Applying for DSA

Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) is essentially what it says on the tin, it is money provided by the government to cover any extra study related cost as a result of your disability, mental health condition, learning disability etc. This is different to normal student finance as it is not a loan so you don’t have to pay it back and is not means-tested. Sadly, but very reasonably, this is not quite free money, in my case no money has entered my account (as much as I would love that) but instead is paid directly to suppliers so I receive equipment/help without a cost to me.

I started my application for DSA quite early on when I applied for student finance, which simply involved ticking the box about applying for disabled students’ allowance. I had a letter from my GP that outlined my conditions and briefly discussed how this affected my day-to-day life (would recommend having a copy as it’s useful for future application for adjustments). Once my medical evidence had been approved I was invited to book a ‘needs assessment’.

I booked my needs assessment through Anglia Ruskin access centre in Peterborough, which was just the closest one to me (you can go to any centre, it’s not dependent on what university you are going to). It may mention a charge for the assessment when you book, but you won’t have to pay this yourself as it comes out of your DSA. I had to complete a pre-assessment form with general details about the university you are planning to attend (your place doesn’t have to be confirmed at this point – I was down to go to Exeter at this point!), your course, your disability and resulting difficulties, previous support you’ve had, any technology you already have or any disability related funding you may already have.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from the needs assessment and was worried it would be quite formal but it was actually much more of a discussion rather than an assessment. The assessor was lovely and had lots of ideas about what I could receive, much more than I was expecting or was asking for! I knew going in that I was expecting to get a radio aid (Phonak Roger pen) as I’m deaf. I also have reduced mobility and the assessor had lots of recommendations: lightweight laptop, laptop stand, separate mouse and keyboard, wheelie bag, ergonomic chair and Dragon software (talk to text software) as well as a headset with microphone to go with it. I was slightly overwhelmed by all the equipment I could claim and was surprised at how readily they encouraged me to get it.

Following the assessment you will receive a report outlining the equipment/technology that has been approved for you with a list of suppliers. At this point I decided to take a gap year, as I reapplied for Cambridge, but it was easy to sort DSA out again the next year. I just ticked the box again when applying for student finance and they already had my medical evidence from the previous year and could use the same report so I didn’t need a new needs assessment, they just updated the report with new quotes for the equipment.

I got confused by the process of ordering equipment as it wasn’t the most clear process. The report provides 3 quotes for the supplier of the equipment but you should order through the cheapest unless you request DSA specifically. The process of ordering is more simple than I thought, you just have to visit the supplier website which tends to have a specific DSA section where you send your report and they will sort the equipment order out for you. You do have to pay the first £200 of a laptop cost (plus any extra cost if you want to upgrade models).

I had training provided for setting up and using the Dragon software, which I would recommend unless you’re a tech wiz and know what you are doing. This involved a person coming to my house and going through the different commands and things I could do with the software. I had 4 hours of training available but when the trainer came I only did about 1.5/2 hrs which was definitely enough; he said I could use the remaining hours for future refreshers but I haven’t done so.

Sorting out an ergonomic chair takes a bit of time, I initially decided not to bother with an ergonomic chair but after a term of a uni-provided office chair I decided to organise it. This involved an initial assessment where a person comes to you with an example chair and takes a few measurements e.g sitting height, thigh length (if this makes you a bit uncomfortable you might want a person with you but it’s only a couple of seconds of slight awkwardness!) and discusses whether you want arm/head-rests, how your desk is set up and what colour you want more importantly. It takes a few weeks for the chair to be made and delivered, someone will help with setting up the chair and make sure you know how to fiddle with the various functions so it’s as comfortable as possible. I was also provided with a foot rest as my feet weren’t touching the ground when my chair was at the right height for my desk (short people problems!).

Check out our advice on DSA here.