Equality and Diversity
Disability and Accessibility
At Drama Studio London we value diversity. We welcome applications from all people who meet the relevant entrance requirements regardless of their gender, age, race, marital status, language, cultural, social or religious background, physical or sensory difficulty, neuro-diversity, sexual orientation or HIV status. Our staff will always challenge prejudice and ensure equality of opportunity for every applicant and every student individually.
The University of West London offers a free and confidential Wellbeing service which is available to all full-time DSL students. The service offers information, advice and support on all physical, communication and mental health concerns for our students. To access this support, students must register with the Wellbeing service by emailing or calling the team. (Details follow below.)
We recommend that new students disclose any disability on their application form. All information is treated confidentially. However, on rare occasions information may need to be shared with other professionals when students may be at high risk.
The Library at UWL is fully accessible and it offers a range of assistive technology, please see the library website for more information.
Students with disabilities may be eligible for Disabled Student Allowance, a Student Finance England scheme which offers financial support to help with costs incurred from studying with a disability, please see the gov.uk website for more information. DSA’s can pay for such things as: specialist equipment, non-medical helpers, and extra travel due to a disability. These costs do not need to be repaid.
UWL supports disabilities including (but not limited to):
- specific learning differences (such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD)
- mental health difficulties (such as depression, bi-polar disorder)
- long-term medical conditions (such as HIV, cancer, multiple sclerosis)
- hidden disabilities (such as diabetes, asthma, epilepsy)
- sensory impairments (such as visual impairment, hearing impairment)
- mobility or physical impairments (such as paralysis, arthritis)
How to register a disability
Any known disabilities should be included on your application. Once you have done this, please follow up with an email to UWL and to Drama Studio London at admin@dramastudiolondon.co.uk
You can register with the UWL Wellbeing Service by emailing wellbeing@uwl.ac.uk or calling 0208 231 2739
Students can register at any time during their studies by informing DSL and by contacting the Wellbeing Team or Student Services
Mental Health
Mental Health and Welfare Advisers are available to anyone who feels like they might need additional support throughout their studies. DSL has a number of staff members trained as Mental Health First Aiders, who are committed to raising awareness and reducing stigma around mental health conditions in addition to encouraging student wellbeing.
Students with a diagnosed mental health condition can register with the Wellbeing team and may receive support through reasonable adjustments and where applicable, disabled student allowances (DSA). The team is also able to advise students who may not currently have a diagnosis of a mental health condition, how to take the step toward diagnosis and how to obtain medical evidence.
Auditions
Students should provide information in advance and reasonable adjustments will be made to ensure a positive experience at DSL. If you have a disability and have concerns about the application, audition or the course itself, please contact us promptly to discuss your needs by emailing admin@dramastudiolondon.co.uk
We will be happy to make any reasonable adjustment to ensure that you have every opportunity to participate and learn effectively. If you choose not to disclose information about your disability or do not inform us in good time, we may not be able to make appropriate or reasonable adjustments to ensure your full participation and effective learning.
Where possible DSL will engage with auditions outside of London to increase access to quality conservatoire training for individuals across the UK. Recent auditions have taken place, for instance, in Cardiff, Doncaster and Newcastle.
We know that audition fees and travel costs can be a barrier to many in applying to Drama School which is why in previous years we have worked with other Drama Schools to offer joint regional auditions, allowing applicants to audition for three schools at the same time. If you are having financial difficulties, always contact us. We will assess cases on an individual basis and do our utmost to assist and accommodate.
DSL runs Outreach events to promote the idea of conservatoire training being a valid option for all. They also aim to engage with schools and communities once safe. If you would like one of our resident team to give a talk or deliver a workshop at your organisation, please do get in touch with us and we will do our best to arrange this.
At DSL we will continue to strive to improve our policies and encourage you to engage with us in the discussion to increase accessibility for all.
Website Accessibility
We understand our legal obligations under section 21 of the Disability Discrimination Act – ‘to make reasonable adjustments to ensure blind and partially sighted people can access your service’.
We have tried to make our website accessible to as many people as possible.
We have also tried to meet the standards promoted by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), including all of the WAI Priority One checkpoints.
If you have experienced difficulty using the site, please contact us on admin@dramastudiolondon.co.uk or 020 8579 3897 – we would value your comments.