Accessible environments for students with mental health difficulties

Students with mental health difficulties may have quite specific requirements relating to their learning environment.

• Some students may be unwilling to enter a room or lecture theatre from the front and draw attention to themselves if others are already there.
• Others may experience panic attacks or other difficult to manage symptoms and may need to leave suddenly.
• Where possible, choose a room with easy and discreet access from the back.
• Don't draw attention to students who arrive late as some students with anxiety difficulties may need to wait until the last minute.
• Do not have a blanket ban on latecomers entering.
• Avoid situations where students have to exit the room into a crowded lobby, such as may happen when several lectures finish at same time.
• Where possible, try to use the same location for your sessions.
• Avoid last minute room changes if possible as this may lead to confusion and anxiety.
• A cramped teaching room with no natural light is unlikely to be suitable.
• Some types of artificial lighting may causes difficulties for some students.
• Lecture theatres with rows of fixed seating may be a problem for students who need to leave suddenly.
• Some students may need to choose where they sit: they may need always to sit in the same place, or they may need to sit with a support assistant.

1. Inclusive teaching
2. Universal Design for Learning
3. Preparing to teach inclusively
   1. Developing an appropriate and inclusive teaching strategy
   2. Making appropriate reasonable adjustments
   3. Providing an accessible and safe learning environment
      1. Accessible environments for visually impaired students
      2. Accessible environments for deaf students
      3. Accessible environments for students with specific learning difficulties
      4. Accessible environments for students with mental health difficulties
      5. Accessible environment - mobility and dexterity
4. Sustaining self-esteem and motivation
5. Barriers to learning
6. Specialist support staff
7. Assistive technologies
8. Learning environments
9. Learning materials
10. Academic assessment