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Dear colleagues... Although I have no sound advice to contribute save to say that one of the universities we are in contact with has added a further 13K to the NMH Allowance for a student who exhausted the 11K available...making a total pot of 24 / 25 K... There is a further consideration here to throw into the pot... As those providing a mechanism for employing support workers atart to follow employment legislation (often an act instigated by DAs in Student Services within a University) and factor in true costs of support the funding available via the DSA (NI, Tax, payroll etc) for students such as you mention the net result is that fewer and fewer support hours are available for any given amount. I remember the days of taking someone on a self employed basis and paying the bare minimum...which after a bit of interest by Personnel was judged not to be self employment, rather these people were employees with all the rights this status confers and then Personnel got very very nervous... ...I realise that in this instance there is a proposition to make use of support workers who are either CSVs and so covered by CSV rules / regulations / protection and BSL interpreters who are likely to qualify for the self employment badge but there are also notetakers and other individuals who will be needed to complete the support package... I do not have an answer but hope that someone fron the DfES is listening in to take on board the message that there are some students for whom the maximum allowance available still falls very far short of the amount needed and that as Disability Advisers have been forced to take whatever steps they have found necessary in the past to maximise the support availble to a student corners have been cut and support has been set up which, given current employment legislation is perhaps at best somewhat dodgy...at least that may be the appraisal of a personnel / HR person... My message is - being legal costs money...this is something the DfES needs to take on board...because so long as there are such tight restrictions upon the funding available DAs will be forced to explore alternative means of securing the support a student needs...this is dangerous for the DA, the student and the support worker...the University and of course The DfES... 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 This e-mail contains proprietary information some or all of which may be legally privileged. It is for the intended recipient only. If an addressing or transmission error has misdirected this e-mail, please notify the author by replying to this e-mail. If you are not the intended recipient you must not use, disclose, distribute, copy, print, or rely on this e-mail. -----Original Message----- From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support staff. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Pauline McInnes Sent: Friday 13 August 2004 12:34 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [DIS-FORUM] Any advice please? (fwd) Hi Terry, You've probably thought of this already, but have you applied for the Snowdon fund, which could get the student at least an extra 2000 pounds and don't forget the Access to Learning fund should be able to provide at least another 3500, I know that probably still won't be enough but I would use all those avenues first. We have just had some success in getting one of our faculties to pay for some software for a VI student, but the cost wasn't more than about £1000 all up including training. Regards Pauline. -----Original Message----- From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support staff. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Theresa Stone Sent: 11 August 2004 12:56 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Any advice please? (fwd) ---------- Forwarded Message ---------- Date: 11 August 2004 12:47 +0100 From: Theresa Stone <[log in to unmask]> To: Brenda Giddey--STU SERVICE <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Any advice please? Dear All, I wonder if anyone can advise. We have a deaf student joining Sussex this Autumn. The student's first language is BSL and he has requested Interpreter Support for all lectures. We will also be arranging note taker support for lectures and seminars and are expecting to have an Access Centre recommendation to include Learning Support. CSWs will be required for group work, library work, meetings with tutors (including seminars, although it is likely that the Interpreter who covered a given lecture would need to cover the corresponding seminar). The support costs are, as anticipated, in excess of the DSA. We need to be able to make a case for consideration of the costs by the University and it would be extremely helpful to know whether similar costs have been covered by other institutions, including the extent e.g. any maximums. Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated. Kind regards Terry Theresa Stone, Disability Co-ordinator Student Services, University of Sussex Tel: 01273 877465 email: [log in to unmask] ---------- End Forwarded Message ---------- Theresa Stone, Disability Co-ordinator Student Services, University of Sussex Tel: 01273 877465 email: [log in to unmask]