I do not think DSA assessment reports have the same status as school statements.  My understanding is that DSA Assessors are expected to explore all the students’ potential requirements related to their disabilities. They often make recommendations that are not taken up because they are not actually needed.  The fact that LEAs can decide not to fund everything recommended in the DSA assessment report implies that these recommendations are not legally binding.  I also agree with Andy there is no requirement for HEIs to provide all support services in-house.

 

Clare Davies

UCN  

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support staff. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of A Velarde
Sent: 19 August 2005 14:49
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: DNAs

 

Hello Margo. I can see what you mean. My interpretation is that the assessments reports are not but informed interpretations  of what may require a particular student. A university may not be able to provide a particular service, for example IT training. The student may therefore want to find out an alternative service provider. Assessment centres are kind enough to point them out in the right  direction for IT. This may also apply to other services (i.e. study skills tuition). So if a student is not turning up, I sincerely think that Universities could rightly talk to that student and ask him/her to find out an alternative service provider. Particularly, when other students may be waiting for being served. This will also apply to a student who is not happy with his/her professional note taking and for example request 'extra' services from his/her support worker. The university may not feel obliged to maintain a contractual agreement to with the abuser, provided that the alleged  abuse is factual. Hope this helps, Andy (UKent)

----- Original Message -----

From: [log in to unmask]">Margo Blythman

To: [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]

Sent: Friday, August 19, 2005 2:33 PM

Subject: Re: DNAs

 

Hi Andy

We have had a couple of difficult cases recently, one legal, one to the university exceptional scrutiny panel, which hinged on students not been given all of what their needs assessment said they  were entitled to.  My understanding was that, once a university was given a needs assessment, under the DDA they had to provide the recommended support.

Obviously this presents us with a lot of logistical problems at times.  Perhaps I'm writing more into the Act than is actually there.  I would love to hear othr people's interpretation.

Margo

A Velarde wrote:

 Hello Margo. In my view, we are entitled to put the students at the back of the waiting list. As I understand other Universities face the similar constrains: there is excessive demand on the services, lack of suitable  1:1 tuition space. It therefore may be unfair if we cannot suspend the support of those that do not turn up.  At Kent we have 150 dyslexic students who receive tuition but other 300 in a waiting list. Andy

----- Original Message -----

From: [log in to unmask]">Margo Blythman

To: [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]

Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 3:27 PM

Subject: Re: DNAs

 Hi Everyone

Is this affected in any way by institutional obligations under the DDA?

We used to threaten (although seldom implement) a 'three strikes and you're out policy' i.e. three missed appointments without good reason and you came off the caseload and went to the bottom of the list.  Our view is that we can't do this any longer since we now cannot under any circumstances refuse support to a student who is eligible.

Any advice/views?

Margo

Liz Thompson wrote:

Below is a copy of the advice from John Joseph to a similar question- in practice, the maximum number of sessions missed without notice which LEAs will pay for seems to be 3.

Students should be advised on referral to a tutor that they risk having to pay for missed sessions if they do so without sufficient notice / good reason.

Regards 

Liz

 

 


From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 05 January 2005 16:13
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: RE: Funding for missed tutorials/support DSA

LizPlease see the attached which is a copy of advice provided by a colleague and should answer your question.John

Payment arrangements for cancelled non-medical helper support sessions

A colleague in DfES drafted some guidance on this subject a while ago which was circulated in draft format to representatives of the various DSA interest groups but never issued. It was clear from feedback received that it would be impossible to provide comprehensive guidance to cover the varied and complex issues.It was decided that cases should be considered on an individual basis rather issuing standard guidance which might be applied inappropriately.

There will be occasions where students fail to attend sessions with non-medical helpers (NMHs) at short notice for reasons such as illness.In such circumstances we feel that the NMHs fee may still be paid from the DSA.NMHs may otherwise lose income for that day and incur travel costs.They may also have turned down other work on the cancelled date which they were not able to accept at the time of the offer because of the prior commitment but which was no longer available when the student cancelled the session.

The statutory instruments provide that DSAs are grants equal to the additional amount that LEAs are satisfied the disabled student is obliged to incur.Therefore, when students continually fail to attend NMH sessions without good reason a point must come when the LEA can no longer agree to pay for NMH provision that is not being used.Similarly, where students give notice part way through the year that they no longer need or want NMH support, we do not believe that LEAs should continue to pay for NMH provision that is not being taken up.

Yours sincerely,

John Joseph


 
 


From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support staff. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Wakeham, Mark
Sent: 18 August 2005 11:44
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: DNAs

Hello

Can anyone tell me how they deal with payments for students who fail to attend appointments with their Dyslexia Tutors? We have been informed by an LEA that students' DSA will not cover the cost of this and so it must be retrieved from the student. 

I am concerned about this because I do not want to deter students from meeting with their tutors, because there maybe a possibility of them incurring a cost. At the same time I do not want to loose the valuable support that we get from our Dyslexia tutors, because of loss of payments from unreliable students. 

Our Department has limited funds and cannot afford to keep covering this cost and I am aware that, for a lot of Dyslexic students, short-term memory deficit is an issue that may result in them missing the odd appointment. I do not want them to be disadvantaged because of this, so is there any advice out there that can help us with our dilemma?

Thanks

Mark Wakeham

Dyslexia Support Tutor (UWIC)