I'm not sure it is entirely fair to accuse me of being inflexible in this
matter. I did not say I would never purchase a laptop under DSA. Neither
did I say that space is never a consideration when purchasing equipment
under DSA. What I did say is that can't see how space considerations can
be used as a justification to purchase a laptop for a student with
dyslexia given the wording of the current Regulations and Notes for
Guidance.
There maybe, of course, be other perfectly acceptable ways to justify
such a purchase. However, if we are specifically talking about students
with dyslexia, I would suggest that it is harder to justify the purchase
of a laptop than it would be for a student who, for example, has to spend
one week in every four in hospital. Convenience for note taking? Let's
not confuse convenience with necessity nor desirability with
effectiveness. Work placements? Given some of the (rather surprising)
responses to my previous question about book allowances, I'd be
interested to see how such arguments would be made.
How about letting a student purchase their own laptop and being
reimbursed the cost of an equivalent desktop model. It's a solution I've
used in the past (ironically when the Access Centre was recommending
AGAINST a laptop and the HEI and student insisted it was necessary). The
only condition I imposed was that any faults or costs arising solely from
the fact a laptop had been purchased would be the responsibility of the
student. Unfortunate then that a little over a year later, just out of
warranty (which the student had neglected to extend) the rather expensive
battery developed a fault.
I freely admit that past experience with students and their laptops may
have prejudiced me against purchasing them under DSA and led me to seek
alternative solutions. This is not a cost issue - I would much rather
purchase a desktop PC and an Alphasmart (where appropriate of course)
than a laptop despite the fact that this may work out no cheaper.
Finally I was interested to read Mick's comments about Dyslexia being
accepted as a disability for the purposes of DSA. Given the controversy
which issues concerning Specific Learning Difficulties and DSA seems to
arouse, is there not a case for removing it from DSA altogether and
giving the funding directly to HEI's? The issues concerning Dyslexia are
inexorably intertwined with educational needs, far more so than with any
other disability. Perhaps it is time that these issues were the sole
responsibility of the HEI's, leaving DSA to address the needs of the
remaining disabled students.
I wonder, if such a thing were to happen, if recommendations would be
accepted with the degree of acquiescence that is expected of LEA's under
the present arrangements...
St.John Skeates
Awards Section
Bedfordshire County Council
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