DSA and mental health

hi there!

i have been approved for disabled students allowance, which is fantastic!! i have bipolar disorder, so as you can imagine this is a huge relief

i've booked my needs assessment and it'll be happening within the next two weeks. things are really looking up

i totally understand that the assessor will try to cover everything, buuut.... i was wondering if there was anything that people who have applied for DSA wish they had mentioned in their needs assessment? i'm thinking of things that would have been or are being a big help to them at uni, but are also reasonable requests to make.

also - what sort of items did people receive for mental health issues and/or bipolar disorder? it's curiosity fuelling this question - nothing else.
if it's a matter of waiting and seeing then i totally understand and i'm happy to! but i also want to be prepared. i had to make three phone calls to get this sorted, and i managed them all without bursting into tears. it sounds ridiculous, but it's true.

i just wanted to add - the advice on this forum on other posts has been invaluable. without it i doubt i'd have applied for DSA at all!!

I ve had 2 needs assessments (for learning difficulties rather than mental health issues) but its like a very comprehensive conversation rather than assessment so I feel that they had plenty of suggestions for support for me so there isnt anything i wish I had asked for.
I know people have found mental health mentors beneficial, and i d recommend asking for a study skills mentor if your bipolar disorder effects your work and also exam adjustments could be good if you feel you find it more difficult to sit exams in a room full of people ( i got to sit mine with others with extra time which made me much more comfort i have to say).

awesome, thank you so much for your answer! i'm honestly not sure what to expect going in to this so your reply is super helpful!! i get quite anxious so i'm glad it's a conversation rather than a formal assessment.

a study mentor would be super helpful, especially when i'm hypomanic or depressed. and if i'm honest, i've never had exam adjustments so that's never actually occurred to me!! i'll definitely have to think about that and what specifically would help.

thanks again

hi there!i have been approved for disabled students allowance, which is fantastic!! i have bipolar disorder, so as you can imagine this is a huge relief

hi there!

i have been approved for disabled students allowance, which is fantastic!! i have bipolar disorder, so as you can imagine this is a huge relief

i've booked my needs assessment and it'll be happening within the next two weeks. things are really looking up

i totally understand that the assessor will try to cover everything, buuut.... i was wondering if there was anything that people who have applied for DSA wish they had mentioned in their needs assessment? i'm thinking of things that would have been or are being a big help to them at uni, but are also reasonable requests to make.

also - what sort of items did people receive for mental health issues and/or bipolar disorder? it's curiosity fuelling this question - nothing else.
if it's a matter of waiting and seeing then i totally understand and i'm happy to! but i also want to be prepared. i had to make three phone calls to get this sorted, and i managed them all without bursting into tears. it sounds ridiculous, but it's true.

i just wanted to add - the advice on this forum on other posts has been invaluable. without it i doubt i'd have applied for DSA at all!!

One common exam arrangement (apart from extra time) is that you get a smaller room. You may sometimes have a few other people in there with you. But like you, they will have extra time too. So they're not going to get to the end of their exam at "normal time" and be leaving.

I posted a really thorough description of what happens in the assessment here http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?p=58674511&highlight=

When talking about presenting written work remember to mention if you have issues with consistency, such as good days and bad days meaning you may need flexible deadlines so you can present work that is the best of your ability, as well as any issues you have structuring and organizing your thoughts ect

Hi. I have also applied for DSA and had a needs assessment for both a mental health condition, physical condition and learning difficulties and received my recommendation approval letter for my funding today.

The main thing I got for my mental health problem was specialist 1 to 1 support. I got the specialist mentor for 30 hours a year. Other things you may get could include a taxi allowance if you can not take the bus. Personally I declined this as I find being in a mini cab with a single total stranger most of which can not drive and I swear are out o kill you far more anxiety provoking than been on a crowded public bus where I know the driver has to have passed one of the hardest driving tests there is. So is less likely to crash and even when quiet their are a few other people around. It si likely your assessor may also make recommendations to your university about Institutional support they should provide such as exam arrangements.

I was just wondering, how is the needs assessment paid for? I've got mixed messages from my centre and from Student Finance... My centre is saying that the funding body will pay for it but student finance say the "may" pay for it. It's really worrying me and it's been briefly mentioned that it may come out of the money they award me? Is this the case? No one has really told me anything and I've had to go through the whole process by myself.

Thanks!

hi there!

i have been approved for disabled students allowance, which is fantastic!! i have bipolar disorder, so as you can imagine this is a huge relief

i've booked my needs assessment and it'll be happening within the next two weeks. things are really looking up

i totally understand that the assessor will try to cover everything, buuut.... i was wondering if there was anything that people who have applied for DSA wish they had mentioned in their needs assessment? i'm thinking of things that would have been or are being a big help to them at uni, but are also reasonable requests to make.

also - what sort of items did people receive for mental health issues and/or bipolar disorder? it's curiosity fuelling this question - nothing else.
if it's a matter of waiting and seeing then i totally understand and i'm happy to! but i also want to be prepared. i had to make three phone calls to get this sorted, and i managed them all without bursting into tears. it sounds ridiculous, but it's true.

i just wanted to add - the advice on this forum on other posts has been invaluable. without it i doubt i'd have applied for DSA at all!!

Hi! Do you have to pay for the DSA assessment?