Hello Simon
The LEA guide for Disabled Students Allowances 2004/5 does not have anything specific to say about laptops other than recommending that Awards Officers use Skill's "Applying to Higher Education: Guidance for Disabled People" and "Specialist Equipment in Education: Sources of Help and Information" as a guide. The latter leaflet then states that "Before purchasing a laptop or notebook, ensure that the person has an absolute need to use the computer in more than one place."
The LEA Guide does however, in its "Suggested Schedule Informing Student of Agreed DSA Support" (Annex5), does ironically recommend a Toshiba Satelite Pro, which is a notebook computer. Ultimately it should be the Needs Assessor who is ultimately responsible for making such decisions and as long as they follow QAG guidelines, in that "Assessors should recommend equipment that has a clear and explicit purpose which is related to the student's disability in enabling the student to carry out their course", what they say should be accepted as red. 

Mark Wakeham
Dyslexia Support Tutor (UWIC)


 -----Original Message-----
From:   Simon Bloor [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent:   08 March 2005 17:41
To:     [log in to unmask]
Subject:        The laptop again

Dear colleagues

An LEA has recently refused to provide a laptop for student following an
assessment here - nothing unusual about that...but has provided a
justification by citing what it calles guidnace from the DfES regarding
provision of laptops...this looks to me more like a set of examples in
which it would be appropriate to provide a laptop rather than specific
guidance - but I wonder if there is anyone out there who has a better
handle on this and can either confirm or rebut my hypothesis?

Unfortunately, if this is guidance then things get tricky cos there are
only 5 particular sets of circumstances in which a laptop can be
provided.

Many thanks

Simon



Simon Bloor
Access SUMMIT
St Peters House
Oxford Road
Manchester
M13 9GH
Tel 0161 275 0990 / 0994
Fax 0161 275 0991
SMS 07968 289138

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