Dyslexia and Laptops

You'd have to pay the first £200 for a laptop. There's no way you'd get a gaming laptop.

Reply 2

NJones

6

Original post by estudent1

Hi, just wanted a bit of advice - recently been diagnosed with dyslexia and dysgraphia whilst studying for my masters. Been advised that I'll likely be elligible for a new laptop on DSA once I've had my needs assessment. My current laptop is broken so I need a new one anyway and was intending to purchase a gaming laptop myself. It sounds bad but is there anyway to request a gaming laptop through DSA, would I need to pay extra?

No you can't request any spec of laptop. If you want anything above the DSA-WKH standard laptop: Core i3 2.4GHz processor, 4Gb RAM, 320Gb hard drive, Windows 8.1, you will have to fund it yourself. As stated above if you are an SFE student you will be required to pay the first £200, and if you upgrade you will also have to pay VAT on the laptop. Standard laptops are around £300 so SFE will only contribute about £100.

Reply 3

Original post by estudent1

Hi, just wanted a bit of advice - recently been diagnosed with dyslexia and dysgraphia whilst studying for my masters. Been advised that I'll likely be elligible for a new laptop on DSA once I've had my needs assessment. My current laptop is broken so I need a new one anyway and was intending to purchase a gaming laptop myself. It sounds bad but is there anyway to request a gaming laptop through DSA, would I need to pay extra?

I dont think there will be any DSA suppliers out there that will sell anything with a spec as high as that of a gaming laptop, if you re adamant that you want one, then it d probably be less hassle if you purchased it yourself.
I bought a desktop before my DSA needs assessment as I knew i d have to pay upgrade costs to get something with the spec i wanted so i found something in the ebuyer sale instead of going through the hassle of hoping a supplier would have something I liked i could upgrade to. It definitely meets the requirements for all my recommended software so had no problems with it.

Reply 4

estudent1

OP

Thanks for the replies guys - as I expected to be honest.

Reply 5

Original post by OU Student

You'd have to pay the first £200 for a laptop. There's no way you'd get a gaming laptop.

Original post by NJones

No you can't request any spec of laptop. If you want anything above the DSA-WKH standard laptop: Core i3 2.4GHz processor, 4Gb RAM, 320Gb hard drive, Windows 8.1, you will have to fund it yourself. As stated above if you are an SFE student you will be required to pay the first £200, and if you upgrade you will also have to pay VAT on the laptop. Standard laptops are around £300 so SFE will only contribute about £100.

Original post by claireestelle

I dont think there will be any DSA suppliers out there that will sell anything with a spec as high as that of a gaming laptop, if you re adamant that you want one, then it d probably be less hassle if you purchased it yourself.
I bought a desktop before my DSA needs assessment as I knew i d have to pay upgrade costs to get something with the spec i wanted so i found something in the ebuyer sale instead of going through the hassle of hoping a supplier would have something I liked i could upgrade to. It definitely meets the requirements for all my recommended software so had no problems with it.

Sorry, this is all incorrect. It might depend on the supplier but I managed to get a very high-spec gaming laptop via mine. They were able to get laptops from a wide range of suppliers including Overclockers UK and Scan. Obviously though, you'll need to pay the difference.

Original post by estudent1

Thanks for the replies guys - as I expected to be honest.

Please read my reply above!

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 6

Tiger Rag

Original post by Plagioclase

Sorry, this is incorrect. It will depend on the supplier but I managed to get a very high-spec gaming laptop via mine.

Please read my reply above!

The rules have changed. So everyone has to pay the frst £200 now. They will only pay for what you need and not what you want.

Reply 7

Original post by OU Student

The rules have changed. So everyone has to pay the frst £200 now.

Everyone has to pay the first £200 and any extra to upgrade to a higher spec model, but they are able to upgrade you to a higher spec model. I paid about £1200 in total for mine.

I went through this process a couple of weeks ago.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 8

Original post by Plagioclase

Sorry, this is all incorrect. It might depend on the supplier but I managed to get a very high-spec gaming laptop via mine. They were able to get laptops from a wide range of suppliers including Overclockers UK and Scan.

Please read my reply above!

You can only use a supplier that is specifically approved by dsa under new rules so no chance will they allow scan , if they did I would have not bought mine myself.

Reply 9

Original post by claireestelle

You can only use a supplier that is specifically approved by dsa under new rules so no chance will they allow scan , if they did I would have not bought mine myself.

I literally went through this process a couple of weeks ago, I went through a DSA approved supplier and they got me a custom-built computer from Scan... Obviously I paid the difference between the model they offered me and the upgraded one, but it's perfectly possible. The DSA suppliers themselves can get the laptops from wherever they want.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 10

estudent1

OP

Ah brilliant - what spec did you go for? Do you feel you managed to get a better deal than if you'd just gone it alone and bought your own?

Original post by Plagioclase

I literally went through this process a couple of weeks ago, I went through a DSA approved supplier and they got me a custom-built computer from Scan... Obviously I paid the difference between the model they offered me and the upgraded one, but it's perfectly possible. The DSA suppliers themselves can get the laptops from wherever they want.

