Version 1.0
Effective date: Sept 28, 2026
Last reviewed: Sept 28, 2026
These Terms of Support explain the basis on which AccessWays provides Non-Medical Help (NMH) support. Please read them before beginning support.
These Terms should be read together with the Privacy Notice and, where applicable, the Cancellation and Non-Attendance Policy, Complaints Policy and Safeguarding and Student Welfare Policy.
Translations are provided for convenience only. If there is any inconsistency or difference in meaning, the English version shall prevail.
1. About AccessWays
AccessWays is an independent provider of Non-Medical Help support to students in higher education, including support funded through Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA).
In these Terms, “AccessWays”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to AccessWays | Multilingual NMH, trading as AccessWays.
“Student” and “you” refer to the person receiving support.
2. Scope of support
AccessWays provides only services that it is appropriately qualified, registered and insured to provide.
Where support is funded through DSA, the type and amount of support available will normally be determined by the student’s current DSA entitlement and arrangements approved by Student Finance England (SFE) or another relevant funding body.
AccessWays may agree a Work Plan, Learning Plan or other support arrangement with the student where appropriate.
NMH support is intended to help students access and engage with their studies, develop appropriate strategies and increase independence.
Unless expressly agreed as part of an authorised service, AccessWays does not provide medical treatment, psychological therapy, diagnosis, crisis intervention, legal advice or financial advice.
AccessWays may decline a request that falls outside the scope of the NMH role, AccessWays’ competence, professional boundaries, registration, insurance or legal obligations.
3. Standard of service
AccessWays will provide services with reasonable care and skill.
AccessWays will take reasonable steps to provide support in accordance with the student’s agreed arrangements and applicable NMH requirements.
Nothing in these Terms excludes or restricts any statutory right or liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or restricted.
4. Academic responsibility and outcomes
NMH support is intended to facilitate learning rather than replace the student’s own academic work or decision-making.
AccessWays will not undertake assessed work on behalf of a student, provide work intended to be submitted as the student’s own, or knowingly facilitate plagiarism, contract cheating or other academic misconduct.
Students remain responsible for their own academic decisions, attendance, work, submissions, deadlines and compliance with the regulations and academic-integrity requirements of their higher education provider.
AccessWays does not guarantee any particular mark, classification, academic progression, assessment outcome, continuation of study, employment outcome or other academic result.
A student’s dissatisfaction with an academic result does not by itself establish that AccessWays has failed to provide the agreed service with reasonable care and skill.
5. DSA entitlement and approval
Where support is DSA-funded, AccessWays may require appropriate evidence that the support has been approved before providing it.
This may include a current DSA2 Notification of Entitlement or other appropriate confirmation.
AccessWays will not knowingly provide DSA-funded support beyond the role, amount, period or other limits authorised by the relevant funding body unless the additional support has first been appropriately approved.
Where additional support appears necessary, the student may be asked to contact their Needs Assessor, funding body or other appropriate organisation.
AccessWays may pause DSA-funded support while clarification or additional authorisation is being obtained.
The student should notify AccessWays as soon as reasonably possible if they become aware that they have:
– withdrawn from or suspended their course;
– completed or changed their course;
– changed their NMH provider;
– received a revised DSA entitlement;
– ceased to be eligible for relevant funding; or
– experienced another material change that may affect the funding or provision of support.
AccessWays is not Student Finance England, the Student Loans Company, the Department for Education, a Needs Assessment Centre or the student’s higher education provider and cannot control or guarantee decisions made by those organisations.
6. Arranging support
Support may be delivered remotely, in person or through an agreed combination of methods, subject to the student’s approved support, AccessWays’ service arrangements and reasonable availability.
Appointments will be arranged through communication or booking methods specified by AccessWays.
Students are responsible for providing accurate contact information and notifying AccessWays of relevant changes.
AccessWays will make reasonable efforts to provide continuity of support but does not guarantee the availability of every requested date, time, location or delivery method.
Where an agreed appointment cannot reasonably be provided, AccessWays will seek an appropriate alternative where practicable.
7. Accessibility and reasonable adjustments
AccessWays aims to provide an accessible and inclusive service.
Students are encouraged to tell AccessWays about communication, accessibility or other adjustments that would assist them in accessing support.
