The Learning Education Needs Assessment (LENS) is an important part of the process of getting support at university. This activity will explain what the LENS is, how it works and how to prepare for your appointment.

The LENS tends to be a structured but fairly informal one-to-one discussion with a Disability or Learning Support staff member which will usually last between 1 and 1.5 hours. The staff member will have specific questions they need to ask, but it will feel like a chat rather than an interrogation.

The LENS process is important for autistic students, even if you haven’t accessed any support in the past. The LENS is  an opportunity to talk to somebody in depth about:

• the positive and negative aspects of studying in the past
• the positive and negative aspects of any support you have received in the past at home/school/college
• any worries you might have about going to uni
• what you’re excited about and think you will do well at
• what you think might help you achieve that success

You will also get to learn a bit more about the kind of help that is available to you – many students don’t really know much about this and are amazed to find out what is out there and how it may work for them.

1. How do you feel about making notes in lectures, where most of what is said does not end up on a whiteboard or the PowerPoint slides? It is also not possible to write down every word that is said.
2. How do you make and organise your notes when reading or revising?
3. Do you enjoy going to new places?
4. Do you find new places easily?
5. Does it help to have someone with you when you go somewhere for the first time?
6. What are you most excited about when it comes to your course?
7. What would you like to know more about or might need support to do before you get excited?
8. How do you feel about group work?
9. How do you manage your free time?
10. Are you always on time for appointments without help from someone else?
11. Do you like to be in busy, lively places or quiet places?
12. How do you find out about new topics?
13. Do you find it easy to organise your ideas and structure them in writing?
14. Do you find academic writing easy? How about spelling, punctuation and grammar?
15. Would you like somebody to talk to about your autism who has a good understanding of both autism and university?
16. Do you have any other conditions like dyslexia, dyspraxia or ADHD?
17. Does it help you to read information from the internet if you can print it out?
18. Who supported you with your work at school and what did they do that was helpful?
19. What helps you when you’re stressed? Music, exercise, art, reading, playing games, talking to others?
20. Did you use any tools like visual schedules, social stories, coloured overlays, coloured paper or alarms to help you at school or college?
21. How do you feel about talking to people about your autism, including tutors and other students?

To register with the Disability and Learning Support Office contact: 

E: disability@itsligo.ie   learningsupport@itsligo.ie
W: https://www.itsligo.ie/student-hub/access-office/

Disability Support Service
ATU Sligo,

Ash Lane,

Ballinode,

Co. Sligo