It helps to cover additional study costs that result from disabilities (both physical and learning) as well as mental health issues and long-term illnesses.[9] The exact support given depends on the needs of the student. Examples include partial or complete funding for a sign language interpreter, extra printing, or a new personal computer.[9]
Students on both undergraduate and postgraduate courses may apply for DSA. The student must prove eligibility by submitting a document as evidence of their disability. For medical conditions, this evidence may be a letter or report from a doctor or consultant. For learning disabilities, a report from a practitioner psychologist or a specialist teacher is used instead.[2]
Background
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The scheme is for students in England and Wales,[10] with a similar scheme in Scotland[11][12] and Northern Ireland DSA's are grants to help toward meeting the additional studying costs or expenses that students face as a direct result of a disability or specific learning difficulty. They are intended to help disabled students study on an equal basis with other students. Full-time, part-time and postgraduate students all qualify for help. DSA's are paid on top of the standard student finance package and are not means-tested.[13]
The Disabled Students' Allowance consists of three elements:
an Equipment Allowance
a Non-medical Helpers Allowance
a General Allowance
In addition to this, in certain circumstances, there is the possibility that additional travel related expenses can be met.
All approved expenditure must be in relation to course / education related support. The equipment allowance is used to obtain assistive technology (e.g. computer software and hardware, recording devices, ergonomic items) which may be required to facilitate full access to the course and the institution. Non-medical help relates to any human support, such as note-taking or the use of sign language interpreters, that may be required. The general allowance is typically used to cover the cost of sundry items. Possible examples include paying for internet connections, books (under some circumstances), ink cartridges and paper, photocopying or coloured overlays.
The DSA was established in 1993 and is not a Student Finance Direct initiative. The administration of this grant in England has been transferred from Local Education Authorities (LEA)'s to Student Finance England for new applicants in 2009.[citation needed] In Wales it will remain the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly Government, and continue to be administered by the individual local authorities.
To receive funds from the DSA, students must pass the basic eligibility checks for Student Finance Direct products as well as the criteria for disability, by providing the funding body with written proof of the disability from a medical professional.[13] For those with a specific learning disability (e.g. dyslexia, dyspraxia) suitable proof can be in the form of a report from an appropriately qualified and approved individual such as an Educational Psychologist or Specialist Teacher.
The only other requirement is that any report be completed when the individual in question is over the age of sixteen. The potential benefits, in terms of equipment (such as a new laptop computer and specialist software) can be significant for students identified as dyslexic.
Most universities will be able to put students in touch with an appropriately qualified person who can assess them and produce an acceptable report. For other disabilities and medical conditions correspondence from a doctor or consultant is generally sufficient. The Funding Body then asks the student to have an Assessment of Need to establish exactly what assistance is required from The DSA and the student's institution -see for accredited Centres.[13] DSA QAG, who were the governing body have closed down as of December2019[update].
Disabled students should be aware that the cost of any needs assessment is met from the total amount of DSA available to them. The Assessment Centre is paid for their work from the student's DSA funds (approximately £660 - £800 a time) and while this reduces the total amount of funds available to the student it is recognised by the funding bodies as being an effective way of detailing the support package and resources the student requires and of ensuring that the support package addresses all the student's needs and includes appropriate warranties and insurance. Assessment Centres (which are audited for this work) are also charged with ensuring "value for money".
The Assessment of Need is intended to identify the specific details of support for each individual student. Lasting anywhere from 90 to 180 minutes (sometimes more, split over more than one appointment, for complex cases) they should cover all of the potential support needs that may arise including the institutional provisions necessary.
A report is produced that contains recommendations for support, including any equipment.
For students with dyslexia these reports can seem similar, with good reason, but might contain subtle differences which align the support package to the individual needs of the student.
The recommendations contained within the report have to be "approved" by the student's funding body; there are strict guidelines followed by Funding Bodies to ensure that the support provided fulfils the purpose of the DSA.
All disabled students should be aware that the award is made to them as individuals and they are free to source approved equipment on their own, with the consent of the funding body and subject to the limits approved. However, it is often more convenient and less troublesome for students if they take advantage of the offer by funding bodies to order equipment on behalf of the student (via DSA QAG approved suppliers) and by assessment centres/HEIs to organise the support a student needs. This can only be done if the student agrees.