Reply 11

Original post by estudent1

Ah brilliant - what spec did you go for? Do you feel you managed to get a better deal than if you'd just gone it alone and bought your own?

I'll PM you details. But yes, it saved me around £100 off the retail price (I'm assuming they don't have to pay VAT) and you also get a warranty and insurance for as long as your degree course lasts so it's absolutely worth it.

Reply 12

Greetings,

I have a DSA assessment soon.

I currently have an Acer - its pretty old (4 and a half years) but still works - sort of. The screen flickers now and again and have to tap it at the back... sometimes annoying!!

Seeing as I cannot afford atm to pay the £200 initial fee for a new laptop, could I request a monitor screen?

Reply 13

Original post by markbasf

Greetings,

I have a DSA assessment soon.

I currently have an Acer - its pretty old (4 and a half years) but still works - sort of. The screen flickers now and again and have to tap it at the back... sometimes annoying!!

Seeing as I cannot afford atm to pay the £200 initial fee for a new laptop, could I request a monitor screen?

Hey

I think the cut off from some funding bodies is 5 years old so potentially you could have issues with the software being compatible and it is that old fixing the screen might not be particularly cheap.Its likely they d say no to the new screen i m afraid. If you re struggling to come up with the 200 pounds, could you get an ALF loan from your uni until your loan comes through? you might not have to pay the supplier until september if that helps at all?

Reply 14

Original post by claireestelle

Hey

I think the cut off from some funding bodies is 5 years old so potentially you could have issues with the software being compatible and it is that old fixing the screen might not be particularly cheap.Its likely they d say no to the new screen i m afraid. If you re struggling to come up with the 200 pounds, could you get an ALF loan from your uni until your loan comes through? you might not have to pay the supplier until september if that helps at all?

Thanks for replying.

Tbh I am receiving ESA and PIP at the moment.. although I am using that to currently pay for my daily living and mobility needs (I had cancer and got a colostomy) i could potentially pay for it using that - I would need to crunch numbers.

I could ask the assessor if getting a monitor screen was an option

Reply 15

Original post by markbasf

Thanks for replying.

Tbh I am receiving ESA and PIP at the moment.. although I am using that to currently pay for my daily living and mobility needs (I had cancer and got a colostomy) i could potentially pay for it using that - I would need to crunch numbers.

I could ask the assessor if getting a monitor screen was an option

Glad to help :smile:

I would say there's certainly no harm in asking and if they say no maybe ask local pc repair places to see what the cost could be and then weight that up with the £200. You could also speak to your university see if there's any grants or anything available that could help you with the cost.
Although I m afraid, I couldn't guarantee dsa would be happy for you to keep a 4 year old laptop, it would all depend on what they recommended for you to go on it. For example my software only runs on windows 8 and above and could be pretty slow on an old pc.

Reply 16

Original post by claireestelle

Glad to help :smile:

I would say there's certainly no harm in asking and if they say no maybe ask local pc repair places to see what the cost could be and then weight that up with the £200. You could also speak to your university see if there's any grants or anything available that could help you with the cost.
Although I m afraid, I couldn't guarantee dsa would be happy for you to keep a 4 year old laptop, it would all depend on what they recommended for you to go on it. For example my software only runs on windows 8 and above and could be pretty slow on an old pc.

Tbh my course doesn't require me to use specialist software. Just need Microsoft Office (word, excel, powerpoint) really. I will try anyway!

As a postgrad, not getting a laptop should help me to keep within any budget they give me.. I think max for postgrads is around £10,000... though I doubt I will be given that maximum budget

Reply 17

Original post by markbasf

Tbh my course doesn't require me to use specialist software. Just need Microsoft Office (word, excel, powerpoint) really. I will try anyway!

As a postgrad, not getting a laptop should help me to keep within any budget they give me.. I think max for postgrads is around £10,000... though I doubt I will be given that maximum budget

Most universities have office 365 for free so you may not have to worry about getting office yourself :smile:

The software they provide is more specialist software in that it helps with anything you might struggle with due to your disability so say for instance I get pain in my hands from type too long, so i have dragon which is a software which types when you speak :smile:

I d say just see how the assessment goes, there's nothing to say that the funding body wont go to the maximum just depends on whatever the assessor recommends you :smile:

Reply 18

Original post by claireestelle

Most universities have office 365 for free so you may not have to worry about getting office yourself :smile:

The software they provide is more specialist software in that it helps with anything you might struggle with due to your disability so say for instance I get pain in my hands from type too long, so i have dragon which is a software which types when you speak :smile:

I d say just see how the assessment goes, there's nothing to say that the funding body wont go to the maximum just depends on whatever the assessor recommends you :smile:

Yes you're right. I'll have to see how the assessment goes and hope for the best!

Is there a set laptop which I would have to buy if I was recommended for one? I'd be pretty pointless in me paying the initial £200 for a laptop which I didn't want.

What is the policy regarding printers, computer chairs and book allowances?

Reply 19