Careers Support for Disabled and Neurodivergent Students

According to the Oxford University Disability Advisory Service, more than 20% of the student population recorded a disability on their University student record in the last academic year. As Oxford University's primary point of support on all things careers and employability, we aim to provide tailored guidance to all Oxford students and researchers who identify as having a disability, neurodivergence or long-term health condition.

Every year, we plan a variety of events including sessions to help you explore your options, programmes to develop your skills, and sessions to help you build confidence. Making the most of these opportunities while balancing academic work can be tricky. Doing all this while navigating extra challenges such as deciding if and how to talk to employers about a disability or neurodivergence can be particularly demanding. Here are some of the ways in which we can support you.

Tailored careers advice

There is no "one size fits all" approach to disability so we offer a range of options, including:

Individual appointments with our disability careers advisers to discuss your individual circumstances.
Written guidance as well as a list of external resources on our website.
Dedicated events covering topics such as if and how to talk about disability with employers, how to ask for adjustments, tips to help you transition to the workplace with confidence, among many others.

Neurodiversity Celebration Week: 18 - 24 March 2024

Panel Event: Your strengths and the adjustments you might need in the workplace

Online session on Wednesday 20 March 2024, 16:00 - 17:30

Are you a neurodivergent student thinking about employment? Neurodivergent students have many strengths that employers are looking for. Join this online session to hear more from our expert panel. Gain valuable insights into the recruitment process and learn effective strategies to showcase your abilities. Learn about some of the possible adjustments you could have in the recruitment process and the workplace. Explore how to communicate your needs effectively to ensure your success. Panellists:

Tony Lloyd – CEO, The ADHD Foundation (The Neurodiversity Charity)
Lorna Culpin – Assistant Director, Neurodiverse Centre of Excellence, EY
Sharon Cant – Recruitment Marketing Specialist, Auticon
Edmund Lewis – Careers Consultant, The London School of Economics and Political Science

This session will be run via Microsoft Teams and will be open to students at a number of universities.

Sign up for the Panel Event on CareerConnect

Mental Health and Resilience, finding supportive employers and maintaining wellbeing

A session for DPhils and Research Staff at Oxford. This event is part of Careers Beyond Academia: Options and Pathways for Researchers, the careers conference for Oxford University research staff and DPhil students.

Online session on 19 March 2024, 09:30 - 10:30

Tailored for DPhil candidates and fixed-term academic research staff, this one-hour session is a crucial guide for those transitioning from academia to diverse career landscapes. Uncover strategies to identify supportive employers, cultivate resilience, and strike a balance between professional and personal life.

Sign up for Mental Health and Resilience for researchers

Neurodiversity Celebration Week Events

Neurodiversity Celebration Week aims to bring about worldwide neurodiversity acceptance, equality and inclusion in schools and workplaces. Neurodiversity Celebration Week are running 24 free events that you can join. Visit www.neurodiversityweek.com to find out more and to sign up.

External opportunities

Civil Service Internship Programme - Ambitious about Autism

Application deadline: Friday 1 March 2024, 13:00

The Civil Service has a key role in supporting government to develop and implement its policies as effectively as possible. Helping to bring innovative solutions to some of the biggest issues facing society. An exciting four-week work experience opportunity in the Civil Service is being offered to approximately 100 autistic young people. This experience will provide you with the chance to see what it is like to work inside this important organisation. On the internship, you'll do challenging project-related work. You could be:

Conducting research.
Providing project support.
Assisting with the creation of policy documents.
Shadowing senior civil servants.
Attending meetings with senior advisors on major issues.

The internships are full time Monday to Friday and last 4 weeks in July 2024 (start date is expected to be in the first week of July).

Salary: £430 per week.

Location: The programme is offered in a range of locations across Great Britain. Most roles are hybrid and will be a combination of office-based and home working.

Department: The Civil Service department allocated will be based on location, skills and preference details provided within application forms.

Apply for Civil Service Internship Programme - Ambitious about Autism

Career Accelerator - Neurodiversity & Disability Mentoring Programme

Connecting 18-30 year old Neurodivergent and Disabled young people with Neurodivergent and Disabled business mentors, or allies, who work at top inclusive businesses such as Cisco, Centrica, LinkedIn, Pearson, Salesforce and more, to prepare for successful careers in a variety of sectors.

Over the course of the programme, you will have access to the following:

One training workshop, led by staff at Career Accelerator, to help you develop the skills necessary to be a successful mentee,
At least 3 one-hour one-to-one mentoring sessions with a professional from a top corporate,
Additional support from the Career Accelerator team to help you make the most of your mentoring sessions,
An alumni network where you will have access to additional opportunities such as networking events or internship places,
Exclusive Career Accelerator events led in partnership with our corporate partners.

Applications are on a rolling basis and places are allocated on a first come first serve basis.

Apply for Career Accelerator - Neurodiversity & Disability Mentoring Programme