Students are not required to disclose more medical or diagnostic information than is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.
AccessWays will consider reasonable adjustments on an individual basis.
Where a requested adjustment cannot reasonably be provided, AccessWays will discuss appropriate alternatives where practicable.
8. Student responsibilities
Students are expected to:
– communicate with AccessWays in a reasonably respectful manner;
– provide information reasonably required to arrange, verify or administer support;
– provide information that is accurate to the best of their knowledge;
– attend agreed appointments or notify AccessWays where they cannot attend;
– take reasonable responsibility for their own learning and academic work;
– notify AccessWays of relevant changes to their DSA entitlement or student status of which they are aware;
– review session information and verification requests and report inaccuracies promptly;
– use AccessWays systems, accounts and communications appropriately;
– maintain reasonable security over their AccessWays account or login credentials; and
– refrain from abusive, threatening, discriminatory, fraudulent or seriously inappropriate behaviour.
AccessWays recognises that disability, neurodivergence, health and individual circumstances may affect communication, attendance and engagement. These Terms will therefore be applied reasonably and with consideration of relevant circumstances.
9. Session records and verification
AccessWays will maintain appropriate evidence of support provided.
For DSA-funded support, records may include the date, start and end time, duration, location or delivery method, support type, relevant details of support provided and student confirmation where required.
Students may be asked after a session to confirm that support took place.
Students must not knowingly approve information that is inaccurate and should notify AccessWays promptly if they believe a session record or timesheet is incorrect.
AccessWays will not ask a student to confirm that a session has taken place before the session occurs.
Electronic verification will only be used in accordance with applicable DSA/SLC requirements.
AccessWays may retain appropriate records and evidence for the periods required by applicable DSA, legal, financial, insurance, audit and regulatory requirements.
10. DSA funding and payment
Where a funding body has agreed to pay AccessWays directly for approved support, AccessWays will normally submit the relevant invoice in accordance with that body’s requirements.
AccessWays cannot guarantee when or whether a funding body will approve or pay a particular invoice.
A student will not automatically become personally liable for an otherwise DSA-funded invoice solely because a funding body delays, queries or refuses payment.
AccessWays may investigate the reason for non-payment and may pause further support where there is a genuine question concerning entitlement, authorisation or funding.
Where a student asks AccessWays to provide support that is clearly outside their approved DSA entitlement, AccessWays will not treat that support as privately chargeable unless the student has been informed of the proposed charge and has expressly agreed to purchase that service before it is provided.
Where a separate private service is agreed, the applicable price and payment arrangements will be confirmed in advance.
AccessWays will not knowingly claim payment for support that was not provided, “bank” unused DSA hours for later invoicing, or otherwise make a claim inconsistent with applicable funding rules.
11. Cancellation and non-attendance
Students should notify AccessWays as soon as reasonably possible when they cannot attend an agreed session.
Cancellation and non-attendance arrangements are governed by the AccessWays Cancellation and Non-Attendance Policy and applicable DSA funding rules.
A cancelled or missed DSA-funded session will only be charged where the applicable funding rules permit it.
AccessWays will not record a cancelled session as support actually delivered.
Where relevant, AccessWays may take account of disability, illness, emergency or other circumstances when responding to cancellations or repeated non-attendance.
Repeated cancellation or non-attendance may lead AccessWays to discuss whether the existing support arrangements remain appropriate.
12. Statutory right to cancel the service agreement
Where the agreement with AccessWays constitutes a distance or off-premises consumer contract to which the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 apply, the student will normally have a statutory right to cancel the agreement within 14 days without giving a reason.
AccessWays will provide the information required by law concerning that cancellation right.
Where a student wishes AccessWays to begin providing services before the end of the statutory cancellation period, AccessWays may require an express request for early commencement.
Where permitted by law, if the student subsequently exercises the statutory right to cancel after expressly requesting that services begin during the cancellation period, the student may be responsible for an amount proportionate to services already supplied.
Where the service has been fully performed during the cancellation period following the student’s express request and any legally required acknowledgement, the statutory right to cancel may cease.
The statutory cancellation of the service agreement is separate from cancellation of an individual support appointment.
Nothing in these Terms restricts a statutory cancellation right.
13. Confidentiality
Information discussed or provided in connection with support will normally be treated as confidential.
