What is a disability?

A disability is a significantly restricted (or absent) ability relative to an individual or group norm.  The term is often used to refer to individual functions, individual physical impairment, cognitive impairment, sensory impairment or mental disorder.

Common usage refers to a person with a disability or a person who is disabled or more controversially “handicapped”.  Some refer only to a specific disability rather than a generalised sense of disability.

Examples of disabilities include but are not limited to:

Arthritis

Asperger’s Syndrome

Attention Deficit Disorder

Blindness/Low Vision

Cerebral palsy

Dyslexia

Deafness/Hearing impairment

Emotional/Psychological disorder

Multiple Sclerosis

Medical Disorders

Spinal Cord Injuries

Temporary Disabilities

Traumatic Brain Injuries

 

Documentation Required

Correct written documentation that verifies the existence of the disability must be provided by each student registering a disability, to the Head of Academic Advising/Disabilities Liaison Unit no later than the third week of each semester (To download forms A, B, C to be completed by the student and his/her private physician please click here).  Professional assessments should be returned to the above office within the specified time.