Students with additional needs
Queen’s Accommodation are committed to providing all our students with the accommodation that is best suited to their needs. We work closely with the disability and wellbeing teams to ensure a wide range of facilities are available for students in accommodation.
On our online application, we ask students to notify us about any disability / health condition big or small - that could affect their accommodation requirements. To ensure your needs are fully understood, we encourage students and parents/guardians to visit our accommodation and if they have a social worker or occupational therapist, they should also visit to assess the accommodation on offer and make recommendations.
Some of our accommodation has been specially adapted to include;
- larger rooms for students who need extra space for equipment
- wheelchair accessible flats
- mini medical fridge to store medication
- self-contained studio/flat due to a disability, health, or mental health condition
- adapted or accessible room due to mobility difficulties or sensory impairment
- vibrating pillows/flashing beacon
- free parking for blue badge holders
Adapted accommodation is limited therefore, we encourage students to contact the accommodation office as early as possible so that specific requests are in place or additional support provided to help you find alternative accommodation.
Please note that the following are not considered as additional requirements
- Personal preferences for a room type or location which are not based on a health, welfare, or mobility reason
- Being a vegan or vegetarian, or any other dietary choices which are not medically required.
- Personal financial circumstances
Hear from students in accessible rooms:
My accessible room at BT1 is very big which gives me a lot of space to move around which is very useful. The bed is low enough to the ground so that I don't have much problem getting into it and it's very comfortable. The bathroom is very big and has handrails where needed and a low-down sink and mirror that I don't have any problems using. It also has a shower with a shower chair mounted on the wall which is very easy to use.
Read Alastair's full blog here
I met with Accommodation to discuss changes that may be needed there. This was an easy and seamless process which eradicated any anxiety I had about moving to Belfast. [...] I live on a floor with other students who have similar struggles to myself so I always feel supported [...] I would honestly call it my home away from home.
WHAT TO CONSIDER
If you have a disability or a long-term health condition that will impact on your academic or accommodation experience at university, you should register with Disability Services as soon as possible.
Queen’s accommodation Allocation Policy outlines that Queen’s guarantees accommodation to students, who as result of their disability, are not able to access public transport or travel to/from the University to their home address daily and, as a result may prevent them from attending University (see our allocation policy for more details and deadlines).
If you have completed a questionnaire for Disability Services), Students MUST also provide details on their online application form (information regarding their disability, medical condition, or allergy and how the condition impacts their day to day living and specifically how it affects their ability to access public transport or travel to and from the University to their home address daily.
The Allocation team will allocate rooms using this information, so it is imperative that you give as much information as possible to assist in allocating the most appropriate room for you. Anything you do not mention in your application but go on to tell us later may mean we are unable to meet your needs.
If your accommodation needs are in relation to a disability, health, or mental health condition, you may be asked to submit evidence with your application. This should be one or more documents written by a healthcare professional which confirm your diagnosis and how this affects your day-to-day living and the type of accommodation you need. Students should include information on any health condition which may not affect your room/residence but may be useful for us to know of e.g., epilepsy, mental health issues, Asperger's, etc.
Any information you share with us is treated sensitively and will only share relevant information within the department to enable us to offer the appropriate level of support throughout your stay.
RETURNING STUDENTS
If you are a returning student who has a disability / health condition, Queen’s guarantees an offer of accommodation with our nominated student accommodation partner Student Roost only, you should contact the allocations team for further information.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
If you develop or experience a new temporary disability e.g., an injury due to sports etc. whilst living in accommodation, you should inform the reception team to ensure that you receive the necessary support or alternative accommodation if required.
Student health and well-being are important aspects of a positive university experience. It is important that you take responsibility for self-care and if necessary, connect with any of the university support services when required, for example, our Residential Life Team across our accommodation sites, Student Wellbeing or Queen’s Sport, who offer a wide range of facilities which promote health and wellbeing.
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Care Leavers
Queen’s guarantees any student who is leaving care of their local authority or Health and Social Care Trust and has accepted an offer to study at Queen’s. Students must have applied for accommodation by 30 June 2024 and provide written, supportive evidence from the local authority or Health and Social Care Trust to Queen’s Widening and Participation Department.
- Irreconcilably Estranged Students
Queen’s guarantees undergraduate students, who are deemed by the relevant funding body to be irreconcilably estranged. Students must have applied for accommodation by 30 June 2024 and be able to provide evidence from their relevant funding body to us. For more information about support for estranged students the Standalone website may help. Advice SU can also provide advice regarding applying for funding as an irreconcilably estranged student.
- Medical Registration
We advise all students to register with a local doctor / general practitioner – further information about the University Health Centre located close to the main University campus can be found here - University Health Centre | My Queen's | Queen's University Belfast (qub.ac.uk)
- Assistance Animals
Queen’s Accommodation has developed a policy to specifically address issues relating to assistance animals in University accommodation. To view click here
Therapeutic animals are not allowed to reside within Queen’s Accommodation.
Pets are also not allowed to reside within Queen’s Accommodation apartments and houses.