DSA

20

i have scoliosis and am wondering about what a DSA will cover , i would need a memory foam mattress in the accommodation, a new chair for the desk , a gym membership and transport from accommodation or a second year house to wherever my lectures are , how much of this can be covered by the DSA. also i will be discharged from my hospital by the time i come to apply for one , but obviously still have to live with it and it affects day to day life , and someone told me you need a doctor to sign off the DSA , but obviously i wont have any contact with the hospital , or be in their system anymore , so how will that work ?

Reply 1

flowersinmyhair

Volunteer Section Leader, Clearing and Applications Advisor

20

Original post

by arwen-mccarthy81

i have scoliosis and am wondering about what a DSA will cover , i would need a memory foam mattress in the accommodation, a new chair for the desk , a gym membership and transport from accommodation or a second year house to wherever my lectures are , how much of this can be covered by the DSA. also i will be discharged from my hospital by the time i come to apply for one , but obviously still have to live with it and it affects day to day life , and someone told me you need a doctor to sign off the DSA , but obviously i wont have any contact with the hospital , or be in their system anymore , so how will that work ?

You will need medical evidence of your diagnosis, as well as how it affects your needs. If you have a discharge letter, you could potentially use that if it shows your needs, you could also ask your GP for evidence. You will have a needs assessment if your medical evidence is accepted, which will go through your needs and what you need. DSA covers your study related needs, so they may not cover some of the things you need. It may also be worth applying for PIP as well for your non-study related needs.
See this page for more info: https://www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowance-dsa

Reply 2

Lumiere36

7

Dsa will only fund items related to study. So mattress/gym membership no.

You will need medical evidence clearly explaining why you cannot use public transport to get travel funding.

You will be able to have an ergonomic assessment to look at a chair and desk and other ergonomic items.

Plus lots more in the way of assistive software/hardware that may be useful.

Reply 3

UEA Rep Rosie

Official Rep

9

Original post

by arwen-mccarthy81

i have scoliosis and am wondering about what a DSA will cover , i would need a memory foam mattress in the accommodation, a new chair for the desk , a gym membership and transport from accommodation or a second year house to wherever my lectures are , how much of this can be covered by the DSA. also i will be discharged from my hospital by the time i come to apply for one , but obviously still have to live with it and it affects day to day life , and someone told me you need a doctor to sign off the DSA , but obviously i wont have any contact with the hospital , or be in their system anymore , so how will that work ?

Hi @arwen-mccarthy81

When you apply to DSA, you will be matched up with a 'needs assessor' who will go through with you how your disability impacts your study and recommend equipment for you accordingly. I know someone else who has recieved DSA for scoliosis and was able to get an ergonomic chair to help them study at their desk, so this is definitely possible for you! Whilst DSA might not be able to cover everything you need, it's definitely worth applying to anyway so that you can get some of the equipment that will help you with your studies!

Good luck! I also get the DSA, so if you have any questions about the application process etc. I can do my best to answer them!
UEA Rep Rosie ☺️

DSA

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