> Dave, have you any figures on numbers of dyslexic students receiving 
> the DSA in total and the percentage of increase year by year?

The last figures we had were published by the DFEE in their green 
covered report called Mandatory Awards and the Administrration of 
DSAs. They reported that 1882 technology awards were issued 
in 1993/4. I say this as their own figures gave the total number of 
awards (in all three types) as 4050. Since many students receive bits 
of all three this was not useful to answer your question. I estimate 
that if about 15% of students did not ask for access to technology 
(possibly an exaggeration) then something like 2160 students applied 
for DSAs in that year.

Skill's recent Disability Directory for Awards Officers repeats the 
same data but does point out that number of awards does not equate to 
number of students.
 
Our own survey, done for the HEFCE, in the same year showed that the 
rate of increase was still around 45-50%. It does not feel like this is 
slowing down and so assuming an increase of 50% pa for 94/5, 95/6 and 
96/7 we get 2160x1.5x1.5x1.5 or 4870. I have shown the working so you 
can see how rough an estimate I have made. I imagine that anything 
between 4000 and 5000 applications for DSAs in 1996/7 would be a 
reasonable estimate. But then with my talent I never back the 
geegees.

As regards dyslexia. Our report showed that the period it covered, 
from 1990 to 94 was the hardest to estimate for, as the starting value 
was negligibly small even though the later figures were large. LEAs 
certainly believe that as a proportion of all bids dyslexia accounts 
for anything from 65% to 85% and even 90%. Maybe the higher figures
 can be put down to paranoia, but 60% to 70% seems reasonable.

Given that, and assuming a 4500 total, and 65% we get about 3000 
dyslexia based DSA applications for this year. (and it feels like I 
met half of them).

Clearly, the above depends critically on the accuracy of the year by 
year rise, for which I have no recent data. Our survey data showed 
annual % rises of 112, 103, 41 and 47 for 91/2, 92/3, 93/4 and 94/5. 
I believe the latter figures showed a settling down rather than a 
continued decline, but I could be well wrong.

Dave Laycock MBE

Head of CCPD, Chair of NFAC
Computer Centre for People with Disabilities
University of Westminster
72 Great Portland Street
London W1N 5AL

tel. 0171-911-5161
fax. 0171-911-5162
WWW home page: http://www.wmin.ac.uk/ccpd/


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