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The Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) is a Government grant in the United Kingdom (UK) available to students in Higher Education , originally established by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). [1]
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The scheme is for students in England and Wales, [2] with a similar scheme in Scotland [3] [4] 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. [1]
The Disabled Students Allowance consists of three elements:
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. [1] 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. [1] DSA QAG, who were the governing body have closed down as of December 2019.
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 workersby 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. [5] The DfES estimated that in the year 2002–03, 25,000 DSA claims were accepted in the UK. [6]
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)". [6] That same year though, new working methods were introduced that helped cut down any delays. [6]
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 or the elderly population. People with disabilities 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, people with disability 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."
Special education is the practice of educating students in a way that provides accommodations that address their individual differences, disabilities, and special needs. Ideally, this process 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. Special education is separate from a 504 plan, as a 504 plan allows students with disabilities to participate in the general education classroom, and special education services involve a special classroom that has a class of students only with disabilities that receive special education services. Some students with an IEP go into a special classroom, and some students with an IEP can participate in general education classes with accommodations and/or modifications.
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was a U.S. Act of Congress that reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; it included Title I provisions applying to disadvantaged students. It supported standards-based education reform based on the premise that setting high standards and establishing measurable goals could improve individual outcomes in education. The Act required states to develop assessments in basic skills. To receive federal school funding, states had to give these assessments to all students at select grade levels.
A disability pension is a form of pension given to those people who are permanently or temporarily unable to work due to a disability.
Americans with disabilities are a significant minority group in the United States, making up a fifth of the overall population and over half of Americans older than eighty. There is a complex history underlying the United States 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.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a piece of American legislation that ensures students with a disability are provided with Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) that is tailored to their individual needs. IDEA was previously known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) from 1975 to 1990. In 1990, the United States Congress reauthorized EHA and changed the title to IDEA. Overall, the goal of IDEA is to provide children with disabilities the same opportunity for education as those students who do not have a disability.
The 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. It is created through a team of the child's parent(s) and district personnel who are knowledgeable about the child's needs. IEPs must be reviewed every year to keep track of the child's educational progress.
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Special education in the United States enables students with exceptional learning needs to access resources through special education programs. These programs did not always exist. "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.
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The Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) is a means-tested government-funded last resort income support paid for qualifying residents in the province of Ontario, Canada, who are above the age of 18 and have a disability. ODSP and Ontario Works (OW) are the two main components of Ontario's social assistance system. Like most social programs in Canada, the program is funded by the government of the province. The Ministry of Community and Social Services is responsible for ODSP and OW.
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Special educational needs (SEN), also known as special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the United Kingdom refers to the education of children with disabilities.
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 to help them reach their potential.
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