I'm wondering if Alison's post can be parsed in two different ways.
1) Centres which could provide assessment with the assessor using BSL
2) Centres who are willing and able to ensure an appropriate BSL
interpreter is booked + extra time to allow for interpretation.
(1) will be a minority, but I suspect some BSL using assessors are on
this list. I have BSL using friends who have preferred this option.
(2) should surely be *any* DSA assessment centre?
Is it common for assessment centres to deem a student's needs too
difficult to assess? I've never heard of it before.
Of course I don't know what Alison asked the centres exactly (and indeed
if it was email or the dreaded TextRelay or via an interpreter
interpreting the phonecall) but I'd love to know if there's been some
misunderstanding. Whether the centres are assuming that Alison was
asking for an assessment in BSL when I think Alison is asking for an
assessment with a BSL interpreter provided and accommodated for properly.
As a not-very-good-at-BSL mostly-oral deaf person I'm used to people
assuming I want BSL interpretation by default if I deal with them via
the dreaded TextRelay or say I'd prefer email because I'm deaf.
The irony of Alison's coming on a day when I'm picking up and trying to
fix the fallout from two poor deafness DSA assessments (neither
involving BSL users) for my students is not lost on me... I may start
a new thread myself.
Natalya
On 08/10/13 17:59, Ian F. wrote:
> Hi Alison
>
> I'm sorry to hear about the problem you are having trying to arrange a
> DSA assessment. I don't know of a list of centres suitable for deaf
> people, but if someone decides to create one they can add the Regional
> Access Centre East London to it, as that's where I tend to do most
> assessments and am more than happy to prepare a DSA assessment for deaf
> students.
>
> Would you like me to forward your request to the dis-forum list - I
> think most centres are on there so you might get a response from someone
> closer to you?
>
> Best wishes
> Ian Francis
>
>
> On 08/10/2013 11:59, Alison Bryan wrote:
>> Hi all
>>
>> Does a list exist of suitable DSA assessment centres for deaf people?
>> Believe it or not I'm having issues with identifying one, I'm using
>> the DSA website but I'm getting replies such as "we wouldn't have the
>> expertise to fully assess your needs", "due to the specialised nature
>> of the assessment we do not have anyone" etc.
>>
>> I'm just after an interpreter / notetaker. Anything else is a bonus.
>> However, this is proving unnecessarily difficult. Suggestions? Wales
>> or the Midlands, possibly Manchester.
>>
>> Thanks, Alison
>>
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