What is the definition of the term disability?

Disability refers to someone who:

• has a physical or mental impairment

and for whom:

• this impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on the person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities

The Equality Act 2010 definition of disability not only refers to people who may be visibly disabled – for example those who are blind or have mobility difficulties, such as wheelchair users – but also includes those with a broad range of conditions such as asthma, depression, diabetes, dyslexia, Asperger’s Syndrome, cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV and schizophrenia.

The definition of ‘disability’ has been extended to include people who have had a disability in the past, effectively from the point of diagnosis.

Disabled People’s Working Group

The Disabled People’s Working Group advises SGUL on priorities for the inclusion of disabled people. This group reports formally to the Equality and Diversity Committee. Decisions arising from this committee are additionally reviewed by the Disability Subcommittee of the University of Nicosia Medical School for local implementation.

Contact the Disability Adviser, for more details at [email protected]

Access audit

Disabled staff and students helped advise the institution on its comprehensive access audit of its buildings.   The Medical School is committed to removing barriers and making constant improvement to access so as to promote an inclusive environment for everyone.

Reasonable adjustments

The Medical School has a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments for a disabled person if they would otherwise face a ‘substantial disadvantage’ in their study or in using a service.

Students can contact the Disability Adviser if they would like advice on reasonable adjustments or confidential support. For more details, contact:  [email protected]

Examples of reasonable adjustments might include:

• Learning disabled students being permitted to have longer borrowing periods for library materials
• Text to Speech software  made available in library  for dyslexic students
• Use of recorder for lectures
• Presentation material provided immediately before lecture
• Course material provided in specific font and size of font.
• Being given extra time to complete an exam