Hi
 
Thank you for the responses received so far.  I just thought I would clarify that I do not recommend internet for every student I assess - only those who I feel are unable to use university facilities in a similar way to other students.  It was simpler to say "I tend to recommend etc" but looking back may have looked like I "always" recommend internet provision.
 
My initial question came about because of a student who I assessed last year when he was on placement - he didn't get his equipment last year so now that he is back at university and he wants me to write to his LEA to say that his internet provision should be £25 per month for a 2 MB broadband feed - this seems rather excessive and so I did some research on internet provision as I hadn't done any for internet provision for at least a year and though that maybe I wasn't being reasonable with recommending £16 per month and I should be recommending more.
 
I have seen a couple of other reports recently from other assessors and the internet provision on these was up to  £15 so thought I was recommending slightly more than the norm.
 
Regards
Jane

________________________________

From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support staff. on behalf of Ian Webb
Sent: Tue 08/11/2005 17:09
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Internet Provision



The DSA can pay for an allowance towards the cost of using the Internet
for students who have an additional need created by their disability.
Originally in the days of pay as you go it was often a case of trying to
work
out how much time should be spent as a student on the internet and
then calculating the additional cost caused by the students needs. Of
course it quickly became the norm to make a fairly standard
recommendation for all students who needed the internet of say 80GBP.

Now in the days of broadband there is no additional cost as a flat rate
gives 24/7 coverage. It could be argued and often is that therefore there
is no need of an allowance to cover the internet charges as there is no
longer an additional cost. Assessors have to be careful that they are
making a recommendation for costs which are created by an additional
need and not just following custom and practise.

Ian

Quoting "Dudley, Jane" <[log in to unmask]>:

> Could I ask what other assessors recommend in AON's for internet
provision?
> I have tended to recommend up to £16 per month and this is usually
ample if
> the student has access to NTL or the student has a BT line installed.
>
> What if the student doesn't have a BT line installed and needs to have
one
> installed do assessors add the line rental to the cost of the internet
> provision - will LEA's pay for the line rental as well as internet
> provision?
>
> Regards
> Jane
>
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--
Ian Webb
Disability Adviser/assessor
MNADO




This email is intended solely for the addressee.  It may contain private and confidential information.  If you are not the intended addressee, please take no action based on it nor show a copy to anyone.  In this case, please reply to this email to highlight the error.  Opinions and information in this email that do not relate to the official business of Nottingham Trent University shall be understood as neither given nor endorsed by the University.
Nottingham Trent University has taken steps to ensure that this email and any attachments are virus-free, but we do advise that the recipient should check that the email and its attachments are actually virus free.  This is in keeping with good computing practice.