Saving money as a disabled student

Some of the tips below won't be aimed at being a student; but being disabled in general:

- RNIB have recently made their talking library free. You can access this service for free if you're blind, partially sighted or have a visual impairment which means you can't read standard size print

- Railcards. The criteria is [url=
http://www.disabledpersons-railcard.co.uk/]here and is better than the student railcard. You can also take a companion with you who also gets the 1/3 discount too.

- VAT exemption on adapted products. However, I've sometimes found it's cheaper to go to places like Amazon and buy the item there. You have to pay the VAT (because it's not aimed at disabled people; but people in general) but it's still cheaper.

- If you're a full time student and receive DLA or PIP, you depending on your income, are also entitled to housing benefit and /or ESA. any amount of income based ESA entitles you to full housing benefit.

- If you receive mid or high rate care DLA or either rate of the daily living compnent of PIP and live alone, (people under 18, registered blind, those who receive mid or high rate DLA, either rate of daily living PIP or Attendance Allowance) and no-one receives carers allowance for you, you're entitled to claim the severe disability premium. You have to apply for this.

The rules about benefits don't apply to part time students.

Reply 1

Juno

You can get a CEA card, which allows you to take someone to the cinema for free. It's £5ish a year, so if you use it once you'll be saving money with film costs now. I mean the carer goes free and the disabled person pays.

Reply 2

Tiger Rag

- you can sometimes get free carers tickets for things like football matches, etc. When I tried to do this recently, I was told to justify why I needed a carer with me, despite being on mid rate rate and lower mbility DLA and then they'll decide whether I really need someone. Was not impressed.

Reply 3

beautifulbigmacs

Re PIP, I've always wondered if the DWP would say something like "if you're well enough to be doing a course then you're well enough not to need PIP so we're gonna stop it." What are your thoughts?

Reply 4

Tiger Rag

Original post by beautifulbigmacs

Re PIP, I've always wondered if the DWP would say something like "if you're well enough to be doing a course then you're well enough not to need PIP so we're gonna stop it." What are your thoughts?

PIP is paid for care and /or mobility needs and not whether you study. Obviously, if your course (or job) contradicts your care and /or mobility needs, they can and will stop it.

Reply 5

beautifulbigmacs

Original post by OU Student

PIP is paid for care and /or mobility needs and not whether you study. Obviously, if your course (or job) contradicts your care and /or mobility needs, they can and will stop it.

I guess the contradicts bit is a grey area though for people with fluctuating conditions. Like say if they say because you can do an evening course you're well enough not to need pip but then you're like "you have no idea how much I need to rest after attending said evening course"?

Reply 6

Tiger Rag

Original post by beautifulbigmacs

DWP accept that peoples conditions do change. You only need help 50% of the time to claim PIP.

Reply 7

Tiger Rag

You can get a bus pass (if you live in certain cities, it can be used on local trains, trams, etc) if you receive the higher rate of DLA mobility or have been refused a driving licence for reasons other than drug or alcoho abusel. Despite being automatically banned, (or I would be refused if I tried applying) I was actually refused a pass on the basis I wear glasses. I had someone (who isn't medically trained - what a surprise!) look at me and decide within 2 minutes I'd chosen not to drive. I was then told to go to my GP and get a letter which has a load of test results on it. They were actually told to reject people like me who are registered as sight impaired. Because apparently, everyone can register if you wear glasses. You can't. It's the new name for partially sighted.

I got a local charity involved in the end who told them it's the same as being registered as partially sighted. Therefore, those registered would indeed be refused a driving licence.

If you do have a railcard and an oyster card, if you add the railcard to your oyster card, you get 1/3 discount.