Disabled Student's Allowance -- worth applying for mental health?

Indie_Kid · 9 March 2010 at 1:08PM

cirrusmp wrote: »

Important to note that this will infuriate students around you, especially if they know you have the means to pay for these things yourself.

I'm sure most don't care. Plus it's not obvious unless you tell them that DSA / SFE paid for them.

Indie_Kid · 9 March 2010 at 3:28PM

bestpud wrote: »

I do not know of one student at my uni who begrudges people the aids they need to help them gain a degree.

Me neither. The people I'm in classes with know I have support staff and up until recently, used a dictaphone.

In fact, very few people (or possibly no-one) know what my disabilities are.

cirrusmp · 9 March 2010 at 3:58PM

dmg24 · 9 March 2010 at 4:03PM

Your friends clearly are not 'nice, reasonable, decent people' if they make such harsh judgements about disabled people. Perhaps they would like to live the life of the disabled student for a while? If they did they may be a tad more reasonable than at present.

Interestingly, the people on my courses with the best equipment are the overseas students. Are your friends bitter and jealous of them also?

cirrusmp · 9 March 2010 at 4:18PM

dmg24 · 9 March 2010 at 4:35PM

You are making judgements as to what people do and do not require. You (and let's not forget your friends!) have no experience of the disabilities in question and therefore cannot make a reasoned judgement as to whether such items are required to put the student on a level playing field. Therefore your comments are unjustified.

As a student with mental health problems, I am entitled to the following:

A laptop, because I am not able to use the library/ PC resources
A printer, for the above reason
A printing/ internet allowance, because I cannot take advantage of the much cheaper printing facilities available at uni
A dictaphone, because my concentration is very poor
A travel allowance, as I cannot use public transport

Which of the above do you and your friends think that I am not entitled to in order to put me on a level playing field, and why?

Do you really receive no state 'aid'? Do you not receive student finance, and do you pay international fees?

WolfSong2000 · 9 March 2010 at 5:14PM

It's a tricky one. *If* paying for things like extra programmes for laptops, etc would put you at a disadvantage against other students, then yes, it should be provided so everyone is on an equal playing field, but I too have flatmates who abuse the system. One has accepted a free laptop, printer, etc, as she has dyslexia, but she could have easily afforded it herself like the rest of us. Now, the extra programmes on the laptop - those I can understand her getting for a reduced rate or free, but the laptop itself was totally unecessary. I have a friend, however, whose eyesight is very poor and the uni paid for a special bigger laptop for her so she could use it more easily - this expense I can understand as it was directly relevant to her condition.

I went to my uni, told them I am pretty sure I have dyscalculia (like dyslexia, but with maths) and although I am doing a history degree, it puts me at a disadvantage when using statistics, etc, which we do quite regularly. All I wanted was someone to sit down with me, for maybe 30 mins for a few weeks and go over the (relevant) basics - this was refused. Later I approached them as I may have possible epilepsy (doctor's are testing) - they couldn't throw enough "help" at me for this - dictaphones and such like. I turned it down as I didn't feel it was necessary, but when I see so many other people taking advantage because it's "free", not because they necessarily need it, then yes, I get p*ssed off. And for the record, the person I know who I feel is taking advantage of the system goes to a Scottish Uni and is classed as being scottish herself, so pays no fees whatsoever.

cirrusmp · 9 March 2010 at 5:38PM

Indie_Kid · 9 March 2010 at 8:05PM

cirrusmp wrote: »

For example, giving brand new laptops to students who already have perfectly good laptops.

Do they? When I had my assessment, I got asked if I had a PC or laptop at home. I replied honestly and said it's intended for myself (I bought it out of my own money) but family use it because it has software on it theirs doesn't. I also believe the printer is connected.

The PC is also 3 years old and I doubt the software I require would work on it.

Laptop
Also, I'd be willing to bet good money that your laptop far exceeds the specification required to complete your course, the ones I saw supplied were from a company charging over £1200 for each unit - why do you need that and not one that costs £400?. Have you considered how that £800 difference could benefit other students?. Did you own a laptop when you claimed?.

The laptop has to last the duration of the course, so it's pointless now me being given one that only has 1-2GB of RAM. Mine didn't cost anywhere near £1200 - try half of that!

Why can you not contribute your own cartridges and paper?. If you need a printer why can you not pay for it out of student loan?.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong; but isn't paper only given to those of us who required coloured paper due to disability?

Once again my question would be why are you not made to pay this out of your student loan?. Say I couldn't get to university on public transport because it didn't run near my house - I'd have 3 choices - pay rent on accommodation nearer the university, pay for taxis myself or run a car - I accept running a car may be impossible for someone with a disability.

You can use buses; not everyone is able to do this. I could get a bus but have the bait of catchign the wrong or getting off at the wrong stop.

Finally, note that I have not at any point made judgements, merely asked questions, based on my own perceptions and experiences.

Also note, that however severe your disability may be, the same allowances are offered to people with virtually no disability whatsoever.

Oh? Just because someone looks fine; doesn't mean they're not.

One of the recipients of all these allowances now works as a software developer for a company called Detica, part of BAA, and works directly with government clients and on website projects such as nationalrail.co.uk. He is not disabled.

You're medically qualified with access to this guy's medical records?

bestpud · 9 March 2010 at 9:12PM

cirrusmp wrote: »

A dictaphone, because my concentration is very poor
Say we were to take exactly the same course, and graduate with a middle of the road 2.1 - if we were both to present a C.V to an employer, he would assume that we were equally skilled - surely I am more skilled because my concentration is better and I do not require these aids - your actual performance on the job would be lower than mine because you have poor concentration and I don't, but the employer would have no knowledge of this until you were hired, because you had the same qualification as someone that didn't have that disadvantage?. Do you write on applications under disability "poor concentration"?.

I guess it depends what skills they require!

Concentration is but one ability and not an important one for every job out there. Plus, dictaphones can be used in the workplace too!

I would argue people skills, such as the ability to empathise and appreciate individual difference, are more worthwhile for many occupations...

Disabled Student's Allowance -- worth applying for mental health?

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