Confidentiality is not absolute.
AccessWays may use or share relevant information where there is an appropriate lawful and necessary reason, including where:
– disclosure is required or permitted by law;
– information is reasonably required for legitimate DSA administration, verification, payment or audit;
– the student has authorised appropriate information sharing;
– disclosure is necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims;
– information must appropriately be provided to an insurer, professional adviser or regulator; or
– disclosure is lawfully necessary in connection with a serious safeguarding, welfare or safety concern.
AccessWays will, where reasonably possible, limit disclosure to information necessary and proportionate for the relevant purpose.
Further information about personal data is contained in the AccessWays Privacy Notice.
14. Safeguarding and welfare
AccessWays provides educational support and is not an emergency, medical, mental-health crisis or therapeutic service.
AccessWays will respond to safeguarding or serious welfare concerns within the boundaries of its role and applicable procedures.
This may include discussing available support, signposting to an appropriate university, healthcare, emergency or specialist service, or sharing relevant information where there is a lawful and necessary basis to do so.
AccessWays does not undertake to provide continuous monitoring of a student’s wellbeing or availability outside agreed support arrangements.
Where immediate assistance is required, students should contact the appropriate emergency or crisis service rather than relying on AccessWays.
Further information is contained in the AccessWays Safeguarding and Student Welfare Policy.
15. Professional boundaries
The relationship between AccessWays and the student is a professional support relationship.
AccessWays and students are expected to maintain appropriate boundaries in communications and interactions.
AccessWays may refuse a request that:
– falls outside the agreed NMH role;
– would involve academic misconduct;
– would create an unmanaged conflict of interest;
– would require AccessWays to act outside its competence, registration or insurance;
– would compromise appropriate professional boundaries; or
– would require AccessWays to act unlawfully or contrary to applicable DSA requirements.
Refusing such a request does not constitute a failure to provide the agreed NMH service.
16. Remote support and technology
Remote support may use video conferencing, the AccessWays student portal, learning platform, email or other agreed digital services.
Students should take reasonable steps to have access to the equipment and internet connection required for a remote session where reasonably available to them.
Both parties should take reasonable steps to protect privacy when participating remotely.
Students must not deliberately interfere with, compromise or attempt unauthorised access to AccessWays systems or accounts.
Where a material technical problem prevents an agreed session from taking place, AccessWays will consider an appropriate alternative, including rearrangement where reasonably practicable.
AccessWays is not responsible for an interruption caused solely by a third-party network, platform or service outside its reasonable control, but this does not affect any responsibility AccessWays has for selecting or operating its own systems with reasonable care.
17. Recording, transcription and artificial intelligence
Students must not audio-record, video-record, livestream, automatically transcribe or permit an automated meeting assistant or AI service to join or process an AccessWays support session without prior agreement from AccessWays.
AccessWays will likewise not record a student’s support session without an appropriate lawful basis and, where required, appropriate prior agreement.
Requests to record or transcribe a session as a reasonable adjustment will be considered individually and will not be unreasonably refused where an appropriate arrangement can be made.
Where recording is agreed, conditions may be imposed concerning storage, access, confidentiality, sharing and deletion.
AccessWays will not knowingly submit identifiable confidential student session content to a generative AI service unless its use is lawful, appropriately safeguarded and consistent with the AccessWays Privacy Notice and applicable data protection requirements.
Unauthorised recording or disclosure may result in AccessWays taking proportionate steps to protect confidentiality, personal data, intellectual property and the integrity of the service.
18. Respectful and safe service
AccessWays is committed to providing support in an environment free from harassment, discrimination, threats and abuse.
AccessWays may take proportionate action where conduct creates a genuine safety, legal, professional-boundary or service-delivery concern.
Where appropriate, AccessWays will normally explain the concern and provide a reasonable opportunity for it to be addressed.
However, AccessWays may immediately pause a session or support arrangement where reasonably necessary because of:
– violence or a credible threat of violence;
– serious harassment or abuse;
– fraud or deliberate falsification of support records;
– serious misuse of AccessWays systems;
– a serious safeguarding or safety risk;
– serious or deliberate professional-boundary violations; or
– circumstances in which continuing support would reasonably expose AccessWays or another person to significant risk.
