I have noticed a slowly growing trend that students seem to expect DSA
funded provision to provide for ALL their costs, for their preferences
rather than their needs, and even what amounts to private tuition
rather than skills development.
Just hope that it doesn't endanger the DSA funds in the present climate.
Regards
John
On 16 May 2012, at 22:31, "Peter Hill" <
[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> Hi
>
> I am broadly in agreement with Mike on this issue.
>
> Points worth considering:
>
> If Needs Assessors were free to recommend course-related software,
costs
> could rise significantly. As an assessor, I have occasionally
encountered
> music tech students who anticipated that DSA was going to fund what
> amounted to a complete home studio. Students on computing courses
could
> request provision of different software packages for almost every
module.
> The point is that It is not the purpose of DSA funding to enable
students
> to study independent of the institution. Given the current
financial
> climate and potential pressures on the DSA system, a modicum of
restraint
> seems appropriate.
>
> Nevertheless, there are occasions when it is indeed possible to
justify
> recommendations for course-specific software. Those occasions are
likely
> to be quite rare and, as Mike suggests, institutions should take
some
> responsibility where software licensing allows. They should also
ensure
> that on-campus facilities are sufficient to support the number of
students
> on course.
>
> Regards
>
> Peter Hill
>
> Needs Assessor
> ------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>>
>> I've recommended it successfully a couple of times, with
justifications
>> drawing heaviliy on what was said about the student in the SpLD
>> assessment.
>>
>> The problem is that the course software (on creative courses)
is usually
>> too expensive for the student to afford. But if the student
doesn't get
>> the course software to go with their mac, they can end up with
a £900
>> macbook which is only used to do word processing.
>>
>> As for who ought to pay for it - the institution or DSA - I
suppose if the
>> institution has got a software licence to enable all students
on a
>> particular course to use a particular piece of software, you
could argue
>> that extending the licence to cover students who are unable to
use the
>> designated Uni machines should be an institutional
responsibility. Bit of
>> a grey area probably..
>>
>>
>> Best Wishes
>>
>> Mike Parry
>> DSA Assessor
>>
>>
>> Date: Wed, 16 May 2012 17:05:43 +0100
>> From:
[log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: Software- course specific
>> To:
[log in to unmask]
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Any recommendation for support should be backed up by
>> independent evidence. You mention the back problem and for
that the
>> Assessor would need to see medical evidence confirming about
nature of the
>> condition. Same should apply in regard to course software,
there should
>> be evidence to back up the students assertion that, in this
case, it
>> takes her longer to learn a process due to her dyslexia. That
said,
>> as far as I'm aware the BIS guidance on this is that DSA
should not be
>> used to provide students with additional course specific
support, that is
>> the
>> responsibility of the institution.
>>
>>
>>
>> Bryan
>> Jones
>>
>> North
>> London Regional Access Centre
>>
>> Middlesex
>> University
>>
>> Tel:
>> 020 8411 5366
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> From: Discussion list for disabled students and
>> their support staff. [mailto:
[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Kevin
>> Brunton
>>
>> Sent: 16 May 2012 16:21
>>
>> To:
[log in to unmask]
>>
>> Subject: Re: Software- course specific
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Hi
>>
>>
>>
>> Support from a module tutor can be helpful e.g. a supporting
letter in
>> cases
>> where the student is taking longer than their peers to learn
how to use
>> the
>> software.
>>
>>
>>
>> Kind regards
>>
>>
>>
>> Kevin Brunton
>>
>> Freelance Needs Assessor
>>
>>
>>
>> On 16 May 2012 16:16, Lesley Morrice <
[log in to unmask]>
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> One could also argue that the institution should make
>> more resources available. SFE are not keen to have a blanket
approach to
>> funding subject specific software for all students and as
ever, these
>> recommendations should be done on the basis of need. Some
dyslexic
>> students on creative courses for example are particularly
adept at using
>> the
>> subject specific software.
>>
>>
>>
>> It does sound as though there is a reasonable case
>> regarding the student concerned though.
