For study in a Further Education College
Further education at college can be a great way to pick up new skills, open up new career options or prepare for higher education. Being disabled or having a specific learning difficulty needn't limit your choices.
How to identify student support at college
Colleges welcome students with disabilities and specific learning difficulties ( e.g. dyslexia, dyspraxia). However, colleges have different names for the sort of support that you might have come across at school. At school, you often hear about Special Educational Needs or SEN; most schools have a SENCO who arranges class support. Instead, colleges have Learning Support and/or Dyslexia Tutors. The name of this role depends on which college you go to.
Dyslexia support
The disability and dyslexia support team is normally located in Student Support or similar.
In general, colleges have access to specialist dyslexia tutors. These tutors can provide advice and strategies to ensure that students with dyslexia can access and understand what they need to do when they are studying.
Deaf and hard-of-hearing support
Some colleges also have a section specifically for deaf and hard-of-hearing support services. Not every college will have specific staff dedicated to supporting these students, but they will know how to arrange for note takers and communication support workers (CSWs).
The best thing to do is to look at the website of the college you are interested in to find out what support they can provide.
Without visiting the college, it is difficult to see how accessible it is and how big it is. Some colleges have large campuses and others are smaller and more compact. You may need to consider the size when you are making your decision if you feel tired easily or have difficulty moving around.