So Alex, you
think a Educational Psychologist top up can be funded from a Disabled Student
Allowance that has been refused??? Interesting,
isn’t that what someone once called Catch-22?
Dr John S Conway FGS FRGS MNADO FHEA
Disability Officer / Principal Lecturer in Soil Science / Chair, Research
Committee
01285 652531 ext 2234 fax 01285 650219
http://www.rac.ac.uk/index.php?_id=590
email [log in to unmask]
From:
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2007 10:15
AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Postgraduate DSA
Funding
On 27/4/07 09:32, "
How would one react to an LA that granted a undergrad DSA. But then
refused the same student a postgrad DSA. On the grounds that the evidence
required had changed [i.e. from a simple assessment to the post 16 EP. Report],
and the evidence present at the undergrad stage was no longer valid??
I would say get on
with it John! The student should respect that if the regulations change, and of
course students and DOs have every opportunity to be part of commenting on how
the regulations evolve and develop, then it is their duty and responsibility to
find the time and the funds to provide up to date information and evidence.
Then, of course, the student should have a new or top up study needs assessment
(450 pounds from their own DSA, but with little choice of who their assessor
will be and little or no knowledge of their assessor’s qualifications or
background or probably even sex).
When all of this is done the course is likely to be over and so this proves
that they didn’t need the equipment in the first place! Of course their
grades may have suffered, but are we measuring that and does it matter?
I think it matters. I think you should mention this to Boris.
I think David Austen’s most recent message should also be sent to Boris.
Best wishes,
Alex
Alex Larg
[log in to unmask]
07931 561 877 or 07916 175 077
Freelance Assistive Technology Trainer
Freelance study needs assessor
Former Disability Officer
Dr John S
Conway FGS FRGS MNADO FHEA
Disability Officer / Principal Lecturer in Soil Science / Chair, Research
Committee
Royal
Agricultural College, Cirencester, Glos GL7 6JS
01285 652531 ext 2234 fax 01285 650219
http://www.rac.ac.uk/indexphp?_id=590
<http://www.rac.ac.uk/index.php?_id=590>
email [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
From:
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2007 2:45
AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Postgraduate DSA
Funding
Hi, regarding
LA-funded Postgrads, according to current (and previous) DfES guidance:
quote:
Once an LA has established that a student is an eligible student
under the regulations (i.e. eligible to receive support for fees and loans) the
student becomes eligible at that stage to receive DSA support. An assessment of
course needs should be arranged as soon as possible after it is established
that the student is eligible for support and the LA is satisfied that they have
a disability, specific learning difficulty or a mental health problem. This
arrangement should mean that appointments for assessments are spread over the
early summer, and will help to reduce the backlog of appointments in September/October
time...
see
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/studentsupport/administrators/doc/DSA
Guidance.doc <http://www.dfes.gov.uk/studentsupport/administrators/doc/DSA%20Guidance.doc>
an html version
of this document is available at
http://www.asasa.org.uk/assessment/LA-DSA-2007.htm
LAs are given
specific advice about early DSA assessments by the DfES in this document:
The cost of the early DSA assessment should be met from the DSA.
... In the case of students not going on to attend a course, they should not be
asked to repay the fee for the needs assessment. In many cases, they will
reapply for higher education courses the following year and in such cases, the
needs assessment already completed for them should be sufficient to process
their new DSA application. The Department is prepared to write off the
assessment costs for those students who do not enter higher education.
And about
students going on to postgraduate studies:
Students who have just graduated and are proceeding directly to
postgraduate study should be able to use their current DSA assessment as a
basis for their support. This means that for non-medical helpers, for example,
the students can continue to receive support without the necessity of a new
assessment. If the student wishes to undergo a new assessment, whether because
the disability is now different or the needs of the course are substantially
different, that can be paid for from the DSA. If the student seeks new
equipment, the LA will need to take into account any equipment the student
received as an undergraduate, having regard to how recently the equipment was
bought and how appropriate it now is for the software necessary to support the
student’s disability. The Department’s view is that the LA could
replace equipment provided in the first year of an undergraduate course, but
would need to look carefully at requests for new equipment if it had been
provided in the final year of an undergraduate course.
Students who
might be eligible for research council funding should start the application
process asap. Research Councils tend to take a sensible approach by adopting
the undergraduate DSA funding structure as opposed to the current postgrad
single allowance provided by central government, which really needs to be
sorted out as it makes no sense that a student who might need up to 20k or more
worth of assistance as an undergraduate only needs around a quarter of this as
a postgraduate.
What is the
'protocol system', by the way? It doesn't seem to be mentioned in the guidance
provided by the DfES.
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