Bryan - the assessment referred to in these guidelines is not the DSA Study
Aids/Strategies Assessment. It's a medical/diagnostic assessment of the
disability for the purposes of establishing eligibility for DSA. Also,
medical and social models of disability went out with the ark... didn't they
:-)
I think it makes sense for an institution to adopt the same policy on
medical evidence as used by LAs. LAs require evidence that clearly states a
disability exists. As Bryan says, a GP letter that says the student 'claims
to have ...' or 'tells me he has ...' is not evidence of a disability. The
GP letter must clearly state that the student is diagnosed with the
condition . For example, if the GP says the student has eyesight problems
he/she must say what condition is causing these problems. If the LA or DO
has any concerns about the potential effect of this condition on studying
he/she should seek further advice e.g. by contacting RNIB.
However, some flexibility is recommended in implementing these rules. For
example, a GP letter might describe several symptoms of a problem without
making a final diagnosis. The letter might say the student is being referred
for further specialist tests. This could mean the student is probably going
to be diagnosed with a condition but it can't be formally diagnosed at this
stage. The LA, DO or SASSA assessor needs to be able to 'read between the
lines' when processing this type of evidence.
Ian Francis
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bryan Jones" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, December 12, 2005 2:38 PM
Subject: Re: Medical Evidence
> The assessment referred to in these guidelines is about the full DSA
> study aids and strategies assessment that Assessment Centres undertake
> and charge for. But within an institution it is the Disability Officers
> job to evaluate / assess the situation taking account of available
> medical evidence along with a face to face discussion with the student
> and an understanding of what is expected of the student on their course
> and the institutions regulations. A doctor is not best placed to
> determine how much if at all the a medical condition will impact on a
> student's studies, because they are too remote from what is expected of
> the student, what the institutions is able to provide under their regs,
> or (with the DDA in mind) what would be "reasonable" in the given
> circumstances. Also. we should be working to the Social Model not
> Medical Model, i.e don't get too hung up on medical issues, we have to
> address the practical issues. That said, adequate medical evidence is
> required and a Disability Officer could ask for better, more detailed,
> evidence if what was available was too vague, as many conditions can be
> on a spectrum ranging from very mild to severe and debilitating and can
> also affect people in different ways, so a bit more detail than just a
> medical term is preferable, required even.
> Also a doctors note saying "John reports that he has back pain" or "Jane
> tells me that she had flu last week" are not adequate for most
> institutions.
>
> Bryan Jones,
> Manager, Disability Support Services
> & North London Regional Access Centre,
> Middlesex University
> Tel: 020 8411 5366
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support staff.
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ian Webb
> Sent: Friday, December 09, 2005 10:30 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Medical Evidence
>
>
> I am not sure that a policy document is what is required at this stage.
> The LEA
> has been given clear guidance as to what is a disability for the purpose
> of the
> DSA. I suggest that you look at the guidance which is available on the
> DfES web
> site. Chapter 69 states:
>
> 69. For most applicants, there should be little difficulty
> establishing their
> eligibility for DSAs. Their disability will have been identified and
> documented at an
> earlier stage, in many cases while they were at school. However, it is
> not
> essential for an applicant's disability to have been identified at
> school in order to
> be eligible for DSAs. Nor is eligibility dependant on an applicant being
> registered
> as disabled. Care will be needed for applicants whose disabilities have
> not
> previously been identified. In such cases, LAs should request an
> assessment of
> the disability by a suitably qualified person or body for the purposes
> of
> establishing eligibility for DSAs.
>
> I hope this helps
>
> Ian
>
>
> Quoting Rebecca Lewis <[log in to unmask]>:
>
>> Does anyone have a medical evidence policy for students with
>> disabilities
>> (but not dyslexia). We do not currently have one and I am interested
> in
>> whether other universities have rules about what type of evidence they
>
>> will or won't accept. This came up most recently for us when a studnet
>
>> with an eye condition was asked for medical evidence - she provided a
> GPs
>> letter which said just that she had this condition - no other
> information
>> was given - of course the GP probably knows very little about it
> because
>> he would not be involved in any treatment for the condition. We
> normally
>> accept a GP letter but this has made me wonder whether we should
> consider
>> having a formal policy.
>>
>> Thanks
>> Rebecca
>>
>
>
> --
> Ian Webb
> Disability Adviser/assessor
> MNADO
----------------------------------------
I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for private users.
It has removed 18735 spam emails to date.
Paying users do not have this message in their emails.
Try www.SPAMfighter.com for free now!
|