>>
>>
>>
>> Lesley
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Lesley
>> Morrice
>>
>> ACCESS
>> Centre Manager
>>
>> Student
>> Services Centre
>>
>> Portland
>> Building
>>
>> University
>> Park
>>
>> Nottingham
>>
>> NG7
>> 2RD
>>
>>
>>
>> Tel:0115
>> 8466114
>>
>> Fax:0115
>> 9514376
>>
>>
>>
>> My
>> hours of work are:
>>
>> Mon -
>> Thurs 8.a.m. till 5.00 p.m
>>
>> Fri
>> 7.45 a.m. till 12 noon
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> From: Discussion list for disabled students and
>> their support staff. [mailto:
[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Penny
>> Georgiou
>>
>> Sent: 16 May 2012 16:09
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> To:
[log in to unmask]
>>
>> Subject: Re: Software- course specific
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Dear Jason,
>>
>>
>>
>> Your message came to my
>> personal email rather than to the list, so here it is
forwarded to Dis
>> Forum.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> From: Assistek Trainer [mailto:
[log in to unmask]]
>>
>>
>> Sent: 15 May 2012 16:28
>>
>> To: 'Penny Georgiou'
>>
>> Subject: RE: Software- course specific
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Hi Paul
>>
>>
>>
>> As an Assistive Technology
>> trainer I often come across students in this situation and it
seems to me
>> that
>> the decision to provide course specific software seems very
random
>> (especially
>> on creative courses) - some assessors will fund it, others
won't and I for
>> one
>> find this a very unfair approach. The majority of students I
see are
>> Dyslexic/Dyspraxic and all have issues with STM, Slow
Processing , etc...
>> As
>> computer labs at college/university have limited resources in
terms of the
>> number of machines available and often time limits (labs close
at 5pm)
>> apply it
>> seems appropriate that such students should receive funding
for the
>> relevant
>> creative software.
>>
>>
>>
>> I would recommend your student
>> pushes this issue - can she check if there are any other
students on her
>> course
>> who have similar issues but have been awarded funding for the
software?
>> This
>> could perhaps persuade her assessor to re-assess?
>>
>>
>>
>> Best Regards
>>
>> Jason Spiller
>>
>> Assistive Technology Trainer
>>
>> Dip HE BSc TextHelp Certified
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> From: Discussion list for disabled students and
>> their support staff. [mailto:
[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Penny
>> Georgiou
>>
>> Sent: 15 May 2012 15:37
>>
>> To:
[log in to unmask]
>>
>> Subject: Re: Software- course specific
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Dear Paul,
>>
>>
>>
>> Please see annotations below:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> From: Discussion list for disabled students and
>> their support staff. [mailto:
[log in to unmask]]
>> On Behalf Of Paul Smyth
>>
>> Sent: 15 May 2012 13:08
>>
>> To:
[log in to unmask]
>>
>> Subject: Software- course specific
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Hello
>>
>>
>>
>> I have a student who is really struggling on her FND degree
>> in Graphic Communication. She has Dyslexia and Scotopic
Sensitivity and is
>> very
>> slow to grasp information.
>>
>>
>>
>> She has received a Laptop (Mac) plus other enabling pieces
>> of software but not any course related software as this was not
>> recommended in
>> the Access Centre report. The student says that she does not
have the time
>> in
>> college to learn how to use the software e.g. Photoshop,
because it takes
>> her a
>> lot longer to learn than the others, but if she had the
software at home,
>> she
>> could improve her skills.
>>
>>
>>
>> -
>> This is an argument for coursebased software.
>>
>>
>>
>> Oh, I nearly forgot, she also has a back problem, but I
>> suppose this does not really come into the equation, though it
could be
>> argued
>> that she needs to rest and that the tiredness that comes with
it also
>> affects
>> her ability to learn how ti use the software when in college?
>>
>>
>>
>> -
>> She needs to get a letter from her doctor confirming this,
send it to
>> SFE with a view to having her ergonomic needs assessment.
Sound ergonomics
>> are
>> a key part of effective working.
>>
>>
>>
>> What do you think the chances of the assessor recommending
>> the additional software based on what I have said? Should she
pursue it?
>>
>>
>>
>> -
>> Assessor opinions are difficult to predict but the details you
give
>> her indicate a sound prima facia case.
>>
>>
>>
>> My worry is, she is nearing the end of her first year and
>> that it is too late for her to learn how to use the software
>> effectively/quickly as she has quite a few assignments to
submit. She may
>> end
>> up repeating the year.....in which case the software would be
great!
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks, Paul
>>
>> Disability Officer, Richmond upon Thames College (FE)
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Scanned by iCritical.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>
>
> --------------------------
> Peter Hill
>
> Tel: 01299 896920
>
>
[log in to unmask]