The Disabled Student Allowance provides funding for full and part-time undergraduates to help meet the extra cost of studying incurred as a direct result of their disability. Your Local Education Authority provides the funding for this award. If you have a disability or specific learning difficulty (eg dyslexia), you may be eligible for extra funding from the Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA).

How to apply

To consider your eligibility for a DSA, you are required to obtain a recent written report (from an appropriately qualified person, eg an educational psychologist) confirming your specific learning disability.

The report should be less than 2 years old or obtained after the age of 16.

If you have a physical impairment a letter from your doctor, fully explaining the nature of the disability, is usually acceptable.

After supplying your Local Education Authority with the relevant documentation including the DSAF application form (available from the DfES web site), you will need to make an appointment for a needs assessment from a local Access Centre.

PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU DO NOT ATTEND THE ACCESS CENTRE BEFORE THE LEA HAS ESTABLISHED YOUR DISABILITY.

What is an ACCESS Centre?

The National Network of Assessment Centres (NNAC) is a network of specialist centres, which aims to increase access to further and higher education for people with disabilities.

The ACCESS Centre will identify the appropriate level of support/equipment necessary to enable you to attend your course. There are over 20 ACCESS Centres located throughout the United Kingdom.

For details of your nearest ACCESS Centre, please go to http://www.nnac.org/

Please note:

The ACCESS Centre will make a charge for carrying out your assessment. Normally this charge can be funded from the DSA. However, you will be liable to pay the assessment fee yourself if:

• the ACCESS Centre finds that you do not have a disability or specific learning difficulty
• you attend the Access Centre before your disability has been established by the LEA and you do not subsequently qualify for funding

What can be applied for?

There are three types of allowance (based on 2003/4 academic year):

Special equipment allowance: up to a maximum of £4,795 to cover the entire course (for major items of special equipment such as a computer, printer etc.)

Non medical helper’s allowance: up to a maximum of £12,135 per annum (to enable you to pay for helpers to assist with your course, eg a note-taker or sign language interpreter)

General allowance: up to a maximum of £1,605 per annum ( to cover minor items such as tapes, printer cartridges, Braille paper etc.)

These will go up again for the 2007/2008 academic year to £4,905,£12,420, and £1,640 respectively

Please note that DSAs are not intended to assist with disability related expenditure which you would still continue to incur whether you were following the course or not. Your local Social Services department will help with personal assistance costs.

Payment of your DSA

If you would like your allowance paid directly to the supplier of the equipment or the University, the LEA will need, in advance, a letter of authorisation from you. Alternatively, a cheque will be forwarded to your University for you to collect and purchase the equipment. The LEA will require you to send receipts as proof of purchase as soon as these are available.

For students entering Higher Education in September/October 2003, the equipment can be ordered ready for delivery on the first day of term and, with your written authority, the supplier paid direct.

What happens to the equipment when my course ends?

All equipment purchased with the Disabled Student Allowance is and remains your property. You may decide to offer the equipment either to your institution or to your LEA for use by other students, but you do not have to do so. You should be aware that, if you decide to leave your course and not transfer to another, your LEA may ask you to repay some or all of the cost of the equipment.

Bridging The Gap

The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) has produced a guide called ‘Bridging The Gap’ which contains general information on DSAs, details of the application process and helpful contact addresses.

This book is available on the DfES web site:

http://www.studentsupportdirect.co.uk/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/SPIPG001/SPIPS001/SPIPS008/BRIDGING%20THE%20GAP.PDF