Establishing the supervisory process

Supervisors and postgraduate researchers are unique individuals and have different attitudes, understandings, learning preferences and ways of approaching tasks. Some researchers like structure and very regular feedback on your progress, others do not. Your supervisor(s) may prefer a minimalist approach with an emphasis on the researcher as an autonomous, independent learner. This makes it hard to generalise. Therefore, it is important to establish and match both your expectations and discuss any issues you envisage.

Supervisors can be expected to make, if necessary, reasonable adjustments to their practice. For example; organising meetings in accessible venues; providing any notes or papers in advance; provide feedback in electronic formats; allowing you to audio record meetings. 

In your initial meeting you can discuss and agree  with your supervisor how you will work together. Write down before each meeting what questions and concerns you have. If you anticipate that particular research activities will pose difficulties or barriers to you, talk them through with your supervisor as part of the initial planning process.  These will differ for individual researchers, but may include:

• the volume of reading you are expected between meetings
• organisational difficulties
• changes and/or fluctuating impairments which may impact scheduling meetings and research planning. 
• the expectation that you will attend conferences and the potential barriers to attending
• how assistive technology makes it possible for you to read but makes reading very time-consuming
• understanding subject terminology because you lip read or use an interpreter
• the accessible venues and locations to conduct fieldwork
• being part of a research community when the social facilities the other PGRs use are inaccessible to you.

If you have disclosed your disability and are in receipt of DSA (Disabled Students' Allowance), you will be able to access other sources of support like disability advisers, assistive technology, learning support tutors. These can also be integrated into the supervisory process.