DSA, Asthma and a chemistry degree?

DSA will only pay for study related costs. Your inhalers aren't a study related expense.

Your asthma would have to be pretty severe to get DSA.

You'd be best talking to your disability adviser at your uni and seeing if any reasonable adjustment can be made for you to access the labs easier. For example, it may that allowing you to use fume cupboards or extraction fans could be used to extract the fine powders etc.

DSA is given for specific purposes so things like a study mentor for specific learning issues/various health conditions; travel costs for disabled students; to pay for computers/dictophones. Most students don't actually get given the allowance, instead student finance uses it to pay for these things.

Unfortunately DSA cannot be used for prescription costs but if for example you were unable to attend some lectures due to your asthma you might need a note-taker, who could be paid using a DSA allowance. I agree with NJones that you should still discuss your asthma with an adviser at your university, particularly if it is severe/brittle asthma, they might be able to make adjustments to the labs to help you and/or adjustments to allow you to leave the laboratory if you start to struggle breathing.

Re: prescription costs - if you don't already, I'd recommend a pre-payment certificate. It saves a lot of money if you're getting frequent prescriptions.

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They're only worth it if you have 14 prescriptions per year. I get 2 inhalers at a time, which normally last me 3 months or so.

They're only worth it if you have 14 prescriptions per year. I get 2 inhalers at a time, which normally last me 3 months or so.

It depends- for me it pays for itself in less than two months (or three if you're only counting asthma stuff) so is definitely worthwhile!

Edit: Just realised that's basically what you were saying anyway Sorry, I'm tired

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Will the NHS cover steroid inhalers after I turn 18? Because if they don't, getting a pre-payment certificate would theoretically be cheaper, even if I don't factor in the cost of reliever inhalers!

They don't unfortunately, wish they did though! If it weren't for the certificate thing I'd be paying about £40 a month just for asthma stuff, so saves me a lot That said, there's a campaign going on by asthma UK at the minute I think to get prescription charges stopped for people with asthma, can't imagine it'll come to anything though.

Ahhh, okay - then a prepayment certificate will save me A LOT of money. Yeahh, I know, a lot of people seem to think asthma is just wheezing a bit. I'd like to see them trying to breathe while their airways literally try to strangle them (Sorry, I get kind of passionate about these things. I don't actually wish asthma on anyone, but it just annoys me when people don't get how serious asthma can be.) Did you see that asthmaUK petition thing about letting schools have a reliever inhalers in their first aid kids that actually passed?