FAQ

No, you will not be expected to prove your disability in the assessment. You have already proved your disability by providing evidence of this to the funding body. The purpose of the needs assessment is to ascertain what strategies and support can be put in place to help you on your chosen course.

Once you have received your letter from your funding body confirming your eligibility for DSA, give us a call on one of the numbers below and speak to one of our administrators, alternatively you can contact us via the website:

Lincoln and Peterborough: 01522 530099

Hull, Grimsby and Sheffield: 01482 463669

Assessments typically last between 1.5 - 2.5 hours but may be longer or shorter depending on the impact of your condition and the discussions and demonstrations performed.

You should ensure that you bring the right equipment with you to your assessment, including reading glasses and a hearing aid if necessary. If you use a hearing aid, the assessor will require information detailing the model of device before your appointment takes place.

Click here to find out what else you can do to be prepared.

The assessment will be conducted as an informal semi-structured interview based around the different areas of study. The assessment is typically conducted on a one-to-one basis between you and the assessor - a person with experience and knowledge of the equipment and support which students with disabilities or Special Learning Difficulties (SpLD) require to study successfully at university.

Click here to find out more about what the assessment entails.

Assessors aim to make recommendations to provide suitable support for the duration of the student's course.

You will only need one assessment unless your circumstances change i.e. you develop a new condition or have another condition agreed by Student Finance England, or you change course. In either of these cases you would be notified by email to come back for a Review of Needs.

If you condition/s worsen you may email the centre to request further support.

DSA stands for Disabled Students’ Allowances. This is funding that disabled students can apply for, providing the extra financial support they require during their higher education studies.

You may be entitled to apply for DSA funding if you have a disability, a special learning difficulty, an ongoing health condition or a mental health condition.

DSA funding can be used to pay for specialist equipment required because of your condition, non-medical assistance, extra travel required because of your condition, or other disability-related costs of studying.

For more information, visit the www.gov.uk website.

Students are predominantly assessed on a one-to-one basis. To prevent distraction and others answering questions on behalf of the individual being assessed. However, if you would like another person to accompany you for support this is perfectly fine.

The assessment centre has up to 10 working days to write and proofread your report. If you don’t require a draft this will then be sent on to Student Finance, yourself and, if authorised, your university. However, if a draft copy is required you will have 5 days to review before the final report is sent to all relevant parties.

Click here to find out more about the post-assessment process.

Providing there are no delays at any stage and no draft requirement, you could receive your equipment in as little as 7 weeks from the assessment date.

Possibly; for students who have yet to enrol on their chosen degree, your funding body is likely to request evidence that you have been accepted onto your course before they permit items to be ordered.

If it is vitally important that you have support in place from day one of your course, or you require time before starting your course to become familiar with adaptive aids, your funding body may permit DSA funds to be released earlier than usual.

DSA can only be used to fund training in adaptive aids and assistive technology. It does not cover training in course-related specialist software.