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Disability support for postgraduate research students

This page outlines the various arrangements and adjustments available for disabled students undertaking a research programme. These adjustments are typically communicated through a Learning profile after consulting with a Disability Advisor. While these adjustments cater to individual needs, they are potential options for all students. The list of adjustments is not exhaustive, and implementation may vary by department. Disability Advisors may not be familiar with specific academic programmes, so it's important to discuss any issues with your Supervisor, Head of Department, or the Disability Service.

Please email disability@hw.ac.uk to set up an appointment with an advisor.

Communication of Arrangements

For disabled students, arrangements are usually communicated to the department following a meeting with a Disability Advisor.

Examples of Possible Support & Reasonable Adjustments

To be agreed on a case-by-case basis:

  • Early awareness-raising of assessment timescales and work required for assessment.
  • Assistive technologies to support researching, writing and proofreading.
  • Facilitating access to a British Sign Language Interpreter.
  • Provision of captions (online).
  • Attendance of a supporter.
  • Rewording questions to ensure understanding.
  • Asking the panel chair/internal examiner to ensure that panel members give a student time to find information within the thesis or to compose a response.
  • An extension to the time period given to complete thesis corrections (after the viva).
  • Written guidance for Viva examiners detailing specific disability-related requirements such as clear communication, sufficient opportunities for clarification of questions, and sufficient time for processing questions and answers.
  • Reasonable adjustments to the assessment format may be considered in exceptional cases.

Viva Examination Adjustments

The Viva assesses a student’s ability to:

  • Place their research in a broader context.
  • Identify its contribution to knowledge.
  • Show detailed knowledge of the thesis.
  • Prove that it is their own work.

Candidates are expected to defend their methodology and findings, as well as be aware of their limitations. It is crucial that each student is given an equal opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and strengths.

Students should be provided with the location and room number of the Viva well in advance of the assessment date to plan their journey.

Assistive Technology

The Disability Service is dedicated to assisting PGR students with assistive software requests to support their research and studies. There is a variety of assistive software available to students at Heriot-Watt, as well as assistive features built into some of the devices they use (see the 'Study Support Software and Technology' section of our Study Toolkit webpage), which could support them in their studies.

For software that is commonly recommended for students with disabilities and recognised as assistive under Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) funding, it may be possible for the Disability Service to purchase this on your behalf through agreement with the relevant academic school. However, for software that is either not deemed assistive for supporting your disability or is an alternative to the software we have already recommended (such as specialised software to meet a specific research need), the responsibility for the purchase decision and funding may lie with the relevant academic school.