DSA needs assessment on Monday

Yay! I'm not alone in my weirdness :biggrin:

I've just had an email about sorting out my DLA via the phone and I've had to ask them if I could do it another way. I'm designing a website too and can't call the guy I'm designing it for. I long to be like the other kids!

I hope student finance email me soon... calling them is 452375847537% worse than calling anyone else. I'd rather call the bank a thousand times than call student finance once D:

Reply 65

OP

Well, I think your best bet is to do what I did, get a named assessor whom you can call directly. I just called mine again this morning and ring, ring, ring, there she was. This time we ended chating about her kids??? I think she must be bored at work!! But yeah calling the 0845 is a pain at the backside.

Is any of you guys doing a postgrad course? I am still confused in whether or not a 2nd assessment is needed for the 2nd year of my course? I know I have to send in 2 sets of form, one for each year, but in terms of assessment, would I need to do another one as a response to the 2nd set of form that I have yet to send? The guy who did my needs assessment says his recommandation is for the duration of my course which makes perfect sense, but he is not sure if I'd need another appointment as a formality...

Reply 66

River85

17

Original post by snoogy

I completely understand. I'll email them again today. I'm phobic of phones so it's making everything much harder to sort out :colondollar:

I'm not as bad with phones as I used to be (as a teenager and even into my 20s talking with friends was fine, but even talking with family members was difficult and strangers very uncomfortable indeed).

Actually, someone gave me positive rep back in...2008 I think, for not liking talking on phones. It was something like "I really like your posting and you're scared of phones too". It wasn't you was it? :p:

Original post by ExTraP

I used to be like this, i guess i still am but i am able to make calls... my most respected lady ( whom passed away last year :frown:

) once told me talking on the phone should be mush easier because what's the worst that can happen? The other person is not able to do anything to you overthe phone

Perhaps, but look at it the other way. If you're talking to someone on the phone you can't see their facial expressions for one thing. Some people find this quite unnerving.

Reply 67

The_Lonely_Goatherd

20

Original post by ExTraP

Well, I think your best bet is to do what I did, get a named assessor whom you can call directly. I just called mine again this morning and ring, ring, ring, there she was. This time we ended chating about her kids??? I think she must be bored at work!! But yeah calling the 0845 is a pain at the backside.

Is any of you guys doing a postgrad course? I am still confused in whether or not a 2nd assessment is needed for the 2nd year of my course? I know I have to send in 2 sets of form, one for each year, but in terms of assessment, would I need to do another one as a response to the 2nd set of form that I have yet to send? The guy who did my needs assessment says his recommandation is for the duration of my course which makes perfect sense, but he is not sure if I'd need another appointment as a formality...

I'm doing a two-year part-time MA and the impression I got was that I'd only need another assessment during this time if things changed (as in, got worse) or if it becomes apparent that there's something I need that was missed out the first time round :yes:

As for phones, my three main problems with them are:

- Disembodied voices
- Lack of facial expressions, as River says
- Having hearing problems

as well as general social anxiety :o:

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 68

OP

^ So did you have to send it 2 sets of form then? Tell me about talking on the phone, it can be hard and I sometimes make a foot of myself, but still I think sometimes emailing back and fort can delay things but then with the DSA, they are slow so I guess it wouldn't make much difference... :wink:

Reply 69

The_Lonely_Goatherd

20

Original post by ExTraP

^ So did you have to send it 2 sets of form then? Tell me about talking on the phone, it can be hard and I sometimes make a foot of myself, but still I think sometimes emailing back and fort can delay things but then with the DSA, they are slow so I guess it wouldn't make much difference... :wink:

I only completed one set of forms, afaik. You're right that emailing can delay things. I can talk on the phone, I just avoid it wherever possible :colondollar:

I'm in my first year, mind you, so I don't know whether I have to do anything in September.

I found the DSA reasonable quick actually. I got a letter from them saying I'm eligible and to book a centre and then the only reason I had to wait a few weeks to have an assessment is because the times they had free tended to clash with going to Goldsmiths. In my case, the huge delay with the DSA was me not being able to face filling in the part where I explain about my illness, as I had no idea what to write :colondollar:

Reply 70

Original post by River85

I'm not as bad with phones as I used to be (as a teenager and even into my 20s talking with friends was fine, but even talking with family members was difficult and strangers very uncomfortable indeed).

