Practical support available

An undergraduate wrote to the Premia website in 2006. They had recently completed a research project - in life sciences - as part of their first degree. They had found that different issues were raised by research activities. As they want to undertake a doctorate after they graduate in a year's time, they wanted to find answers to some crucial questions:

• are there any case studies of scientific researchers which would show how people have managed the research environment?
• what adaptive laboratory equipment is available?
• what sources of funding are there to buy in the services of a support worker with the skills and knowledge to work at this level in a laboratory?

Whatever your academic discipline, it is a good idea to investigate the potential barriers you might face in a research setting, the resources which exist to support you in your research degree and the sources and level of funding available to you to meet your specific requirements. This is not to suggest that you will encounter additional difficulties if you are a disabled researcher; it is simply beneficial to your success if you can identify any issues and solutions before you start.