by encouraging the person you are supporting to register and to contact us if they have any questions. 

The following checklist may be helpful in preparing to start university: 

• Register with Disability Services by completing our online Sign Up Form 
• Gather suitable evidence of disability to complete the registration process 
• Read the Disability Services Prospective Student Handbook (PDF)
• Investigate disability support funding and start the application for this 
• Consider accommodation options and provide the necessary paperwork for accessible accommodation if required 

Read our guidance document

Being a disabled student at university can differ from a student’s experiences of being disabled at secondary school - there's changes in terminology, processes and support available.

Our staff have created some guidance to explain these differences and ensure that a student understands the transition from school to higher education. You can read our guidance here (PDF)