A quick question about the DSA grant...
Hey Guys,
I just have a quick question about the DSA and what support is available.
I have applied for a DSA on the grounds of Dylexia, Dyscalculia and Mental Health Issues.
Because of my Dyslexia i REALLY struggle with organization and remembering to do things which is causes no end of trouble! And so my dad has suggested that we look into buying me a smart phone with andriod capabilities to allow me to sinc my emails and tasks, notes, job lists etc in one place rather than continually having to check my PC or little scraps of paper with notes on! (which I forget to do a lot of the time, or lose!) As i nearly always have my phone on me, it seems like a sensible idea!
My question is, has anyone ever heard of, or been given themselves, funding for a phone rather than a laptop?
Is it worth waiting until my needs assessment and bringing it up with my advisor to see if there is the option to get a phone to help with my organization skills? OR if I buy one, does anyone think there would be the possiblility of it being reimbursed?
Thanks in advance for any help or insight you may give me on the subject!
I just have a quick question about the DSA and what support is available.
I have applied for a DSA on the grounds of Dylexia, Dyscalculia and Mental Health Issues.
Because of my Dyslexia i REALLY struggle with organization and remembering to do things which is causes no end of trouble! And so my dad has suggested that we look into buying me a smart phone with andriod capabilities to allow me to sinc my emails and tasks, notes, job lists etc in one place rather than continually having to check my PC or little scraps of paper with notes on! (which I forget to do a lot of the time, or lose!) As i nearly always have my phone on me, it seems like a sensible idea!
My question is, has anyone ever heard of, or been given themselves, funding for a phone rather than a laptop?
Is it worth waiting until my needs assessment and bringing it up with my advisor to see if there is the option to get a phone to help with my organization skills? OR if I buy one, does anyone think there would be the possiblility of it being reimbursed?
Thanks in advance for any help or insight you may give me on the subject!
I don't know anyone who has been given a smartphone and, even if you did, you'd need to pay the contract yourself.
Would a PDA suffice? They're obviously being replaced by smartphones now but you can still use one for task lists, to access the Internet, to store contacts, to make notes and sync it with email. Pretty much everything you're probably looking for. The one thing they cannot do is make calls. PDAs (or something similar) are certainly available to those who are in need of one as I was entitled to one (as was my brother) and so too many others I know who have dyslexia or dyspraxia).
One example of a PDA being this IPAQ
http://www.barrybennett.co.uk/disabled-student-allowance/products-a-services/hardware/hand-held/hp-ipaq-214-enterprise.html
I wouldn't say you're certainly not be entitled to a smartphone. When I had my last assessment Smartphones were still relatively new and were never considered an option. Now a Smartphone can be as cheap, if not cheaper, than a PDA. Obviously there is often the contract with a Smartphone when there isn't one for PDAs.
If you think you can cope with a PDA instead of a smartphone then I'd certainly wait until your assessment and discuss it with your assessor.
Would a PDA suffice? They're obviously being replaced by smartphones now but you can still use one for task lists, to access the Internet, to store contacts, to make notes and sync it with email. Pretty much everything you're probably looking for. The one thing they cannot do is make calls. PDAs (or something similar) are certainly available to those who are in need of one as I was entitled to one (as was my brother) and so too many others I know who have dyslexia or dyspraxia).
One example of a PDA being this IPAQ
http://www.barrybennett.co.uk/disabled-student-allowance/products-a-services/hardware/hand-held/hp-ipaq-214-enterprise.html
I wouldn't say you're certainly not be entitled to a smartphone. When I had my last assessment Smartphones were still relatively new and were never considered an option. Now a Smartphone can be as cheap, if not cheaper, than a PDA. Obviously there is often the contract with a Smartphone when there isn't one for PDAs.
If you think you can cope with a PDA instead of a smartphone then I'd certainly wait until your assessment and discuss it with your assessor.
Original post by River85
I don't know anyone who has been given a smartphone and, even if you did, you'd need to pay the contract yourself.
That's what I thought, and that would be the case if I had one anyway, i.e. my parents would pay for a SIM-free phone and I would pay for a SIM-only contract. So i wondered if the DSA would consider doing the same, i.e. paying for the phone while I fund the "social" aspects of the device.
A PDA would certainly do the job, and we did think about possibly getting me one instead of a smart phone but as I'm not terribly good at remembering things when I leave the house, the likely hood would be that i'd forget the PDA but remember my phone! Thus meaning it would be more sensible for me to have everything in one place, i.e. just in a phone rather than a phone and PDA!
Thanks so much for you help though! And for the link! It has been food for thought! I will research it a bit more and speak to my assessor about it!
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