The widening accessibility gap at UK universities is being targeted by a new public-sector owned organisation pledging to make it easier for disabled students to access vital support.
Nearly two thirds of UK students with a disability have not benefited from adjustment support because of how difficult it is to secure (63%*). Meanwhile, 42% of those with a declared disability reported delays in accessing support, which negatively affected their studies.
Launching this week, Impact Student Partners has taken aim at closing that gap by adopting a partnership approach to working with students, support workers and universities in the delivery of Non-Medical Help (NMH), the human support provided to students to enable them to access their studies. The partnership includes a highly personalised approach to support pairing and communication for students, an operating model which returns profits to the public sector, and post-graduate job-seeker support.
Charlie Bentham-Wood, the founder of Impact Student Partners, said: “Our projections estimate that up to a third of UK students will require reasonable adjustment for their studies by 2030. From our research, we know students are faced with barriers in accessing reasonable adjustments at university. We can see the demand has increased for Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) funded support, and especially for those with mental health conditions. Our role is to help ensure students receive the support they need and reduce barriers they may face during their studies.”
Impact Student Partners is owned by Commercial Services Group, a council-owned business that gives its surplus profit back to the public sector.
Among those students eligible for NMH are those with dyslexia, medically diagnosed neurodivergence, and those with traumatic brain injuries. Support can range from specialist tutoring and mentoring specific to learning differences, inclusive of autism and neurodiversity-informed approaches.
One of the biggest challenges students face is lack of awareness of the support available, both from the student perspective, and from universities themselves.
Charlie, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the NMH sector, said: “We are aware a large number of students rely on informal support services, in part because how difficult it is to source NMH. Our mission is to make sure everyone who would benefit from this assistance is aware it exists and how straightforward it now is to access. This is why we built a large-scale national network of resources and highly skilled professionals, and our aim is to grow further to meet the needs of the sector.
“We believe everyone has enormous potential and through our partnership approach we create opportunities to help students thrive.”
For more information about Impact Student Partners, visit https://commercialservicesgroup.com/ or contact charlie@impactstudentpartners.com.
* Numbers from Disability Students UK 2025 Access Insights Report.
