Health, Welfare and Wellbeing
Find out more at the JCR website. Current students may want to visit here for contact information.
Disability support
St John’s is committed to being an open and inclusive community where everyone has access to the support they need to succeed. We welcome students with any kind of visible or invisible disabilities, including long-term mental health conditions and Specific Learning Differences, and work closely with them to ensure they can participate in college life as fully as possible. St John’s fully supports the guiding principles underpinning procedures for supporting disabled students which are set out in the University’s Disability Common Framework statement.
" I encourage any student with a significant disability to visit the College before applying. Each disability is different and no guide can adequately describe all the relevant issues. Where possible, the College is only too willing to provide accommodation and give guided tours. Equally, the College has maintained excellent links with former students with disabilities and will facilitate the making of contact to discuss any concerns. I wish you all the best in your application. " St John’s Law Graduate, Ben Gauntlett
Staff Support
Elaine Eastgate Senior Academic Officer is our College Disability Co-ordinator and the first point of contact for students with disabilities. If students would like to apply for exam adjustments such as extra time, Elaine can seek permission for, and organise, the required special provision, and assist with any other issues related to disability. The Fellow for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is the College’s Disability Lead for policy matters.
Disclosure
The College and the University have a responsibility to ensure that the needs of students with disabilities are adequately met and so students are encouraged to disclose the details of their disabilities as soon as possible once they have accepted their offers. By completing and signing this form, students are giving permission to the College to share information with relevant staff in order to help us prepare for their arrival in advance.
Accommodation
We have a number of rooms on-site in College which have been adapted to suit the needs of students with physical disabilities. Adaptations include rooms with ensuite facilities, adapted kitchens, and a kitchen adapted for wheelchair users and blind and partially-sighted students. We also have a suite rooms in our Beehive building which includes an adjoining carer’s room with its own ensuite shower room.
If you are coming to St John’s and have any specific concerns, please contact our College Disability Co-ordinator who will be happy to assist.
If you are an applicant who has been invited for interview, please contact our Undergraduate Admissions Officer or Graduate Admissions Officer to discuss your needs.
Special arrangements for Library Loans
Our Library and Study Centre features an accessible entrance, powered doors, a lift and two height-adjustable desks. Our library staff are always willing to help those with any difficulty accessing library material. Students who cannot consult books in the library itself should contact the librarians to discuss any special arrangements that may be made. There is a small fund for e-books and students who find it difficult to work with printed books are encouraged to contact the library to check if an e-book can be purchased where it is none available already via the online library catalogue SOLO.
Funds for Disabled Students
The Higby Will Trust Study Support Grant helps students with declared disabilities to pursue their academic work by making a contribution towards costs of an academic nature incurred as a direct result of their disability and which are not provided for either within the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) or by other means. For further information, please contact the College Disability Co-Ordinator.
University Support
The University’s Disability Advisory Service (DAS) is also on-hand to provide information and advice on disability issues and facilitates support for those with, for example, sensory or mobility impairments, long-term health conditions, specific learning difficulties, autistic spectrum conditions or mental health disabilities. Students are encouraged to tell the DAS about any disabilities as early as possible, ideally before starting their course, so they can benefit more quickly from the support available. More information about what the DAS has to offer is available at http://www.ox.ac.uk/students/shw/das/
Breastfeeding policy
St John's is keen to provide a workplace environment that allows breastfeeding employees or students to continue breastfeeding their infants following their return to work or study. Returning mothers are more than welcome to express milk anywhere in College, but mothers who wish to do so in private may use the nurse's room (N5-1), which is open 24 hours except Monday to Friday 8:30am-10:30am during term time. More information on our breastfeeding policy is available on our College Policies page.
More information
- There is more information on the College’s welfare provision in the Student Handbook.
- The University publishes a comprehensive Access Guide to all its buildings.
