You may have a rough idea of where you might like to go, or you may have done hours of research into exactly where you want to be. If you’re anything like me, you might have made the last-minute panic on results day that you want to go to university and called your mum whilst you’re on holiday panicking and asking what do I do now? Don’t panic, you have cleared, and the universities want students to fill the spaces on their courses, so they want you to come to their university when you contact them. When looking at places through Clearing, be clear on what your access needs are, whether they are physical, cognitive, or mental health support.

Don’t just look within the university building, Brighton is a very hilly town, and this was something I did not know before I moved here, my health has deteriorated over the past few years which we did not expect it to, which has meant I am now experiencing physical access needs with needing a powerchair due to the steep inclines across the city. So thinking about the future and perhaps doing a little future-proofing based on your own health needs and where they could be by the end of your degree but also the general accessibility of the buildings and the city will give you a good overall idea of what the university’s attitude is like towards disability accommodations.

A great way to work out whether a university is ‘right’ for you is to assess how accommodating you feel their disability department is to you and whether they direct their talk mainly to you and not to your parents or carers/family/friends when you come to visit. It’s okay to ask what experience they have with students with similar needs to your own and how they dealt with any additional challenges students may have found themselves up against due to their disabilities which arose later on in the year, as this can help you decide whether you feel you would be supported well at a particular university.

You shouldn’t feel worried about sharing your access and support needs with potential universities and asking about the accommodations you know you will need to succeed, whether they will be from the accommodation, student support or perhaps your subject department, e.g. needing the PowerPoint for the lecture the day before so you can make notes alongside the slides, or needing additional time for assignments as you won’t have the capacity to write assignments whilst attending lectures. (Often this is a good way to make friends too because you can be like hey, I have the notes or the PowerPoint I’ll send it to you - wink-wink conversation starter!)

People say you’ll have a ‘feeling’ when you know it’s the right place. For me that was true- I felt calm and at home being able to envision myself at my university. In contrast, the university I got into with an unconditional offer up the road was Russell Group University, which on paper is a 'better university', but it did not feel right for me.

Reasonable adjustments are the way the UK ensures the law is kept for disabled people. The Equality Act 2010 calls the arrangements that your education provider makes to meet these needs reasonable adjustments.

An education provider must make reasonable adjustments to ensure disabled students are not discriminated against. These changes could include providing extra support and aids (like specialist teaching assistants or learning equipment).

Firstly, something I think it’s important to know is that you are always able to move. Nothing is set in stone. If you are not happy somewhere - try it for a little bit and if it isn’t for you, you can always try something else. In my first year at university, I moved to halls after the first semester, and everyone thought I was bonkers doing it! In hindsight, it was the best thing I ever did as I’ve met some of my best friends doing so! Finding the perfect Accommodation is difficult for everyone, let alone a student with a disability.

When choosing your accommodation, things to consider include all the normal things such as distance to your campus, housemates, bathroom type, etc. Only a disabled or chronically ill person may have to hyper-focus on certain aspects due to their health, for example, we may have access needs and need a level ground floor flat with no stairs or you may need a room away from the kitchen or with certain lighting. Living in university accommodation can be difficult but as a disabled student, you should have a ‘first choice’ on accommodation and therefore be able to visit and choose what works best for you. Most universities also have accessible housing in some halls of residence. If you’re not into halls, (which is cool, I didn't originally want to live in halls) thinking about the location of your accommodation and housemates is incredibly important so getting to know the town and your modes of transport is particularly useful.