The DSA process

Step One – Apply for DSA

You will need to complete the application form for DSA, and send it off to your Funding Body (e.g. Student Finance Wales) along with a copy of your medical evidence or diagnostic report. 

Step Two – Book an Appointment

Once your Funding Body has accepted the evidence, they will send you a letter and/or email confirming eligibility for DSA.  As soon as you have this, contact us to arrange a Study Needs Assessment appointment.  We aim to see all students in less than 15 working days, and most students are seen within a week of making the booking.

Before we confirm the appointment with you, we will need a copy of the eligibility letter, along with a copy of the evidence you sent off to apply for DSA.

Step Three – Attend the appointment

During the appointment we take a detailed look at your course, strategies and disability-related barriers to learning.  We will discuss relevant support options, and demonstrate appropriate assistive technology (e.g. software). We will then be able to make specific and tailored recommendations about what the DSA can be used to fund. All of this information is compiled into the Needs Assessment Report (NAR) which will be sent to the funding body in less than 10 working days following the appointment.

Step Four – Your recommended support is agreed

Once the report is sent to the Funding Body (and copied to you), your Funding Body considers the recommendations, and once agreed, they should email or write to you with the contact details of the support providers (e.g. equipment and training providers).

Step Five – Arrange the support

Once you have confirmation that the Funding Body will fund the recommended support, you would need to contact the relevant providers to arrange the support.  If you have agreed in the Study Needs Assessment appointment, we can send the confirmation to the providers on your behalf.

Additional Information

Once you have had your needs assessment we aim to have your report ready for you to read within a fortnight.
Additional support and equipment can be provided later in your course, if a need arises. The Access Centre will need to discuss the additional need with you, and will send a letter to the Funding Body requesting any further items.

The Access Centre works to the following timescales:

What we will do	Timescale
Offer you an appointment for an Assessment of Needs once you have received Funding Body confirmation	..... immediate
Offer you an appointment for an Assessment of Needs that falls within...	...the next 15 working days
After you have had your assessment, we will send you a draft copy of the report to read through (and agree with by completing the accompanying slip)...	...within 10 working days of your assessment appointment
Agree and make any changes to your Assessment report once we have heard back from you...	...within 1 working day
Send the final copy of your Assessment of Needs report to your funding body...	...within 1 working day
Send you a final copy of your Assessment of Needs report...	...within 3 working days

 

FOR INFORMATION: Students are not charged for their assessment, but may be required to make a contribution to the cost of some support recommended.

An inclusive fee is charged to and paid for by your funding body (e.g. Student Finance Wales). 

The fee covers:

• The assessment.

• Follow up work (including adjustments to support) within the duration of the current course.

• Assessment of additional disabilities that may be approved by your funding body within the duration of the current course.

The funding body may elect to vary the scope of fee coverage on a case by case basis. The centre will proceed as directed in such circumstances.

Find a Disabled Students' Allowance assessment centre - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).