DSA Laptop question

Hi! I am a first year uni student who is waiting on a DSA assessment. I am hoping to get a laptop as I cannot currently afford one myself. My question is what type of laptop would I likely get? At the moment, my universities disability support team as loaned me a laptop while I wait for my assessment. Although I am grateful for their help, it doesn't work well for me. When I code or use matlab ect it completely crashes and in general it is quite slow and freezes frequently. Would DSA just award me the same laptop or would they award me one that would be able to meet my needs better , eg using Matlab and spyder ect as that is what I use daily. Do you get to request certain specs or is it the same laptop for all? Also I struggle to use smaller laptops so would I be able to get a larger one ect 15 inch at least?
Any help or advice would be appreciated

Reply 1

User123454

OP

3

Does anyone have any advice or info?

Reply 2

University of Salford Student Rep

Official Rep

10

Original post by User123454

Hi! I am a first year uni student who is waiting on a DSA assessment. I am hoping to get a laptop as I cannot currently afford one myself. My question is what type of laptop would I likely get? At the moment, my universities disability support team as loaned me a laptop while I wait for my assessment. Although I am grateful for their help, it doesn't work well for me. When I code or use matlab ect it completely crashes and in general it is quite slow and freezes frequently. Would DSA just award me the same laptop or would they award me one that would be able to meet my needs better , eg using Matlab and spyder ect as that is what I use daily. Do you get to request certain specs or is it the same laptop for all? Also I struggle to use smaller laptops so would I be able to get a larger one ect 15 inch at least?
Any help or advice would be appreciated

Hi @User123454

I hope you're well.

I remember organising a laptop through DSA myself when I started my degree (I am now final year). Following your needs assessment they will consider your needs, for example, if your disability means that you need a larger laptop screen to be able to focus on your work. Additionally, DSA will consider the specifications of your course when deciding what type of laptop you will be entitled to. But I don't know if this would be a laptop using Matlab and Spyder, this would depend on if your course requires you to have access to these.

When I had my assessment I explained I would need to laptop that could edit audio and video as part of my course. DSA will usually ask you to pay the first £200. The laptop they offered me was fine, but I knew I wouldn't have a TV at uni and wanted a bigger screen myself too. I did look at upgrading my laptop to a higher specification. The laptops they offered me were at a discounted rate, but a fair bit more than the initial £200 for what I was considering, so in the end I stuck with the laptop they supplied me with.

Here's a little bit of information about DSA and laptops from the government website:

https://www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowance-dsa

Alternatively, some universities like mine let you borrow laptops from the library if you occasionally need access to certain programs or software. This is free at my university, it is worth seeing if your university offers a similar scheme.

That is great the disability support team have loaned you a laptop, but how frustrating it keeps crashing, have you let them know? Sometimes they can remotely access it to see if they can solve the issue, or if you're nearby uni you might be able to drop in for them to look at it.

Good luck with your assessment, I hope you get a suitable laptop sorted ASAP and best of luck with your studies.

Lucy :smile:

(Official Uni of Salford Student Rep)

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 3

mike-wlac

1

Original post by User123454

Hi! I am a first year uni student who is waiting on a DSA assessment. I am hoping to get a laptop as I cannot currently afford one myself. My question is what type of laptop would I likely get? At the moment, my universities disability support team as loaned me a laptop while I wait for my assessment. Although I am grateful for their help, it doesn't work well for me. When I code or use matlab ect it completely crashes and in general it is quite slow and freezes frequently. Would DSA just award me the same laptop or would they award me one that would be able to meet my needs better , eg using Matlab and spyder ect as that is what I use daily. Do you get to request certain specs or is it the same laptop for all? Also I struggle to use smaller laptops so would I be able to get a larger one ect 15 inch at least?
Any help or advice would be appreciated

Laptop funding via the DSA may be recommended if the assessor recommends specialist (assistive) software to address disability and learning related barriers i.e difficulties reading from the screen, or other difficulties with reading, memory, concentration, typing, spelling, using a mouse and more, AND if the student does not have access to their own computer capable of running the assistive software. DSA laptop funding cannot be recommended just to run course related software. For DSAs funded via SFE the student pays the first £200 towards the laptop.

The recommended spec of the laptop depends on the assistive software recommended and the student's disability needs in relation to their course. Some assistive software products requires higher specs e.g screen reading and magnification software to support a visual impairment If you are awarded DSA laptop funding but you want a more expensive laptop, you may pay the difference to upgrade provided the laptop you choose is capable of running the recommended assistive software. Sorry its a bit complicated but your assessor will understand the DSA "rules" and you can ask questions to clarify.. my advice is to relax as best you can during your assessment and explain everything to your assessor as clearly as you can. Good luck

Reply 4

vj32

6

The laptop provided by DSA will be very basic unless you have a specific need for a better one, this need would have to be disability related not course related. If you are doing a course that requires you to run complex software then you will need to put in some money to upgrade. You can find the standard spec here: https://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/media/1915/slc-spec-matrix-2021.pdf

Reply 5

User123454

OP

3

Hi, Thank you all for replying. I am unable to use the library computers due to disability related reasons, and i cannot afford to pay money towards a laptop. My school and the disability team keeps saying DSA will sort if but from the reply’s here it seems the only way i can access a laptop or computer is it I pay towards it which I am not in a position to do, does anyone have advice on what I should do next or who I should contact for help?

Reply 6

KMM86

3

Are there any hardship funds available at your university that you could access to help you towards paying the initial £200? Worth enquiring with them.

Do you claim PIP for your disability? Maybe use some of that towards it if you do.

DSA Laptop question

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