About Disability Services
Not everyone who experiences disability requires assistance or the same type of assistance in the same way. Our friendly Student Support Advisors are available to meet with you, find out about your learning needs or any barriers you might experience, and help co-design strategies with you, your whānau and your support people if that's what you want.
Our Advisors work in partnership with you and your kaiako to help you get what you need so you can participate in your studies and achieve your educational goals.
Who can access disability assistance?
If you are Deaf, experience disability or mental illness, have a medical condition, temporary injury or impairment, and experience barriers to learning and participating in your studies - you could be eligible for assistance.
What assistance do we provide?
Disability Services provide expert advice, assistance with educational accommodations, and help connect you with our services or any external community assistance which could be of help to you.
Examples of specific assistance for eligible tauira:
- Expert advice - our Student Support Advisors are at the heart of our service and are available to meet with you to help you work out what you need to engage, participate and complete your studies
- Referral - help to connect with any internal assistance or external agencies, government and community organisations, and resources you might be interested in
- Note-taking - captures class notes for eligible tauira
- Reading - have your text and learning materials read out-loud when they are not in an accessible format for you to read independently
- Access assistance (educational) - assistance to help you participate in your learning activities. Examples include accessing physical library materials, physical class materials, equipment, and assistance to participate in educational activities such as gathering harekeke etc.
- Hearing assistance - referral to Life Unlimited Hearing Therapy services for free hearing advice and testing. Access to free batteries for enrolled tauira who use hearing aides and cochlear implants, along with other short-term interventions which may assist you
- Vision testing - referral for a free standard vision test
- Site orientation - our Student Support Advisors can help make arrangements for you and your support people to gain access to your campus ahead of time so you can assess and identify any barriers within the spaces you will be using - this includes your Blind Low Vision campus orientation or access for your Occupational Therapist or ACC assessors etc.
- Seating -a range of ergonomic seating
- Mobility Parking - display your up-to-date CCS mobility parking permit to access designated mobility car parks
- Adaptive equipment, technologies and accessibility resources - talk to our Student Support Advisors to discuss your needs
- Library Services - a range of library tools to assist with your reading and research requirements.
When should you contact Disability Services?
Make contact with us early, or as soon as you can - even if you don't need assistance right away.
It's important to make yourself known to us as soon as possible so we can work with you to:
- Understand your educational needs
- Identify any barriers to learning
- Help you identify what assistance you might need to get put in place
- Confirm your eligibility for specific disability assistance we can provide
- Make arrangements for any staffing and resources which you are eligible for
- Advise you of any learning strategies
- Let you know about any funding available to support you while you are studying
- Assist your support people to make the arrangements needed to support you in your studies