11 UNITE STUDENTS | MEETING THE NEEDS OF NEURODIVERGENT STUDENTS FOCUS GROUP FINDINGS BACK TO CONTENTS Students talked about their need for a high level of information about the accommodation prior to arrival. These included accurate visualisation of the accommodation, including up-to-date photography and floor plans, and details of the facilities. Having a very clear understanding of their allocated room was important for many of the students, and support with way finding and understanding how to access the facilities was also mentioned. Lack of sufficiently detailed information could result in high levels of anxiety and uncertainty. We weren’t allocated accommodation until a month before... They announced they were releasing it, releasing where we were living on the 24th. From midnight... I was checking my phone every half an hour. The Covid pandemic had exacerbated this issue, as prospective students had not been able to visit the accommodation in person. MOVING INTO STUDENT ACCOMMODATION I started about five months before - I went trying to set up doctors, know where my accommodation was, all this kind of stuff. Being so proactive, and it was running into a brick wall because no one seemed to know anything. No one could tell me anything. The whole thing was just so painful. In previous research we have found that applicants in general tend to be anxious about who they are going to live with. For neurodivergent students these anxieties were dialled up, and there were additional concerns among those who were LGBT+. I was put with nine other people. None of them share anything in common with me. None of them are neurodivergent. None of them are queer. There was agreement that having at least one or two other neurodivergent students in the flat would be reassuring and help them to settle in. You can request a single sex flat; you can request - for example, if you’re Jewish, you can request a Kosher flat. Could there be an option to request a neurodivergent flat? ...definitely being put with people that are similar to you in some way would feel a bit more accommodating Additionally, those in the group who were LGBT+ would have welcomed the opportunity to live with other LGBT+ students, though not necessarily an entirely dedicated flat. If these allocations are not possible, neurodivergent students would prefer to be informed early and clearly. Students also spoke about the ‘overwhelming’ experience of moving into student accommodation and having to move, unpack and then meet new people all on the same day. An option to move in early – even by just one day – would make this process easier.