Disabled students allowance

kika

Has anyone any advice or tips on applying for this? My dyslexic son wants to go to uni next year so would like to know. How can he be assessed for this? Thanks in advance Kika.

[Deleted User]

Hi Kika,

I applied for DSA during y undergrad but I did it through the university but you can also do it through the local authority. It involved a 2 hour assessment with an educational psychologist and I had to pay an initial fee of £200 for this assessment (this might have changed). I was given over £2k for a computer and other equipment such as a dictaphone and printer, money for books, print credits and tuition. All in all, extremely helpful. Now doing a masters and have my next assessment next week (you have to have one every 3 years). I hope this helps a little xx

kika

Thanks. Where did you get assessment done as £200 sounds good value.

melroccan

My son got DSA this year, got the application form off Directgov website. His assessment was paid for by them, and he got equipment such as a laptop and voice software which we are still waiting to get delivered (he applied late as was only diagnosed in the summer). I would think your son would get similar to help him, you don't get the money they pay the suppliers. My son has Bipolar Disorder.

bzz

kika wrote: »

Thanks. Where did you get assessment done as £200 sounds good value.

Contact the university's disability service - they may be able to assess your son without the need to pay.

My uni's disability service were good: they did all the paperwork for me, got all the costings and made sure that my department were aware of my condition (so my special needs catered for during tests and exams).

I'm sure there's a bit in the UCAS form where you declare if you have a disability. While the uni will probably contact your son about this in due course, it's better to tell them as soon as possible because applying and getting funding take a while and you want to make sure that everything is in place at the start term.

MrsManda

I've not applied dsylexia but the information on how to apply for DSA and the steps involved can be found on direct.gov HERE

bestpud

Has he actually been diagnosed with dyslexia? If so, when was he last assessed?

If it was after he turned 16 and less than 3 years ago, that assessment will be fine for DSA at university.

If he is still at college and was assessed while at school, I would see about getting him assessed at college as it may well be cheaper.

kika

My son was assessed at junior school and uses computer in exams. I know we need this form but I need to know how to get this assessment done and cheaply. I don't have a lot of spare money.
melroccan- can you tell me who did the assessment?
bzz - once he accepts offers I may try this.

bestpud

Has he asked his college? They may know the cheapest option in your area.

He can leave it until he has a place but it will delay the process considerably and it's not a quick one at the best of times. If he is going to do that, I'd advise him to contact the Uni sooner rather than later.

He can also ask at open days as they always have someone from student services at them.

Not all unis subsidise the cost though, I don't think. I paid £100 for mine but I've seen some students say they paid more.

I'd start with his college, personally.

bzz

Some unis have an Access to Learning fund which you can apply for (to help pay the assessment if they can't do it in house).

A word of warning: the local authority or uni may have recommended suppliers that they get PCs from and these suppliers vary greatly! I was given the biggest, noisiest, slowest PC known to man (with the cheapest keyboard and mouse possible) and it cost well over £1000! I could have walked into PC World and picked up something similar for half that. Get your son to research what he needs - a laptop might be the best idea - and make a case for it during the needs assessment.

dmg24

bzz wrote: »

Some unis have an Access to Learning fund which you can apply for (to help pay the assessment if they can't do it in house).

A word of warning: the local authority or uni may have recommended suppliers that they get PCs from and these suppliers vary greatly! I was given the biggest, noisiest, slowest PC known to man (with the cheapest keyboard and mouse possible) and it cost well over £1000! I could have walked into PC World and picked up something similar for half that. Get your son to research what he needs - a laptop might be the best idea - and make a case for it during the needs assessment.

I can't see a case for a dyslexic needing a laptop rather than a desktop PC, although he can pay the difference himself.

The ALF would only be available to the OP's son once he is a student. Waiting this long means he would be unlikely to receive any equipment before Christmas.