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The DfES advises students "If you need a test to establish your eligibility for DSAs, but cannot afford the fee, you can apply to your university or college for help in meeting the costs through the Access to Learning Fund. " Students don't expect to have entered a lottery when applying for funding to cover diagnostic tests. Smaller, specialist (arts) colleges may attract a higher proportion of potentially dyslexic students but receive a much smaller ALF. Larger institutions with certain demographics may find they are asked to allocate a large proportion of the ALF to cover dyslexia testing, reducing available funding for students with other problems. If the ALF is considered the best source of funding for diagnostic testing, I think the DfES needs to consider some way of adjusting allocation of the ALF to HEIs to take this into account. Maybe additional funding for diagnostic testing could be provided to HEIs (on top of the basic ALF) on a 'case by case basis', assuming the HEI is acting responsibly when screening students for referral? Maybe increased funding could be allocated based on the number of referrals in the previous year? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Curtis, Cindy" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Monday, October 11, 2004 12:36 PM Subject: Re: Dyslexia Assessments ..... At Falmouth we are supporting 400 dyslexic students in a student population of 2,000 - consequently we cannot fund many assessments - and can only provide for those who would qualify for ALF anyway. Cindy Curtis Disability Service Manager Falmouth College of Arts