Tell us what you need

Consider what equipment or services to ask for, or update us on your needs

Please read the the Five step checklist before you fill in a facilities request for general services and equipment. This will help you to make the choices appropriate to your individual needs.

Depending upon your particular subject, your studies can involve you in a number of different activities, for example:

• writing assignments and notes
• watching video and listening to audio
• attending tutorials.

Some of these activities might be quite demanding for you, so think about what you need help with and consider the support you want to ask for. For example, you may need additional facilities at tutorials, such as a radio aid, sign-language interpreter or a wheelchair-accessible room. We can organise these if we know about them in advance.

Three points to consider

How much information do I need to give?

We will ask you to tell us

• your Open University computer username (OUCU) and password, or Personal Identifier number, and other details such as your date of birth
• briefly about your disability, illness or impairment
• whether you would like
  • accessible study materials
  • the loan of any equipment
  • communication support
• whether you have particular requirements for tutorial facilities
• that you agree to our Data Protection Policy.

What happens when I submit my form?

We forward your form to your regional or national centre and they then contact you to confirm your requirements. The University will do its best to provide services that enable you to study effectively but we can't guarantee that all the services and facilities you ask for will be available or approved.

If you submit your form or request online, you will be given a reference number. Please use it when contacting your regional or national centre with queries.

Forms will normally be processed within 15 working days, but applications from students who are about to start their study will be prioritised over those starting later.

What if I change my mind?

If you change your mind after you have submitted your form, or if your circumstances change, you can contact us by telephone, post, email or update us by completing the online request form again.

Please remember that there is always a slight delay in your record being updated. If you wish to make changes before your previous requests have been processed and authorised, please do so via email or telephone so that we can avoid working with out-of-date information.