What is Off-Campus Learning?
Off-campus learning is any organised learning which takes place away from the university campus – e.g. field trips, site visits and work experience. It is particularly common in practical subjects such as engineering, architecture, archaeology, geography and geology. In most cases, it will be arranged by your department.
Your Rights
Under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), you should have rights to learning opportunities equal to students without disabilities. This means your academic department should either make the off-campus learning accessible, or provide an alternative (but equally useful) learning opportunity.
For a brief summary of DDA, see the What I need to know about Law section on our Before work experience page.
Your department should take into account your disability when planning an off-campus learning activity. Ideally, they should meet with you to determine how your disability may affect your ability to participate in the off-campus learning, and try to identify adjustments BEFORE the event. They should also let you know the full event details as early as possible, so you can identify potential adjustments/ equipment you may need.
Any equipment you use in your normal day-to-day study should also be available to you for the off-campus learning.
You may wish your academic tutor to inform the venue of your disability before you arrive. However, this is entirely up to you.
Making Adjustments
Depending on your disability, the types of adjustments that could be made could include:
- Ensuring venues are accessible
- Providing you with an interpreter/ guide
- Altering length/ timing of the event
- Where the work involves physical labour (e.g. an archaeological dig) and you have a mobility disability, ensuring that there are appropriate alternative activities.
- Giving you extra time to complete any assignments based on the off-campus learning