Any longer-term suspension or termination will be considered under section 19.
19. Pausing or ending support
The student may ask to stop receiving support from AccessWays.
AccessWays may pause or end support where there is a reasonable and legitimate reason, including where:
– approved funding or entitlement ends or materially changes;
– AccessWays is no longer authorised, qualified, insured or reasonably able to provide the relevant service;
– continuing support would breach law, DSA requirements or professional obligations;
– a conflict of interest cannot reasonably be managed;
– serious or persistent misconduct occurs;
– there is a serious or persistent breakdown in the professional support relationship that prevents the service from being delivered appropriately;
– repeated non-attendance makes the existing arrangement unworkable after reasonable attempts to address the issue; or
– continuing the arrangement would create a material safety risk.
AccessWays will consider the circumstances proportionately, including relevant disability or accessibility considerations.
Except where immediate action is reasonably necessary, AccessWays will normally explain the reason and provide reasonable notice before ending ongoing support.
Where appropriate and reasonably possible, AccessWays will cooperate with steps required for the student to seek alternative support.
AccessWays does not guarantee that another provider will be available.
20. Events outside reasonable control
Circumstances outside AccessWays’ reasonable control may occasionally prevent or delay support.
These may include serious illness, emergency, significant infrastructure or communications failure, venue closure, severe disruption or comparable circumstances that AccessWays could not reasonably prevent.
AccessWays will take reasonable steps to notify affected students and, where reasonably practicable, rearrange the session or provide an appropriate alternative.
This section does not exclude rights or remedies that cannot lawfully be excluded.
21. Responsibility and liability
AccessWays will provide its services with reasonable care and skill.
Nothing in these Terms excludes or restricts liability where doing so would be unlawful.
In particular, nothing in these Terms excludes or restricts statutory consumer rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.
Subject to those rights and applicable law, AccessWays is not responsible for:
– a student’s academic, personal or career decisions;
– failure to achieve a particular academic or other outcome where AccessWays has provided the agreed service with reasonable care and skill;
– decisions or actions taken independently by SFE, SLC, DfE, a higher education provider, Needs Assessment Centre or another third party;
– loss caused solely by materially inaccurate or incomplete information supplied to AccessWays where AccessWays could not reasonably have identified the error;
– disruption caused solely by third-party technology or infrastructure outside AccessWays’ reasonable control; or
– consequences arising from a student’s failure to act on information or support provided, where the relevant decision remained the student’s responsibility.
Nothing in this section excuses AccessWays from responsibility for its own failure to exercise reasonable care and skill.
22. Complaints
Students may raise concerns or complaints about AccessWays.
Complaints will be handled under the AccessWays Complaints Policy.
AccessWays will not disadvantage a student merely because they have made a complaint in good faith.
Where a complaint concerns the processing of personal information, the AccessWays Data Protection Complaints Procedure may also apply.
Nothing in these Terms prevents a student from using an external complaint, regulatory or legal route available to them.
23. Data protection
AccessWays processes personal information in accordance with applicable data protection law.
The AccessWays Privacy Notice explains what personal information AccessWays collects, how and why it is used, relevant information sharing, retention and the student’s data protection rights.
24. Changes to these Terms
AccessWays may update these Terms where reasonably necessary because of changes to law, DSA or regulatory requirements, professional requirements or the operation of its services.
AccessWays will not use this provision to retrospectively remove accrued statutory rights or impose a materially disadvantageous new obligation without an appropriate legal basis.
Where a material change affects an existing support arrangement, reasonable notice will be provided where appropriate.
The current version and effective date will be made available to students.
25. Governing law
These Terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, subject to any mandatory consumer rights applicable to the student.
Nothing in these Terms removes any right a consumer may have to bring proceedings in a court available to them under applicable law.
26. Agreement and records
Students will be given a reasonable opportunity to read these Terms before agreeing to them.
Where agreement is recorded electronically, AccessWays may retain evidence of:
– the version of the Terms provided;
– the date and time of acceptance;
– the method by which acceptance was recorded; and
– any express request or acknowledgement required in relation to early commencement of services during a statutory cancellation period.
The student should retain a copy of these Terms for their records.
Agreement to these Terms does not constitute consent to every use of personal information. Personal data is processed on the lawful bases described in the Privacy Notice.