Practical and Library Support Assistants

This role provides practical and mobility support to assist a student with a physical impairment in manoeuvring around the campus. This could include helping to manipulate a wheelchair, carrying books, IT equipment etc. It could also include general orientation and finding out where things are located for students whose disability means that they have problems with orientation. It could also include ‘social support’ in order to ensure access to the wider aspects of student life, for example for a student on the autism spectrum who had difficulty with social interaction. While some of these tasks, such as carrying equipment for a student with mobility difficulties, will need to continue throughout a student’s course, others, such as general orientation, should decrease as the student becomes more able to manage independently. Library Support Assistants search the library catalogues and electronic resources under the direction of the student. To locate, retrieve and carry academic library materials. To scan and photocopy library resources and, where necessary, locate study areas.