Action for staff: update to Student Disability Declaration Process
LJMU is updating its internal process so that students can declare a disability throughout the academic year.
Demand from students for reasonable adjustments has increased dramatically since 2020 and the university is embarking on a change programme to transform the student experience for all students disclosing an additional need and provide immediate notification to teaching and support staff.
What do teaching and support staff need to know?
In addition to key census and enrolment points, students can now disclose a disability at any point during the academic year. The student disability disclosure form will be located within the student facing platform My LJMU and once submitted the details entered will be visible to relevant academic staff via the new My Students portal.
In addition, once an Individual Student Learning Plan (ISLP) has been created by the Disability Team within Student Life and Wellbeing, module leaders, personal tutors, and disability coordinators will be notified, and they will also be able to view the contents via the My Students portal under LJMU - My Students.
The purpose of this work will mean staff can receive immediate notification of a disability disclosure and plan for reasonable adjustments as necessary. Please ensure that you review the information contained within the portal and use it to support students within your immediate cohorts.
LJMU context to these changes
These changes are coming into place following an external review of LJMU’s disability provision in 2023. 30 recommendations were made which resulted in the establishment of a Disability Task and Finish group, chaired by the PVC Student Experience, Professor Phil Vickerman.
Two key recommendations from that external review were:
- Introduction of a simple, online disability disclosure form to streamline the process for students declaring an individual need.
- To ensure academic and support staff can appropriately access Individual Student Learning Plans (ISLPs) and agreed reasonable adjustments, on a need-to-know basis.
To meet our legal responsibilities and uphold LJMU’s inclusive values, the university will now introduce:
- A centralised system for managing student disability information.
- Improved staff access to ISLPs and reasonable adjustments.
- A shift toward an inclusive, embedded institutional culture.
What is the external context, and why is the university updating this process?
The university is being guided by two key legal outcomes in relation to changing provision in this area:
- University of Bristol V Abrahart (2023) case, where the High Court ruled that a failure to make reasonable adjustments, even in the absence of a formal diagnosis, may constitute a breach of the Equality Act 2010 The subsequent Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) guidance to universities highlighted the need for:
- A coordinated and proactive approach to sharing disability information
- Clear accessible systems for both students and staff
- An anticipatory duty to identify and reduce barriers to participation
In addition, the Office for Students (OfS) also established a Disability in Higher Education Advisory Panel in 2024 to improve disabled students’ experiences, using research and sector evidence to shape national guidance and expectations.
What’s next?
The introduction of a new declaration system is the first step towards wider cultural change across LJMU to ensure that we support our students effectively and appropriately. This will include a new Disability Support policy and associated process changes in early 2026.
There will need to be significant changes in the way in which we support students with this essential provision and wide consultation is currently taking place. If you would like to be part of that consultation, please contact Yvonne Turnbull, Director of Student Life and Wellbeing, who will be able to share the draft policy and discuss proposed models of delivery.
