Medical, wellbeing and disability

Living away from home can be daunting prospect, especially if you have health concerns, a disability or need additional support.

Imperial can provide support and make adjustments for you in College accommodation, as long as you let us know what your requirements are in advance.

It’s essential that you disclose your requirements when you apply for College accommodation (applications usually open in Mid-May) using the Accommodation Hub (ACCHUB) system. If you don’t let us know until after you’ve applied, we cannot guarantee that a suitable room to best meet your needs will be available.

Here are some examples of requirements that we would need to know about:

• an ensuite bathroom because of a mental or physical health condition (such as autism or Crohn’s)
• an accessible room, or adjustable facilities if you use a wheelchair or have other health or mobility problems
• a room on a ground floor or near a lift, or with a shorter fire escape route to make it easier for you to get around and to aid your evacuation in an emergency
• a second room if you need a resident carer
• other adjustments such as a fridge to help you store medication, or a vibrating pillow if you have a hearing impairment

If any of these examples apply to you or if there’s anything else you need to tell us about which may affect what type of accommodation you are offered, please make sure you let us know when you apply for College accommodation using AccHub between May and July. Any students with potentially complex requirements will be contacted by the Student Accommodation Office to gain a further understanding of any assistance they may require, in accordance with our Person Centred Risk Assessment procedure (PCRA).

What you will need to provide

You will be asked to declare any medical conditions or disabilities and upload supporting evidence from your doctor or other medical professional. This evidence may include:

• how long your doctor or other medical professional has been treating you
• details of any medications you are taking
• clarification of whether your condition or disability necessitates a specific type of room (ensuite, accessible etc) and whether any adaptations or specialist support is required

If your medical certificates are from overseas, you’ll need to have these translated to English by an official translator.

Make contact with other services

It would also be beneficial if you could make contact with the Disability Advisory Service at the same time for details on what other support the College can provide.  If you would like to visit the College and our accommodation, this can also be arranged with the Disability Advisory Service.

Further links you may find useful

• Disability Advisory Service webpages for prospective students
• How the College can support students who have spent at least three months in local authority care, which may include foster care or living in a residential care home
• Check your eligibility and apply for a disabled parking permit.