Students are encouraged by Funding Bodies, to only use DSA-QAG approved equipment suppliers - these suppliers have agreed to meet the terms of a service level agreement set out by DSA-QAG and if anything goes wrong with their equipment will receive a more understanding response from their funding body. Many Assessment Centres have their own preferred suppliers (who will be DSA-QAG approved) who they will work closely with. This will be an arrangement arising out of a wish to ensure that the students receiving specialist equipment are well supported by a supplier. It also means that a very small number of suppliers are able to provide equipment and therefore control the market.
Once approval is given, arrangements for purchase of equipment and facilitation of human support (where appropriate) can be made. Once equipment is received by the student it is deemed to be their property.
Universities often have the ability to facilitate human support and training in-house. Increasingly though, as HEIs start to appreciate the complexities of quality support service provision, this function is being outsourced. Some Assessment Centers also provide this kind of support although the issue of Conflict of interest can arise, which they must address as a result of being DSA-QAG Accredited Centres: a cosy grouping of interested parties such as assessment centres and equipment suppliers operating a closed shop to keep control and monopolise the whole business.
Training providers and those facilitating human support to students with disabilities are able to add an administration premium when invoicing a student's funding body. This is regarded as acceptable practice within higher education to meet the overhead costs - e.g. recruiting, training, payroll, insurance etc. but does impact negatively upon the funds available for supporting each individual. However, this does avoid the difficulties students would experience if they were to employ their own support workers - i.e. of employer responsibilities including tax and NI. Although students could avoid the requirement to directly employ support workers by utilising third party service providers.
Higher Education institutions receive a nominal amount of funding for each student confirmed as being in receipt of DSA . This comes from the Funding Council and not out of individual student's DSA. The institutions therefore have a vested (financial) interest in identifying as many students eligible to claim DSA as possible and in getting them to apply for DSA.
In Autumn 2000 the grants were extended to include those studying part-time as well as full-time.[14] The DfES estimated that in the year 2002–03, 25,000 DSA claims were accepted in the UK.[15]
A report on the BBC Ouch! website in 2003 claimed that some disabled students did not have their equipment and/or an agreement in place from their LEA when they arrived at university. SKILL, the National Bureau for Students with Disabilities, a charity that helps disabled students in Higher education, claimed that, this was due to the "Efficiency of the LEA, coupled with fitting into an assessment timetable all within the short time-frame between exam results being released (mid-August) and the start of the new term at university (late September)".[15] That same year though, new working methods were introduced that helped cut down any delays.[15]
Prospective students planning to enter higher education are free to apply for DSA from approximately the March prior to the commencement of their course. Students already enrolled on a course can apply at any time. However, SFE and other funding bodies will make financial decisions taking into account the amount of time a student's course has to run. Those administering the funds are responsible for ensuring they are spent in an appropriate manner and it is very unlikely that a student applying for the first time with just a few months of a course left would receive recommendations and approval for a large package of support, especially in terms of equipment.
Currently the amount of funding from DSA for a full-time undergraduate is: Equipment allowance - £5,161 - over the course Non-medical help allowance - £20,520 - per annum General allowance - £1,724 - per annum
The equipment allowance amount is for the duration of the course. The non-medical help and general allowances are annual figures. Where payable there is currently no upper limit on travel expenses. Part-time students receive proportionate amounts depending on the intensity of their study. Postgraduates have not previously been as well funded as undergraduates.
Assistive technology (AT) is a term for assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and the elderly. Disabled people often have difficulty performing activities of daily living (ADLs) independently, or even with assistance. ADLs are self-care activities that include toileting, mobility (ambulation), eating, bathing, dressing, grooming, and personal device care. Assistive technology can ameliorate the effects of disabilities that limit the ability to perform ADLs. Assistive technology promotes greater independence by enabling people to perform tasks they were formerly unable to accomplish, or had great difficulty accomplishing, by providing enhancements to, or changing methods of interacting with, the technology needed to accomplish such tasks. For example, wheelchairs provide independent mobility for those who cannot walk, while assistive eating devices can enable people who cannot feed themselves to do so. Due to assistive technology, disabled people have an opportunity of a more positive and easygoing lifestyle, with an increase in "social participation", "security and control", and a greater chance to "reduce institutional costs without significantly increasing household expenses." In schools, assistive technology can be critical in allowing students with disabilities to access the general education curriculum. Students who experience challenges writing or keyboarding, for example, can use voice recognition software instead. Assistive technologies assist people who are recovering from strokes and people who have sustained injuries that affect their daily tasks.
