If you have a disability, mental health condition or
specific learning difficulty which affects your ability to study,
you may be eligible for additional help.
If you are a new 2010-11 cohort student, you will need to make
your application to the Student Finance
England team.
The Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) does not provide you with
extra money but funds the additional support you need to
enable you to study at the same level as other students on your
course.
DSA assistance is not income assessed and not repayable and
will remain for the duration of your course.
There is no application deadline since a health
condition, or specific learning difficulty, may not make a
significant impact until the later stages
of your studies.
However, the process of obtaining support can be lengthy
and under normal circumstances it can take two or three
months to receive help after your initial application.
Therefore, it is important to apply as early as possible if you
think you may be entitled to extra help.
The DSA application process in North Somerset works through the
following stages:
Applications - To qualify you need to be
eligible for and must already be in receipt of Student
Finance, or be submitting an Student Finance application as a new
applicant. There is a separate application form if you are studying
part-time or as a postgraduate
Proof of disability - You will need to
provide evidence of your disability, such as a letter from your GP
or specialist or, in the case of a specific learning difficulty
such as dyslexia, a copy of your most recent educational
psychologist's report. If the psychological assessment was carried
out before the age of 16 you will need to obtain an update called
an Assessment of Performance Attainment. A Request for Special
Examination Arrangements is not acceptable as proof of a specific
learning difficulty. A full diagnostic assessment carried out since
the age of 16 will be of significant help in determining your
specific needs in a higher education environment
Referral - We will confirm your eligibility
in writing and ask you to attend an approved assessment centre
where you will be assessed by a qualified professional to determine
your specific needs. They will send us a report identifying their
recommendations which could include a range of computer equipment
and other technology or additional human support such as
note-takers, one-to-one tuition and mentors. Depending on the time
of year - with August to October the busiest - it can
take several weeks to obtain an appointment and several more
weeks for the centre to report back to us. The nearest
approved assessment centres are in Bath,
Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Exeter and Taunton
(outreach centres at Weston-super-Mare, Bournemouth and
Dorchester) and are normally attached to their
universities
Receipt - Once we have checked the report's
recommendations we then place orders for the required equipment and
write to confirm our agreement to the various recommendations. You
should then show our letter of agreement to the Disability Officer
at your university or college so they can set up any human support
required. It is possible to receive items of equipment before you
start the course but if you then fail to take your place you
may have to return the equipment or pay back the cost of it
Changes of need: If your needs change after you
have already been assessed and received items of support you should
ask the Disability Support Officer at your college or university to
write to us to detail their new recommendations. In some cases
we may ask you to attend a convenient assessment centre for an
update to the report
For further information about the
DSA and guidance on how to obtain
it visit
www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance
