Like Terry, I must say that my comments here represent only a personal
view, and may not be shared by colleagues at Swansea, or the Institution
itself.

In reply to Terry Hart...

I know I'm new to this assessing game, but I do have some thoughts on your
comments.

In part, I agree with your views that the focus should go
beyond 'labelling' and look at an individual's strengths and weaknesses.
However, the fact remains that, to unlock DSA funding, medical / clinical
evidence of a disability or difficulty is needed. Whilst for a person with
dyslexia, for instance, the label 'dyslexic' may serve only this functional
purpose, it is nevertheless necessary as things stand at the moment
(Another example of where a label is asked for is on the UCAS form -
students are asked to slot themselves into a category, but this doesn't
necessarily tell us anything about their individual needs and experiences).

Surely the Assessment of Needs itself gives a chance to look in depth at a
person's strengths and weaknesses, regardless of the 'title' their
difficulties have been given? When assessing someone with a particular
disability, I wouldn't just recommend a standard prescription of assistive
technology, but would look in more detail at what equipment, software, non-
medical support, etc. would help to bring the individual to a 'level
playing-field' with other students. The label of 'visually impaired'
or 'dyslexic' would give some guidance as to where to begin with regard to
software, etc., but what goes into the final report would be more
individual in nature.

I await your comments (go easy on me please, remember I'm a newbie! Also, I
say again, that these are my personal views, not those of the
Institution)...