Sorry, got the address wrong last time.

Rob

-----Original Message-----
From: Rob Powell [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2003 4:18 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: DSA and equipment provision


Hi, I'm the chap that Andrew hodgson was talking on behalf of the
other day.

As is often the way with these things, something gets lost in the
translation, if a third party is used. If I'm not wasting people's
time, I'd like to have another go at this one.

I'm totally blind, and will be a student doing a post grad social work
diploma as of end September. I will need a range of equipment for my
course, and propose to use the DSA to fund this. I will,
incidentally, have to use some of my own money too, as the equipment
part of the DSA isn't enough for the equipment I need.

I'm fortunate in that I already have some of the equipment I need,
however I will need a laptop (probably), a printer and scanner, plus I
want a braille display, as I'm predominantly a braillist, and don't
like working with speech alone, for the sake of accuracy.

I already have a copy of Jaws for Windows, the screen-reading
software, and windows and office XP home edition, as well as Norton
systemworks, and anti-virus.

The funding for my DSA is coming not from my local Education
Authority, but from the Social Care Council. Their terms for DSA say
that all orders must go through one company, (iansyst). (as far as I'm
concerned, this could be any company).

Having looked at their website, it seems that they do a great job in
providing support training, and specialist software and equipment to
people with a range of disabilities, notably those with dyslexia and
related conditions. Visual impairment is mentioned as 1 line on their
home page, and the few products that they stock for V.I users are
stuck out of the way at the bottom of their price list. In addition,
there is no mention what-so-ever of braille, either embossers, braille
displays, braille transcription software, or braille input and/or
output note taking devices.

Finally the prices quoted for some of this equipment are up to double
those quoted by specialist suppliers, and the prices for computers
aren't cheap either.

My interest is simple. I want to bbe able to get the right equipment,
as cheaply as possible, with the right support, in order that I can
fulfil my dream of becoming a social worker. My budget's tight, and
the stuff i want critical to my course.

The web-site at least does not fill me with confidence that Iansyst
will be able to provide me with the support I am likely to need for my
equipment, and that I will have the range of choice of equipment that
I need. I also feel a degree of anger that I can't use the
relationships I've built up with suppliers of this specialist
equipment over more than 10 years, and that I'm being told from where
I have to purchase my equipment.

My supplier of choice won't support the equipment if it's purchased
through Iansyst, as he's already had to give them a discount before
they'll buy it. He's also legally correct in saying that it's the job
of the supplier of the equipment to me, (iansyst) to support the
equipment, not that of the national agent. The difficulty for Iansyst
is, that if they pay the full amount for equipment, they'll have to
add something onto the price, in order to make a profit.

Whilst I realise that there are many students with disabilities,
parents and university professionals who are swimming around in a sea
of jargon, all that Iansyst's involvement is doing for me, is further
limiting the amount of equipment I can get for my grant money, and
from their web-site, it looks as though they won't be able to support
the products they supply to me.

Rob Powell