Inclusive interviews

We have practical information and advice about how to welcome and support students during an interview.

Find out about inclusive teaching in classrooms, lectures, tutorials, practicals and supervisions as well as how to provide inclusive feedback.

General support for all candidates

Check if the candidate would like to share any disabilities, conditions or impairments.
Reassure the candidate that sharing their disabilities will not have a negative impact on their chances of being offered a place.
Ask the candidate if they have any specific access requirements, such as adjustments to the interview process or physical access to the building.
If the candidate has a disability, remember that they know best about their own condition, and any requirements they need.
If you provide any texts in advance, make sure they're in an accessible format.
If the candidate needs to stand in a queue to enrol or register, offer online or telephone enrolment instead. If they have to enrol in person, make sure the venue is accessible and that they can sit down if there’s a queue.

Try to be flexible with interview dates.
Be aware that the candidate may attend the interview on what they consider to be a bad day, which means they may not perform as well.

If the candidate already gets access arrangements for exams such as GCSEs and A levels, organise the same support arrangements for the interview.
If the interview includes discussing or commenting on written work, give the candidate text to read in advance and make it available on cream paper.
Give candidates plenty of time to reply.

Provide information about the interview in another format, such as a computer disk, large print, email, or Braille.
If there's a written test, ask the candidate in advance for their preferred format.
Offer to meet and guide the candidate to the interview room.
Introduce yourself and anybody else present at the interview.
Check if the candidate wants to dictate their answers.
Say a clear goodbye so the candidate knows when you are leaving them.
Accommodate a guide dog if the candidate has one.
Be aware that the candidate may have difficulty making eye contact.

Be aware that the candidate may have British Sign Language as their first language. It has its own grammatical structure, so their written English may be different to what you expect.
Check if the candidate needs a hearing loop or an interpreter.
If an interpreter is needed, add extra time to the interview and ask your questions to the candidate directly.

If possible, organise the interview in a room that's on ground level, with step-free access and close to the exit.
Check there's a disabled toilet close by.
Be aware that some candidates may struggle with speech, eye contact and controlling their facial expressions.

Put the candidate at ease as they may struggle with conversation, eye contact or body language.

Inclusive teaching and learning

How to make your classes, lectures, seminars, practicals and supervisions more inclusive for everyone.

Software and technology for inclusive teaching

We can support you with using software and making accessible teaching materials such as Word documents and PDFs.

How we talk about disability

Learn about the social model of disability and language we should use when meeting and communicating with disabled people.