Actually, someone gave me positive rep back in...2008 I think, for not liking talking on phones. It was something like "I really like your posting and you're scared of phones too". It wasn't you was it? :p:

Perhaps, but look at it the other way. If you're talking to someone on the phone you can't see their facial expressions for one thing. Some people find this quite unnerving.

It might have been! I can't even talk on the phone to friends unless they're really really close friends. I think there's about 5 people who I feel comfortable talking to on the phone. I should probably get it sorted out.

I just want DSA to acknowledge my existence.

Reply 71

OP

For some reason I find emalls a bit more scary sometimes; I have just spent 3 hours sitting in front of my computer trying to reply to the assessor with something rather simple. But then it might even be worst had he called me and wanted a response there and then. Best to do, not to communicate with anybody at all... ummm... maybe not...

Reply 72

I just had a letter from my assessment centre saying they sent my report off to SFE on the 23 of March D: They sent it to me on the 18th February - it should have gone away weeks ago.

I'm off to sulk in a corner now.

Reply 73

OP

^sorry yo have lost me there with the dates.

Reply 74

Original post by ExTraP

^sorry yo have lost me there with the dates.

They sent it to me on the 18th February for me to confirm it, I sent them a reply the same week and then this morning I got a letter saying they sent the report off on the 23rd of March. I thought it was close to being sorted and now I know it's nowhere near being sorted out :frown:

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 75

OP

Got you now, was it a draft they sent you? I just let them send whatever they want to write which is probably stupid, but I want to have as little dealing with them as possible. You'd probably get something before the beginning of next term? Obviously I don't know how long these things take but good luck with it.

Reply 76

Jeykayem

I've always hated talking on phones too, although I tend to find that I'm fine once I've got past dialling the number and explaining why I'm calling and I'm into a flowing conversation. :redface:

Anyway, I had a dyspraxia assessment yesterday and unfortunately there wasn't enough time to tell me my results at the end of the test. However, I'm now quite upset and angry with myself for ever going to see my senior tutor with concerns about how slowly I work in the first place. At the moment, I'm thinking of going into pharmaceutical research/drug discovery, but it dawned on me last night that my greed for doing slightly better in my university exams might have just killed off any chance I had of working in this career. I can imagine that, if I'm labelled as dyspraxic, I will never be let anywhere near a research lab! :frown:

The thing is, I don't have any problems working in the undergraduate teaching labs, other than that I'm slower than everyone else, although this is also due to me usually getting more accurate results than others and there not always being a demonstrator to ask when I'm unsure of what to do. I certainly don't have problems regarding dropping glassware and spilling things because my motor skills on that scale aren't affected as far as I can see. The one time that's happened this year was more down to me being sleep deprived due to having to work into the early hours of the morning most days just to keep on top of my work, which was the main reason my senior tutor suggested I got tested. :s-smilie:

Reply 77

The_Lonely_Goatherd

20

Original post by Jeykayem

I've always hated talking on phones too, although I tend to find that I'm fine once I've got past dialling the number and explaining why I'm calling and I'm into a flowing conversation. :redface:

Anyway, I had a dyspraxia assessment yesterday and unfortunately there wasn't enough time to tell me my results at the end of the test. However, I'm now quite upset and angry with myself for ever going to see my senior tutor with concerns about how slowly I work in the first place. At the moment, I'm thinking of going into pharmaceutical research/drug discovery, but it dawned on me last night that my greed for doing slightly better in my university exams might have just killed off any chance I had of working in this career. I can imagine that, if I'm labelled as dyspraxic, I will never be let anywhere near a research lab! :frown:

The thing is, I don't have any problems working in the undergraduate teaching labs, other than that I'm slower than everyone else, although this is also due to me usually getting more accurate results than others and there not always being a demonstrator to ask when I'm unsure of what to do. I certainly don't have problems regarding dropping glassware and spilling things because my motor skills on that scale aren't affected as far as I can see. The one time that's happened this year was more down to me being sleep deprived due to having to work into the early hours of the morning most days just to keep on top of my work, which was the main reason my senior tutor suggested I got tested. :s-smilie:

Obviously I know sweet FA about science careers but it's not greedy to want your uni exams to be contextualised and I think you did the right and brave thing in going to your Senior Tutor :smile:

In my (albeit limited) experience of DSA assessments, they tend to be quite personalised and the information passed on to the SFE is quite personalised. So it can make clear what you have problems with and what you don't. In terms of job applications in general, I think you just have to use interviews and sections on forms to explain. That way people can support you and find ways of working around your dyspraxia, specific to how it affects you.

:jumphug:

Reply 78

OP