Accessible accommodation

The University has a limited number of accessible rooms at Frenchay Student Village and Wallscourt Park, both on Frenchay Campus. These rooms have been adapted for different purposes and can include:

• Wider doors and extra floor space
• Accessible bathrooms
• Sinks with lever taps
• Rails to make transitions easier
• Adjustable basin, sink, hob and desk heights
• Personal medication fridge
• Rooms fitted with flashing light alarms in place of audible alarms or vibrating pad alarms
• Facilities for vibrating pillows
• Improved lighting
• Bumper stickers
• Site familiarisation
• Lift access

The University will prioritise the allocation of accommodation for students with access requirements that limit their ability to live in the private sector.

If you are interested in other UWE-managed accommodation or accommodation managed by our external partners and you have access requirements, please get in touch with us.

Please disclose that you are a disabled student when applying for UWE Bristol accommodation. This will prompt us to send you a questionnaire to find out more about your requirements. Please fully complete this form with as much information as possible and include any supporting documents required. If you experience problems during this process, email the Accommodation team at accommodation@uwe.ac.uk and we can guide you.

Clearing

If you are applying through UCAS Clearing, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to meet your accommodation needs. If you need to live on campus and an appropriate room is not available, you may need to consider deferring your place.

The University will prioritise students who need rooms with adaptations for physical needs due to the limited availability in the private sector. Students with serious sensory impairments, those who have serious mental health difficulties, and those with severely impaired executive functioning skills may be offered accommodation off campus.

Disabled students who need an adapted room as a direct result of their disability may be eligible for a reduction in accommodation fees, that is, paying a standard room rate according to the building.

We can accommodate guide dogs and some other registered assistance animals in the Frenchay Student Village and Wallscourt Park.

Please include this request in your application questionnaire.

We require formal evidence from a doctor before we can process a request of this nature and your animal must be registered as a support animal.

Please be aware before you arrive, we will inform your flatmates or housemates that you will be bringing a pet. This is in case there are any concerns from their perspective. You will also be requested to sign an agreement which includes the welfare and arrangements you have made for caring for the animal.

Students are responsible for the behaviour of their assistance or therapy animal. The University reserves the right to exclude an animal from a facility or, in extreme circumstances, from the campus, if the animal poses a threat to the health and safety of other people. The University also reserves the right to revoke permission if the conduct agreement is breached.

Some disabled students applying for university accommodation may require a resident Personal Assistant (PA). In these cases, and subject to availability, a bedroom can be provided for the PA under the same terms and conditions as the student and therefore incur damage costs and all disciplinary action resulting in breaches of this licence agreement. The student will be liable for the cost of any additional bedrooms and they should book this accommodation.

Whilst personal assistants are living in the accommodation, the University will need an emergency contact for either their employment agency, or their next of kin, subject to UWE Bristol’s privacy policy.

In addition, you will be responsible for your PA’s conduct and behaviour in and around the University. You will also have to consider what you will do in the event that your personal assistant becomes ill or takes annual leave. The University will need to be satisfied that the care package recommended by Social Services is sufficient, but the University cannot take responsibility for deficiencies in the support package such as the PA becoming ill, or not providing adequate support. For further advice on all these issues, you should contact Social Services.

Please let us know your requirements as early as possible and complete your application for accommodation to avoid disappointment. We’ll contact you for more information to make sure we’re clear on your specific needs.

Home fee paying students may be able to reclaim the cost of the carer's accommodation from their home area Social Services department.

More information can be found in Disability Rights UK’s guidance on Employing a Personal Assistant.

UWE Bristol also operates an additional accessible permit scheme, allowing for mobility issues not covered by the local authority version for University staff and students. Students in this category must apply for a permit via MyUWE and make sure they have ticked the “Accessible Permit” box.

More information can be found on the Blue Badge holders page.

Once you have provided information on your accessibility requirements, the Accommodation team might contact you if there could be an impact on your ability to safely evacuate your accommodation in an emergency.

During fire evacuations, we require all students to evacuate within four minutes.

Should you have any additional requirements or have difficulties or anxieties about evacuating the accommodation you will need a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) to enable you. For example, you may need assistance with:

• getting organised quickly
• hearing the alarm
• using stairs
• sudden or loud noises
• being around lots of people.

The Accommodation team may contact you for more information to make sure we are clear on your specific requirements and support that may help prior to your arrival. We may wish to meet with you and your support team (for example, occupational therapist or social worker) if major adaptations are needed.

During your first year of occupancy, the Accommodation team will contact you to discuss the long-term arrangements and options available to you in your second or third year of studies.

The Accommodation team works closely with UWE Bristol’s Disability Service.