Disability student allowance, anything we need to know?

[MoominUnderWater]

Dd is applying for this to help with the cost of a laptop.

She is diagnosed dyslexic and has a diagnosis letter.

She also has fibromyalgia and Ehler Danlos syndrome so has asked the gp to write her a letter supporting her as the form says this is needed. Gp has asked her to attend an appointment to talk about it.

so I guess she needs a laptop for lectures because of her dyslexia and slow processing. She can’t write notes and then type stuff up. Her handwriting is quite bad and she can type quicker than she can write.

she also struggles with tiredness due to the fibromyalgia and having a laptop means she could potentially use voice to typing software when doing assignments. Because if her EDS her fingers dislocate sometimes so again writing can be hard, typing is easier.

does the gp basically just need to say that her eds can cause her fingers to pop out of joint and her fibromyalgia makes her tired??!

I got the impression that all students typed/used a laptop rather than writing nowadays.

You don’t need a GP letter. Ask reception to print you out her medical history.

both mine applied for it. You need to send in documents and then they interview you to see what will help.

my DS was dyslexic and he had speech to type software and also got a recording device for lectures.

all she needs is evidence of her disability. The GP is not recommending what she gets from DSA. A diagnosis letter is fine.

she’ll then have an appointment with an assessor who will see what support she needs. She will have to pay the first £200 quid and if she’d like a better one than offer she can pay on top - it’s worth looking into this

That’s what she asked for and then they contacted her saying the gp needed to talk to her about it 🤷‍♀️

i don’t think they do to be honest. In lectures it seems to be the minority who bring a laptop to lectures. if she didn’t have EDS or dyslexia she could write notes and then use a pc at home.

Thanks, this is worth knowing as she will need a laptop with graphic card for her course and they’re expensive.

Could she just bypass the gp surgery completely and print her diagnosis out from the nhs app?

I'm not sure about the GP letters, but DSA in general is quite a nice assessment compared to other disability benefits assessments. They are usually keen to make sure you get the chance to try out the software etc. She's likely to be offered recording software and mindmapping software as well, which is very useful! (and to those wondering, this is one reason why laptops are part of the provision - you pay £200 and they top up to the cost of a laptop capable of supporting the software, as opposed to the bog standard one for word processing that you might otherwise use for a humanities degree)

Most of the lectures are available on line at my dcs unis so you can do notes at home and just listen.

She should also take any offer of SpLD support/ mentoring, it can be very useful (and if it turns out not to be, she can just stop the sessions). I don't think I used a GP letter, but I had diagnostic letters from the relevant clinicians to submit. Not sure about a summary.

but that takes away any ability to interact or ask questions. Fine, if you’re not bothered by that but Dd should have the choice whether to go to lectures or not. I can’t imagine she wants to spend all her time sat in her room watching online lectures.

Thank you, will pass that on.

@RejoiceandSing , thanks. I didn’t know about mind mapping software, that would be really good for her.

You're welcome. All the support was very useful for me!
The mindmapping software looks like it was designed in the 90s/ 00s, because it probably was, but it's still very much functional. For example, you can do a mindmap on it to plan an essay and then convert it into a word doc with bullet points ready to write up.

Hi OP,

My DD has chronic joint pain and mobility problems (not EDS). She got a letter from her physio detailing her condition and the impact on her. She then had an assessment online with the DSA assessor. They were lovely and very helpful agreed the things we requested and identified all sorts of things we didn’t think about. She has an electric desk that moves up and down, an ergonomic chair, a ‘bed chair cushion’ (to support her sitting up in bed if she needs to work in bed) laptop holder and WiFi enabled keyboard and mouse, talk to text software and recording software and also funding agreed for taxis to Uni if she needs it. It has made a real difference and other than the need to pay the first £200 we haven’t paid anything. The desk and chair alone are probably close to £2000.

If your DD hasn’t already, encourage her to contact the disabled student support teams at her firm and insurance choices and discuss her needs. It is easier for them to make necessary adjustments and provide support the earlier they know. My DD is really well supported and is thriving at uni. Good luck to your DD.

@Princessdebthe1st that sounds really positive. I’d read something about possible taxis before and that could potentially be very useful. Her accommodation is in the city centre but her uni building is a 25 min walk away and not on a direct bus route. She could take 2 buses which would take 20 mins total, still need ten mins walking and that wouldn’t include wait time. So a taxi if she’s not feeling great would be amazing.

The taxi situation is very difficult in reality, I hope it works out for you, but don’t hold your breath!
You have to use a designated taxi firm, you pay, keep the receipts, then claim it back. As the journeys are generally quite short my dd found difficulties actually getting the taxis. She’d book, they’d often be late or not show up, often very grumpy as it’s just a 10 minute fare. In the end it wasn’t worth the hassle.
She moved accommodation instead.

https://wonkhe.com/wonk-corner/dfe-stops-funding-spelling-and-grammar-software-for-disabled-students/

https://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/media/2070/ssin-spelling-and-grammar-software.pdf

Spelling and grammar software is no longer supplied by DSA. We also haven't had clarification on what this exactly means re mind mapping software.

DSA need a diagnosis letter or a competed 'DSA evidence form' https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67ae212963d7f4cceef9e19a/sfe_dsa_disability_evidence_form_2526_o.pdf which needs to be completed by a medical professional. They need to state diagnosis (or working diagnosis), that it qualifies as a disability under the equality act and how it affects on a day to day basis.

Drs often get confused and assume a DSA form is the same work as pip and refuse or charge.

You should contact the uni for reasonable adjustments, these will vary between institutions and courses. This will usually sit under wellbeing and/or disability teams. Do this asap to ensure support from starting.

I work in university disability support.

First time HCP filled in the section on the form. Second time DD just sent a discharge letter to go with the form.

@No3392 the gp have already said they’ll charge

My son now going to 2 yr college has diagnosed austim had no laptop may try again in the new sept term

Direct them to this point (pic will take a min or two to load)

For the dyslexia you will need to send a diagnostic report, as it's a specific learning difficulty.

For the other two you will need either a Dr letter or to complete the form. If the Dr insists on charging you can see if uni has a support fund for this.

DSA is only for university. For college he will need to speak to his college for a potential laptop loan.

No I meant she can come home and rewatch the lecture she’s been to, and write notes at home, she doesn’t need to take notes in the lecture.

But that would take double the time which for someone with EDS, fibro and the crippling fatigue from that wouldn’t be good. Plus it’s a very full on, full time course 🤷‍♀️. She’s meant to have the help to put her on an equal footing with people who don’t have her disabilities l