Accommodation for disabled students (Autism)

Hey,

Has your daughter applied for DSA (disabled students allowance)?

Some universities allow you to stay in their halls longer than first year, others don't. It would depend on your daughters uni so I'd suggest ringing them and asking. You might want to actually contact the student support team before she starts to check these things. In terms of the en-suite - there is a possibility that DSA may pay the difference in price between regular flat and en suite however you would need to be able to show that her condition makes it necessary. They have done this for me - I stay in a studio flat due to my mental health problems... however I am unsure if they have tightened the criteria since and I had to send in evidence from my psychiatrist that this was something I needed.

Hope this helps a little,
Jen

DSA really have tightened the rules in regards to accommodation and I do believe that the uni is expected to help now. (sorry, I'm not overly sure what the rules on this are now. Her DSA assessor and the uni will)

The above information you've been given is pretty much right. Your daughter needs to speak to her uni when applying for accommodation and explain her situation.

Thanks both. She hasn't applied for DSA yet. She's only doing her AS Levels this summer and then will be applying for Uni in the autumn - when do you normally need to apply for DSA? She would be starting Uni in Autumn 2017.

Also she is currently under CAMHS but will transfer to Adult Services (basically her GP I think) when she turns 18 in September. I wonder if it might be worth getting a letter from a psychologist / psychiatrist at CAMHS before she is 18 regarding her need for an ensuite? It's one of those things that would be difficult to describe why she needs it, she would just not be able to have a shower or go to the toilet where other people are around her.


Thanks.

If it's an option, I'd also visit and ensure she can have a chat with the disability services and have a proper walk around the uni. One problem for me, (partly due to being Autistic) is that I get lost rather easily. But you can't give me a map, tell me we're here and say we need to get there. And you can't give me verbal instructions either, because I don't always understand them.

I think the others have pretty much answered your question. But, as someone with autism in currently year 1at uni I went through all this last year, and I have 1 tip for you.

About open days, don't go to them. -let me explain why.

Open days, the Uni Is all set up different to how it is on any other day, they put up tables and big display boards, and of course their is LOTS of people Everywhere, everything is busy and noisy. The staff your wanting to talk to in details about this and ask lots of questions have many other students to see, they won't have all the information you might need because they will just have a selection of general leaflets of whatever they can get, and then you find the person there on the open day from support is not actually the disability person so knows nothing.

If you want any other advice please ask, I've been through it so happy to help.

A much better idea is to contact the disability or support service and ask to visit them on another day. Explain that your daughter has autism and so would struggle visiting on an open day, and that you want time to talk to someone in detail about it. you can also ask for the opportunity to see lecturers and accommodation at your visit too if you want that.

For the uni's I applied for I did this, 1 refused to do this, so I had to go on the open day (the above happened, it was a disaster). Another was wonderful, I visited many times over the summer, saw a few different lectures, went to halls-so much help with adjusting with going to uni-this started before I even applied. I guess it won't surprise you that I now go to the 2nd one. I never applied to the first, if they can't understand and make an adjustment of letting me visit on a quiet day I am not paying thousands of pounds to have terrible support and no understanding there.

Hi,
My daughter who is on the ASD spectrum will be applying for university later this year.

I was wondering whether universities would give any priority to a student like this in terms of accommodation, e.g. guaranteeing a place in Halls for more than the usual first year? I think my daughter might struggle to cope with offsite accommodation.

Also, she is very self conscious and wouldn't be able to use a shared bathroom - would she get any sort of allowance towards the cost of ensuite accommodation?

Thanks

DSA really have tightened the rules in regards to accommodation and I do believe that the uni is expected to help now. (sorry, I'm not overly sure what the rules on this are now. Her DSA assessor and the uni will)

The above information you've been given is pretty much right. Your daughter needs to speak to her uni when applying for accommodation and explain her situation.

I would agree with those saying its worth basing final choices on how supportive the uni is with initial enquiries. At the uni I applied to (not one of your choices though) I contacted disability support about being considered a priority for en-suite accommodation (for a different condition) the requested a doctors note and once they received that it was noted down and hey presto, I got an ensuite. They were also happy to accommodate those with disabilities beyond first year, so again do ask about that.
It's also worth noting that halls can be very noisy particularly at night, with students having 'pre drinks' before going clubbing. Should that noise be an issue for your daughter its worth asking if the university has a quiet block/

Personally I know that Cambridge and Birmingham have great disability support and are very willing to have meetings about your needs at university

Cool, thanks. I have actually emailed all 15 yesterday with the same email (to their disability support contact) asking them about all this. Be interesting how helpful their replies are!

One interesting one I found in Keele's prospectus is that they will guarantee 3 years Halls accommodation for disabled students who make Keele their firm choice. Hardly seems reasonable to expect Keele to be first choice if a student has an offer from, say, Cambridge / Oxford!

I'm also not 100% sure what the rules are but my DSA does include a grant to cover the difference between normal and en-suite accommodation.

That's good, although I hear that they are trying to put more onus onto the Universities now (typical government cuts!) so they may be moving away from that, not sure.

That's good to know. She loved Cambridge when she went there for the day - she loves the Tudors and the college she went to had portraits of Margaret Beaufort ("Henry the Eighth's Nana" as my daughter told me), who helped set it up, so she was pretty much sold on it straightaway. She also said "it was dead geeky" - which was a good thing as far as she was concerned!

I don't want her getting her hopes up too much though as I know it's very hard to get in there.

I would agree with those saying its worth basing final choices on how supportive the uni is with initial enquiries. At the uni I applied to (not one of your choices though) I contacted disability support about being considered a priority for en-suite accommodation (for a different condition) the requested a doctors note and once they received that it was noted down and hey presto, I got an ensuite. They were also happy to accommodate those with disabilities beyond first year, so again do ask about that.
It's also worth noting that halls can be very noisy particularly at night, with students having 'pre drinks' before going clubbing. Should that noise be an issue for your daughter its worth asking if the university has a quiet block/