A student’s guide
Disabled Student’s Allowance: Assessment
and application process
Introduction
This is a student’s guide to making an application for
Disabled Student’s Allowance (DSA) and the University of
Stirling’s in-house assessment process.
Please discuss this guide with either your Disability or
Dyslexia Adviser if you are unsure of any of its contents.
If you want to get another student’s perspective or support
through the DSA assessment and application process, you
may wish to get in touch with the Disabled Students Group
or the Disabled Students Officer both contactable through
SUSA: by telephone on 01786 467166 or 467180, by email at
susa@stir.ac.uk or through their website at
www.susaonline.org.uk.
What is Disabled Students Allowance?
The Disabled Students Allowance or DSA as it is commonly
referred to, is additional funding through your funding body,
which may be available to you to help pay for additional
support or equipment to enable you to fully access your
studies.
Students with a very wide range of impairments or
disabilities including medical conditions, mental health
difficulties and specific learning difficulties such as Dyslexia
have made successful applications for DSA in previous years.
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DSA assessment and application process
The DSA assessment and application process can be divided
into six different stages as detailed in the next sections.
Because there are a number of stages to the assessment and
application process, it does take some time - typically
between 8 and 10 weeks, but sometimes longer in individual
cases.
Stage One
You will initially meet with either the Disability Adviser or
the Dyslexia Adviser who are both based Student
Development and Support Services, 4Y Cottrell Building.
At this initial meeting you will be able to discuss your
learning requirements with your adviser, and carry out an
initial assessment of any study related needs, which may be
supported through the Disabled Students Allowance.
The adviser will verbally explain the DSA assessment and
application process to inform you of the University systems
as well as giving you this guide for supplementary reading.
The Disability or Dyslexia Adviser will record the discussions
that take place during this initial meeting in a document
called the Agreed Learning Needs Adjustments or an ALNA.
Please Note: You will be required to submit a copy of
suitable supporting medical or psychological evidence (for
example; a GPs letter/Audiologists report or Dyslexia
Assessment etc.). If you do not have this documentation
please discuss this with your Disability or Dyslexia Adviser.
Stage Two
Unless you are making a repeat DSA application, you will be
referred to meet an Assessment of Needs Adviser, based in
the library, to discuss any assistive technology requirements
you may have, which can be supported by DSA.
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You will be given a referral letter and advised on an
appointment time with the Assessment of Needs Adviser.
Stage Three
You and the Assessment of Needs Adviser will carry out an
assessment of what assistive technologies there are
available to support you.
This is your opportunity to explore various kinds of IT
equipment and software and discuss the pros and cons of
each before making a decision on your preferred options.
Your input and contribution in this process is valuable,
therefore you may wish to research and explore what is
available in the open market. You may choose to talk to
other people who have been through this process already
such as the Disabled Students Group and see what
equipment works well for them.
Remember that the equipment you are given now, needs to
last for the duration of your studies and possibly future
studies, therefore your DSA needs to be able to last.
Stage Four
The Assessment of Needs Adviser will then source a
quotation from the University suppliers, e.g. Sight and
Sound, for the equipment and software that you have
identified in Stage three.
The Assessment of Needs Adviser will add to your ALNA, a
report of your discussion and the recommendations made to
meet your assistive technology needs as well as the
quotation from the University suppliers.
The ALNA and the quotation will form the basis of the
funding you apply for through DSA.
The Assessment of Needs Advisers will forward your ALNA
and quotation to the Disability or Dyslexia Advisers in
Student Development and Support Services
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Stage Five
Once the Disability Adviser or the Dyslexia Adviser receive
your ALNA and quotation from the Assessment of Needs
Advisers they will contact you to arrange another meeting,
usually by email, and usually within one week.
The purpose of this meeting is to agree the contents of your
ALNA as well as completing and signing your DSA application
form. This is a further opportunity to discuss where there
may still be gaps in your support provision, and identify
ways to overcome these gaps.
Following this meeting, a copy of your completed DSA
application and supporting documents will be held in your
confidential file in Student Development and Support
Services. The original will be sent to your funding body.
Stage Six
You will receive written confirmation of the outcome of your
DSA application from your funding body, usually within 3-4
weeks. Your award letter will advise you of any payments
you will receive. If you do not hear from SAAS within this
time you should contact them on 0845 111 0244 to find out
the progress of your application.
Once you receive your award, you have two choices:
1. You can source, order and pay for the equipment
yourself.
2. Go back to the Assessment of Needs Adviser and they
will order your equipment for you as recommended in
your ALNA.
If you choose to source, order and pay for the equipment
yourself, you need to be aware of the following information:
 SAAS requires you to identify equipment and software
to the same specification of that, which has been
recommended to you in your ALNA report.
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 You are responsible for keeping receipts and
forwarding these to SAAS for proof of purchase. Any
money you do not spend on equipment you will need to
repay SAAS.
 The University has a responsibility to inform SAAS that
you have decided to source your own equipment.
 The University cannot be responsible for the
maintenance and repair of equipment that you have
sourced yourself. Therefore you need to remember to
get additional maintenance cover. This means that
should anything go wrong with your computing
equipment, and repair work is needed you will be able
to get help. [SAAS will pay for maintenance cover, but
will not pay the costs of repairing equipment, therefore
this is vitally important to arrange this maintenance
cover fro the outset.]
 Remember to arrange ‘home contents insurance’ to
cover the cost of your equipment against accidental
damage, loss or theft. SAAS will pay the additional
insurance premium costs but will not pay to replace a
damaged, lost or stolen piece of equipment.
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Feedback Form
Your feedback is invaluable and enables us to refine our
activities and services, thus improving standards for staff
and students across the University.
1.
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6.
Do you have any comments about any aspect of the services provided
to disabled students at the University of Stirling through either
Student Development and Support Services or Information Services?
7.
Are there elements of our current practices that you find particularly
good or bad?
Thank you for taking the time to complete this form.
Please return it anonymously to: Information and Advice,
Student Development and Support Services, 4Y4 Cottrell
Building, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA.
Alternatively you can email your feedback to
student.advice@stir.ac.uk although this will no longer be
anonymous.
If you would like a response to your comments or wish to
discuss them further with us, please provide us with your
contact.
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