LSE is strengthening how it supports disabled students through a new School‑wide Reasonable Adjustments Policy, alongside practical staff training to ensure adjustments are delivered consistently and effectively.
The policy was introduced this academic year – applying to all taught and research students – and is supported by training for staff involved in teaching, assessment and student support. The training reinforces LSE’s anticipatory duty and aims to equip staff with practical knowledge and confidence to implement reasonable adjustments.
What it means for students
Early evidence shows that where adjustments are in place, they help remove barriers to learning and improve outcomes – supporting equity of opportunity without affecting academic standards.
-
More consistent support across the School: a clear, shared approach to identifying and delivering adjustments across departments, teaching, and support services
-
A more inclusive learning environment:
training for staff is helping embed inclusive teaching and assessment practices 'by design', making learning more accessible from the outset
-
Fairer outcomes through reduced barriers:
evidence shows students with adjustments perform comparably to peers without disabilities – and better than those without adjustments – highlighting their role in removing structural barriers
-
Better support through the student journey:
from disclosure and assessment to implementation and review, students benefit from a more joined‑up approach to managing and adapting support.
Progress and impact this year
Delivering the policy and training is a concerted effort from teams across the School, including the Disability and Mental Health Service (DMHS), EDEN Centre, EDI Team and colleagues in Departments.
Working with LSESU
LSESU has also been working closely with colleagues across the School to strengthen both provision and awareness. This includes running workshops and engaging with with students to surface lived experience to improve how students access support, helping them navigate services more easily and feel part of the wider LSE community.
This insight is feeding directly into School work on reasonable adjustments and disability support, ensuring developments are informed by student voice and reach those who need them most.
Evidence of outcomes
Analysis by the Planning Division shows a consistent relationship between agreed adjustments and student attainment, such as:
-
Undergraduate students with adjustments achieve higher average marks than disabled students without them
-
Outcomes for students with adjustments are comparable with those of non-disabled peers
-
Findings reinforce that adjustments support equity rather than confer advantage
Through the work, a growing understanding of student need is emerging, including:
Where we are focusing on next
-
Increasing take‑up and consistency of adjustments: targeted work with departments to ensure more students who would benefit have appropriate plans in place
-
Deepening insight into student outcomes:
continued analysis to understand where adjustments have the greatest impact and how support can be refined
-
Improving disabled students’ experience of transition and belonging: ongoing work, including with the Students’ Union, to address higher levels of pre‑arrival anxiety and lower belonging reported by disabled students.
-
Supporting Access and Participation Plan targets: reducing the completion gap for disabled students remains a key School priority.
- Developing a Disability Action Plan: drawing together actions, both new and existing, to support disabled students' transition into LSE.
What you can do to support our students
Staff are encouraged to complete the Disability Awareness – LSE Reasonable Adjustments training on the My Staff Development platform.
Following the training, you're invited to contribute to evaluation of the training – being conducted by the EDEN evaluation team – focusing on how the policy translates into practice and informing future training, guidance and departmental support.
To take part, please contact eden.evaluation@lse.ac.uk.
