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Original post by Student Money Week 2017
Got a question about Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs)? Ask our expert, Emma.

Emma has worked in Student Finance England’s DSAs team for four years. As a taxi account manager, she also arranges travel support supplied through DSAs.

Please be aware all answers will be posted on Monday 6 February.


As someone who is planning on starting a full time university course in September 2017, I was wondering what changes have been made to the rules around DSAs from last year?
I am a hard of hearing student and have a mental health condition, which has meant that at school I had adjustments such as a notetaker. Because of my mental health I would need an ensuite room and I can't use public transport (I have medical evidence to prove this)
Basically I'm wondering what DSAs would be likely to cover and what sort of support I could get?
Thanks
Reply 2
I applied for deferred entry due to my mental health condition as i need time to improve my health.

would i apply for DSA this year, or in the year I'm actually starting (2018)?
Reply 3
if we pay to be assessed for DSAs and find out we can't get it do we get the money back or not?
What can dsa offer in terms of help? Is accommodation costs and travel costs included ?
Reply 5
I have epilepsy (currently under control with medication) and was wondering if I would be elegible for DSA? I forgot so how would I go about applying for it? Thank you
Hi SFE,
My situation is a bit complex.

I went to university to study Fashion Design in 2012 at Bedfordshire. I only completed the first year and left they did not meet my requirements to support me and my disability. I then went to UCA and had to repeat the first year and bedfordshire did not send my grades and time was short to apply. SFE agreed to pay for my repeat and support me so that i could complete the degree by giving me a gift year for the last year of study and I went on to start the second year there. UCA did not meet my support needs either and i dropped out before ending the second year due to depression and feeling no one will support me. I have completed my counselling and determind to finish my degree. The problem is now SFE have paid for 3 years of study and i do not know if the Gift year still stands as i dropped out over 2 years ago.
Would I be entitled to any support at all and if not is there any other trustful loan companies I can go to? I would need to repeat my 2nd year before going onto my final year.

Thank you in advance,
Rianna Davis
Original post by jemmaaa0853
As someone who is planning on starting a full time university course in September 2017, I was wondering what changes have been made to the rules around DSAs from last year?
I am a hard of hearing student and have a mental health condition, which has meant that at school I had adjustments such as a notetaker. Because of my mental health I would need an ensuite room and I can't use public transport (I have medical evidence to prove this)
Basically I'm wondering what DSAs would be likely to cover and what sort of support I could get?
Thanks



Hi there Jemma,

There have been no changes to our policies since last year.

In relation to getting extra support from DSA, based on your individual circumstances we may be able to offer support with additional costs that you incur to attend your course. These include things such as; specialist equipment that you might need, additional human support, as well as potentially additional travel and accommodation costs. For further information about what support you may be eligible to receive, please visit: www.thestudentroom.co.uk/studentfinance
and select ‘resources’ to review our DSA Quick Start Guide.

We'd suggest that you apply for DSA for your course as soon as the applications open. You can find all of the information about how to apply here: www.gov.uk/studentfinancesteps

Hope that helps.

Emma
Original post by alolime
I applied for deferred entry due to my mental health condition as i need time to improve my health.

would i apply for DSA this year, or in the year I'm actually starting (2018)?



Hi there,

You will need to apply for the year you will commence your studies, 2018. We'd suggest that you apply for DSA for your course as soon as the applications open next year. For further information as to when the application may be available, the best place to check would be our website this time next year at www.gov.uk/studentfinancesteps.

Hope that helps

Emma
Original post by ben344
if we pay to be assessed for DSAs and find out we can't get it do we get the money back or not?



Hi there Ben,

In terms of any medical evidence you may have to pay for which is needed for your application, this is something which all students need to fund themselves and cannot be paid for by DSA. The actual DSA assessment (where you find out exactly what type of support could be of benefit to you) is fully paid for by DSA. For further information about the DSA process, please visit: and select ‘resources’ to review our DSA Quick Start Guide and Extra Help Disabled Student’s Allowances.

Hope that helps.

Emma
Original post by kingkevin6
What can dsa offer in terms of help? Is accommodation costs and travel costs included ?



Hi there Kevin,

In relation to getting extra support from DSA, based on your individual circumstances we may be able to offer support with additional costs that you incur to attend your course. These include things such as; specialist equipment that you might need, additional human support, as well as potentially additional travel and accommodation costs. For further information about what support you may be eligible to receive, please visit: www.thestudentroom.co.uk/studentfinance
and select ‘resources’ to review our DSA Quick Start Guide and Extra Help Disabled Student’s Allowances.


Hope that helps.

Emma
What's changed about DSA in the last few years?

As someone with multiple conditions that fall into different categories (physical, mental and learning), how are more complex cases approached and what happens if things change over the time at uni? Would I still be able to get help for symptoms that affect my ability to study but I don't yet have a diagnosis for, if they're included in my evidence from medical professionals?

Thank you for doing this, really helpful!
Original post by JessG26
I have epilepsy (currently under control with medication) and was wondering if I would be elegible for DSA? I forgot so how would I go about applying for it? Thank you



Hi there Jess,

You may be eligible to receive additional support. Unfortunately we won’t be able to say for certain until we see a copy of some medical evidence. For further information about what support you may be eligible to receive, please visit: www.thestudentroom.co.uk/studentfinance
and select ‘resources’ to review our DSA Quick Start Guide and Extra Help Disabled Student’s Allowances.

