Accessibility: Support for Disabled and Dyslexic Students

Accessibility Services

The Library has a range of additional services, equipment and support available for users who require reasonable adjustments.

If you don't have a Summary of Adjustments (SoA), contact the team via email at disabilities@roehampton.ac.uk. You can also view Disability and Dyslexia Services webpages for further information.

For general help please contact nest@roehampton.ac.uk 

For AVR help: cee.hazel@roehampton.ac.uk
For IT help: mark.waller@roehampton.ac.uk
For Library help: elena.kosmala@roehampton.ac.uk

Support includes:

• Nominated helpers may borrow materials on your behalf if you cannot come to the Library, please email us at Library@roehampton.ac.uk to arrange this.​
• Individual introductions to the Library by appointment.​
• Accessible entry/exit doors controlled by your ID card. This can be requested via the Library or Disability Services teams.
• Printing on coloured paper: help yourself from the selection to be found near the ground floor printers.
• SensusAccess is a free self-service tool that can be used to convert documents into accessible formats.
• Disabled Student's Eq​​uipment Loan Service​​​. This includes laptops, digital voice recorders and mobile induction loops. This service is available from AV Resources who are based in the Sir David Bell Centre. For more information see the AV Resources webpages on Moodle.
• Students with visual or physical impairments, or dyslexia are eligible for a personal RNIB Bookshare account (request via Disability Services)
• Digitisation services for students (via Disability Services)

Equipment and software available in the Library

• You can use any of the printers for scanning. The scanned documents are searchable PDFs as default​.
• 2 Adjustable desks are located on our 3rd floor (near AV collection).
• 1 Adjustable desk is located on our 1st floor (outside room 1.23).
• 4 A​djustable​ desks are located in the Postgraduate Room 1.22.
• Additional Adjustable​ computer tables are in rooms 1.23 and 2.27. These can be booked on our room booking page. (Due to damage, the desk in 2.27 are currently awaiting repair).​
• Induction Loops are currently located at the Welcome Desk.
• Low level Library catalogue desks are situated on all the Library floors next to Quick Access PCs.
• Accessible software such as ClaroRead is available on all library PCs

Students who are eligible for a personal Royal Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Bookshare account 

From September 2021, we will be providing a personal RNIB Bookshare account to the following students: 

• Dyslexic students. 

• Students who are visually impaired. 

• Students who cannot physically manipulate a book. 

An account will be set up by the Disability and Dyslexia Service Team as part of their registration with the service. Eligible students already registered with the Disability and Dyslexia Service can request an account by contacting disabilities@roehampton.ac.uk directly.

You will be able to search the RNIB collection to locate accessible books that have been added to the Collection or request a book be made available (estimated turn around is 10 weeks). For further details, please go to the RNIB BookShare Books website.

If we hold a print copy in the Library, we will scan it for DSDS eligible students and will work to source other unavailable items. Dyslexic students will need to come to the Library to scan a print copy yourself (unless you have a COVID related reason for not being able to come onto campus).

When a student leaves Roehampton

Once you leave Roehampton, you are no longer eligible to use RNIB Bookshare, as membership is accessed via an educational establishment only. You can still make use of the RNIB Library which is completely free and has over 60,000 items in the collection. Have a look at the Information for students about RNIB for FAQs.  

Students with a SoA who are eligible for the Digitisation Service for Disabled Students (DSDS)

This service provided by the Library provides teaching and learning materials in an accessible format to students who are visually impaired or those who cannot physically manipulate a book.

In order to place requests:

1. You need to be referred by Disability Services to the DSDS.
2. The Library and your Departmental Disability Co-ordinator will work with your Module Convenors to ensure you have access to resources in your preferred digital format.
3. You will be asked your preferred electronic format e.g. Searchable (OCR), PDF, Word, .txt.

We aim to provide 100% of Essential resources in a digital format for all students as standard. Our eBook providers are working to comply or fully meet with Accessibility Standard regulations. Full details for individual platforms can be found on our Third Party Accessibility Statements webpage.