Special education is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual differences, disabilities, and special needs. This involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials, and accessible settings. These interventions are designed to help individuals with special needs achieve a higher level of personal self-sufficiency and success in school and in their community, which may not be available if the student were only given access to a typical classroom education.
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was a 2002 U.S. Act of Congress promoted by the presidency of George W. Bush. It reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and included Title I provisions applying to disadvantaged students. It mandated standards-based education reform based on the premise that setting high standards and establishing measurable goals could improve individual outcomes in education. To receive federal school funding, states had to create and give assessments to all students at select grade levels.
People with disabilities in the United States are a significant minority group, making up a fifth of the overall population and over half of Americans older than eighty. There is a complex history underlying the U.S. and its relationship with its disabled population, with great progress being made in the last century to improve the livelihood of disabled citizens through legislation providing protections and benefits. Most notably, the Americans with Disabilities Act is a comprehensive anti-discrimination policy that works to protect Americans with disabilities in public settings and the workplace.
An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a legal document under United States law that is developed for each public school child in the U.S. who needs special education. IEPs must be reviewed every year to keep track of the child's educational progress. Similar legal documents exist in other countries.
Mainstreaming, in the context of education, is the practice of placing students with special education needs in a general education classroom during specific time periods based on their skills. This means students who are a part of the special education classroom will join the regular education classroom at certain times which are fitting for the special education student. These students may attend art or physical education in the regular education classrooms. Sometimes these students will attend math and science in a separate classroom, but attend English in a general education classroom. Schools that practice mainstreaming believe that students with special needs who cannot function in a general education classroom to a certain extent belong in the special education environment.
Inclusion in education refers to including all students to equal access to equal opportunities of education and learning, and is distinct from educational equality or educational equity. It arose in the context of special education with an individualized education program or 504 plan, and is built on the notion that it is more effective for students with special needs to have the said mixed experience for them to be more successful in social interactions leading to further success in life. The philosophy behind the implementation of the inclusion model does not prioritize, but still provides for the utilization of special classrooms and special schools for the education of students with disabilities. Inclusive education models are brought into force by educational administrators with the intention of moving away from seclusion models of special education to the fullest extent practical, the idea being that it is to the social benefit of general education students and special education students alike, with the more able students serving as peer models and those less able serving as motivation for general education students to learn empathy.
Special education in the United States enables students with exceptional learning needs to access resources through special education programs. "The idea of excluding students with any disability from public school education can be traced back to 1893, when the Massachusetts Supreme Court expelled a student merely due to poor academic ability". This exclusion would be the basis of education for all individuals with special needs for years to come. In 1954, Brown v. Board of Education sparked the belief that the right to a public education applies to all individuals regardless of race, gender, or disability. Finally, special education programs in the United States were made mandatory in 1975 when the United States Congress passed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) "(sometimes referred to using the acronyms EAHCA or EHA, or Public Law 94-142) was enacted by the United States Congress in 1975, in response to discriminatory treatment by public educational agencies against students with disabilities." The EAHCA was later modified to strengthen protections to students with disabilities and renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA requires states to provide special education and related services consistent with federal standards as a condition of receiving federal funds.
Social Security Disability Insurance is a payroll tax-funded federal insurance program of the United States government. It is managed by the Social Security Administration and designed to provide monthly benefits to people who have a medically determinable disability that restricts their ability to be employed. SSDI does not provide partial or temporary benefits but rather pays only full benefits and only pays benefits in cases in which the disability is "expected to last at least one year or result in death." Relative to disability programs in other countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the SSDI program in the United States has strict requirements regarding eligibility.
In clinical diagnostic and functional development, special needs refers to individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Guidelines for clinical diagnosis are given in both the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International Classification of Diseases 9th edition. Special needs can range from people with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, blindness, deafness, ADHD, and cystic fibrosis. They can also include cleft lips and missing limbs. The types of special needs vary in severity, and a student with a special need is classified as being a severe case when the student's IQ is between 20 and 35. These students typically need assistance in school, and have different services provided for them to succeed in a different setting.