We'd suggest that you apply for DSA for your course as soon as the applications open. This will enable us to review your circumstances and find out if you are eligible or not. You can find all of the information about how to apply here: www.gov.uk/studentfinancesteps

Hope that helps.

Emma
Hi,

I'm a disabled student receiving DSAs for the last two Academic years. I'm on a sandwich course and next year I am on my placement as a requirement of my degree and there is no teaching (100% placement year). It is an unpaid placement so I do not qualify for Access to Work. As I am a student and it is not a paid placement do I qualify for DSA to continue?
Original post by ririannie
Hi SFE,
My situation is a bit complex.

I went to university to study Fashion Design in 2012 at Bedfordshire. I only completed the first year and left they did not meet my requirements to support me and my disability. I then went to UCA and had to repeat the first year and bedfordshire did not send my grades and time was short to apply. SFE agreed to pay for my repeat and support me so that i could complete the degree by giving me a gift year for the last year of study and I went on to start the second year there. UCA did not meet my support needs either and i dropped out before ending the second year due to depression and feeling no one will support me. I have completed my counselling and determind to finish my degree. The problem is now SFE have paid for 3 years of study and i do not know if the Gift year still stands as i dropped out over 2 years ago.
Would I be entitled to any support at all and if not is there any other trustful loan companies I can go to? I would need to repeat my 2nd year before going onto my final year.

Thank you in advance,
Rianna Davis




Hi there Rianna,

Sorry to hear about the difficulties you've been having with your course. Unfortunately, this thread relates to the additional support that you can get for your disability, rather than loans specifically to cover the cost of your course. There is a web chat 19:00 20:00 tomorrow where my colleague will be able to give you more advice about loans.

In regard to DSA, if you would like to apply for support once you return to your studies then we'd suggest that you apply for DSA for your course as soon as the applications open. You can find all of the information about how to apply here: www.gov.uk/studentfinancesteps The support that you can get from DSA won't be affected by your previous study.

Hope that helps.

Emma
Original post by furryface12
What's changed about DSA in the last few years?

As someone with multiple conditions that fall into different categories (physical, mental and learning), how are more complex cases approached and what happens if things change over the time at uni? Would I still be able to get help for symptoms that affect my ability to study but I don't yet have a diagnosis for, if they're included in my evidence from medical professionals?

Thank you for doing this, really helpful!




Hi there,

The support itself (equipment, human support, assistive technology etc) provided by DSA has not changed over the past few years, however some of our policies and consequently who is eligible for the support has. The best thing to do to find out what DSA can offer right now would be to visit: www.thestudentroom.co.uk/studentfinance
and select ‘resources’ to review our DSA Quick Start Guide and Extra Help Disabled Student’s Allowances.

In terms of your ongoing studies, if you feel like any of your individual needs have changed during your studies we would encourage you to get in touch with your Needs Assessor who is the person who carried out your assessment and submitted a report to DSA. Your Needs Assessor will then be able to discuss any difficulties you have faced and, if deemed appropriate, they will submit a recommendation to DSA for additional support.

Hope this helps.

Emma
Reply 16
Hi,

I'm going to university in September to study llb law. I suffer from severe arthritis and currently receive pip for it. What facilities/services can I receive in terms of financial support.

Thank you
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by JRBateman
Hi,

I'm a disabled student receiving DSAs for the last two Academic years. I'm on a sandwich course and next year I am on my placement as a requirement of my degree and there is no teaching (100% placement year). It is an unpaid placement so I do not qualify for Access to Work. As I am a student and it is not a paid placement do I qualify for DSA to continue?



Hi there,

It is possible that you are eligible for your DSA to continue, however without further information we would be unable to say for certain.

We'd suggest that you apply for DSA for your course as soon as the applications open. This will enable us to review your circumstances and find out if you are eligible or not. You can find all of the information about how to apply here: www.gov.uk/studentfinancesteps

Hope that helps.

Emma
Original post by AG97-
Hi,

I'm going to university in September to study llb law. I suffer from severe arthritis and currently receive pip for it. What facilities/services canbi receive in terms of financial support.

Thank you




Hi there,

In relation to getting extra support from DSA, based on your individual circumstances we may be able to offer support with additional costs that you incur to attend your course. These include things such as; specialist equipment that you might need, additional human support, as well as potentially additional travel and accommodation costs. For further information about what support you may be eligible to receive, please visit: www.thestudentroom.co.uk/studentfinance
and select ‘resources’ to review our DSA Quick Start Guide and Extra Help Disabled Student’s Allowances.


We'd suggest that you apply for DSA for your course as soon as the applications open. You can find all of the information about how to apply here: www.gov.uk/studentfinancesteps

Hope that helps.

Emma
Posted on behalf of: Mazmils1975

I have a disability which is effecting me and making me ill. I am currently doing my bsc. I was considering leaving and going back next year to do it. Will i be able to get funding or will i have to pay for it myself ?