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What is a student support document?
The Student Support Document (SSD) is a document which consolidates relevant information about a student’s impairment, the impact this may have on study, and presents recommendations for access arrangements designed to offset any disadvantage the student may otherwise face.
SSDs can be updated, if there are any changes in circumstances or in recommendations (or when a student moves from one level of study to another or changes courses). This will be indicated by version control numbers.
Who receives student support documents?
Any disabled student who has contacted the ADRC and has access requirements will receive an SSD detailing those requirements, unless there are one or two specific requirements.
How are student support documents created?
Disability Advisers identify access requirements for students who have disclosed their disability to the University. These access requirements are identified to ensure that disabled students can access their studies and are not disadvantaged in comparison to their non-disabled peers. Recommendations within the SSD are produced after discussion with the student and an analysis of the evidence provided. This evidence may include diagnostic assessments from a qualified professional such as a doctor or Educational Psychologist or Specialist Teacher. In many cases may be supplemented by a ‘Needs Assessment’ from an independent assessor at an external Access/Assessment Centre. Information from the diagnostic assessment is discussed with the individual student and, where appropriate, the College and Faculty/Department. It is then consolidated and contextualised by the Disability Adviser to produce the recommendations. Students are required to review the SSDs before they are distributed.
How are they distributed?
SSDs are placed on the student’s CamSIS record by the ADRC, once they have been approved by the student. They can then be accessed by administrative and academic staff who have the required access (and a notification email is sent to those who have access). If an SSD has been placed onto CamSIS this indicates that the student has given permission for the information to be distributed to those members of staff who need to see the information (and this information, as well as the student’s disclosure permission, is in the distribution list at the bottom of the SSD)
The document can be created and downloaded as a whole document which may include personal sensitive information (for those who are directly responsible for learning and teaching the individual student) or as a shorter document which summarises the recommendations only and does not contain sensitive information (for example, where the person receiving the shorter document only needs to see the recommendations). Staff who do not have access to SSD information on CamSIS (for example supervisors or lecturers) can be sent the document in either the long or short form as a downloaded document by the appropriate College or Departmental contact who has access to the SSD on CamSIS. The decision as to which version of the document to send is the responsibility of the College or Departmental member of staff who has full CamSIS access.
Who is responsible for ensuring that the identified recommendations are put in place?
It is the responsibility of the Faculty/Department to ensure that reasonable adjustments to departmental teaching and library provision (including any necessary physical adaptations) are put in place. Colleges are responsible for adjustments to college teaching, college library provision and accommodation. The College, acting though the relevant Tutor or Director of Studies, is also responsible for supporting the student by checking and monitoring that the reasonable adjustments to both departmental and college provision have been made, and are required to have systematic processes for doing this. Colleges and Departments may adjust how the recommendations are implemented according to their context. Further information for academics to view the Student Support Document (SSD) in Camsis can be found here, Student Support Document for Academics
If anything is not clear, have a conversation with the student. They are the person who understands the impact of their impairment on study the best. Also, contact details for the student’s Disability Adviser are on each SSD. If you need clarification about the recommendations, it may also be useful to contact them.