Assistive technology service providers help individuals with disabilities acquire and use appropriate Assistive Technology (AT) to help them participate in activities of daily living, employment and education.
The term twice-exceptional or 2e refers to individuals acknowledged as gifted and neurodivergent. On literal sense, it means a person, is at the same time, very strong or gifted at some task, and very weak or unable in some other task. Due to this duality of their cognitive profile, the strengths as well as weaknesses and struggles may remain unnoticed or unsupported. Also conditions like hyperlexia or precocious development in some aspects, while having difficulties in common or day-to day tasks, these people may frequently face contradictory situations which lead to disbelief, judgements, alienation, and other forms of epistemic injustice. Some related terms are "performace discrepancy", "cognitive discrepancy", "uneven cognitive profile", and "spikey profile". Due to simultaneous combination of abilities and inabilities, these people do not often fit into an age-appropriate or socially-appropriate niche. An extreme form of twice-exceptionalism is Savant syndrome. The individuals often identify with the description of twice-exceptional due to their unique combination of exceptional abilities and neurodivergent traits. The term twice-exceptional first appeared in Dr. James J. Gallagher's 1988 article titled National Agenda for Educating Gifted Students: Statement of Priorities. Twice-exceptional individuals embody two distinct forms of exceptionalism: one being giftedness and the other including at least one aspect of neurodivergence. Giftedness is often defined in various ways and is influenced by entities ranging from local educational boards to national governments; however, one constant among every definition is that a gifted individual has high ability compared to their age-level neurotypical peers. The term neurodivergent describes an individual whose cognitive processes differ from those considered neurotypical and who possesses strengths that exceed beyond the neurotypical population. Therefore, the non-clinical designation of twice-exceptional identifies a gifted person with at least one neurodivergent trait.
Special educational needs (SEN), also known as special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the United Kingdom refers to the education of children who require different education provision to the mainstream system.
In England, social care is defined as the provision of social work, personal care, protection or social support services to children or adults in need or at risk, or adults with needs arising from illness, disability, old age or poverty. The main legal definitions flow from the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990, with other provisions covering disability and responsibilities to informal carers. That provision may have one or more of the following aims: to protect people who use care services from abuse or neglect, to prevent deterioration of or promote physical or mental health, to promote independence and social inclusion, to improve opportunities and life chances, to strengthen families and to protect human rights in relation to people's social needs.
The National Star College is an independent specialist further education college for people with physical disabilities, acquired brain injuries and associated learning difficulties. It is based at Ullenwood Manor in the village of Ullenwood, near the spa town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
iansyst Ltd is an assistive technology supplier providing products and services designed to benefit people with a range of disabilities such as: dyslexia, visual impairments, dyscalculia, developmental coordination disorder, Repetitive Strain Injury.
Learning Ally, previously named Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D), is a non-profit volunteer organization operating nationwide in the United States. It produces and maintains a library of educational accessible audiobooks for people who cannot effectively read standard print because of visual impairment, dyslexia, or other disabilities.
Tertiary education in New Zealand is provided by universities, institutes of technology and polytechnics, private training establishments, industry training organisations, and wānanga. It ranges from informal non-assessed community courses in schools through to undergraduate degrees and research-based postgraduate degrees. All post-compulsory education is regulated within the New Zealand Qualifications Framework, a unified system of national qualifications for schools, vocational education and training, and 'higher' education. The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) is responsible for quality assuring all courses and tertiary education organisations other than universities. Under the Education Act 1989, The Committee on University Academic Programmes (CUAP) and the Academic Quality Agency (AQA) have delegated authority for quality assurance of university education. The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) is responsible for administering the funding of tertiary education, primarily through negotiated investment plans with each funded organisation.
Disability in the United Kingdom covers a wide range of conditions and experiences, deeply impacting the lives of millions of people. Defined by the Equality Act 2010 as a physical or mental impairment with a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, it encompasses various aspects of life, including demographics, legislation, healthcare, employment, and culture. Despite numerous advancements in policy and social attitudes, individuals with disabilities often encounter unique challenges and disparities.
The Social Welfare Department is a department of the Hong Kong Government responsible for providing welfare services to the community.
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