Hi,
Is this a scholarship for a University?
From my understanding no-one HAS to declare a disability but basically yes Crohn's is considered to be a disability.
I don't quite know how the system works for an international student but with a home student you can say you are disabled and you will be assessed for your needs. Having Crohn's disease will more likely than not entitle you to an ensuite room(again for home students the difference in cost of an ensuite and non-ensuite will be met by the finance provider(Student Finance)) If cost could be an issue a lot of the accomodation is in 'Halls' and typically you will have a room in say a flat of 5/6 rooms which usually have two bathrooms. But there are many variables on this depending on what Uni and whether you opt for catered or self catered etc. Rooms with ensuites are also usually part of a 'flat' too, 6/8 ensuite rooms with a communal kitchen.
I don't know if you have narrowed down any choices of where to study but maybe things to consider-
Is the Uni campus based(everything in one place such as Halls,lectures, Doctors etc) or is it one that is spread out across a city(several have halls a few miles away from the main lecture areas/Doctors etc) so need to factor in bus travel costs etc.
Catered or self catered-some advise going for catered so that if you really don't feel like cooking you can still have a hot meal. Many say the food isn't that great and more often than not paid for meals are skipped!
If you go for self catered, look carefully at what equipment is provided in the kitchens,one Uni I went to look at with DS didn't have an ordinary oven, yes it had a grill and hob and microwave but no basic oven(lot of what ds eats I cook in oven and this is the way he knows how to do it) I was worried that if he was bad that he wouldn't be able to get to shops to buy food, most (but not all) Universites will be covered by one of the major supermarkets home delivery service(lol ds did all his food shopping this way. whether ill or not!!)
re your medical insurance tbh I don't know the answers! Most of us in the UK are covered by the good old NHS and 'merely' have to pay a relatively small sum per prescription(although if they are aged 19 or under in full time education(Uni is classed as this) their medications are all free) I guess your question would be one for your insurance provider.
If you were to flare I guess it would be down to the GP you register here with-like anywhere else in the world some will admit to hospital fairly quickly and others not so quickly. My guess would be that if you didn't have a close suppport system here they would be more likely to admit you. If you came over here to study you would need to register with a local GP(quite often one on campus) and for any new patient with a long term condition such as Crohn's ,they would call you in for a medical review at the earliest opportunity and this would be a good time to explain where you are at with this disease and any worries/concerns you have. Hopefully your flat mates would be a good bunch who would also support you with things too.
If you have any other questions I will try to answer them or try and find the answers for you or if you have any Unis in mind it may be one that I have looked around or one where my two have/are attending!
These links may be of some help. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/Entitlementsandcharges/OverseasVisitors/Browsable/DH_074400
http://www.educationuk.org/UK/Article/Health-advice-for-UK-international-students
Post Edited (vixen) : 12/29/2011 2:10:11 PM (GMT-7)