Students with dyslexia who were helped (or not) by the Disability Students Allowance

[DyslexiaAction1]

Dyslexia Action is looking to talk to students with dyslexia about their experiences at university.

It is particularly interested in the following students who:

•receive reasonable adjustments, as a result of Disability Student Allowance;

•are concerned about the responsibility of support being given to universities for students who have anything less than complex needs;

•are concerned about an associated lack of consistency in support measures and an absence of accountability measures in some universities;

•would have coped better had they had training and access to study materials via assistive technology;

•Have any other ideas on how to improve the university environment for dyslexic students.

Please respond in confidence to Stephanie Anderson at [e-mail]

[friendlylion]

I should like to respond to this because I am currently undertaking a university course, am dyslexic, receive DSA as a result of being dyslexic plus other things, have confusions about what is expected of who and this has been fed into by others I know who are experincing real difficulties.

Because I am dyslexic - and because I have a couple of deadlines to meet for essays! - I am struggling to order my thoughts as to how to respond.

I will copy this reply to the email address given and see if we can find a way to put some energy into how to look into this matter - phone interview? - at what appears to be a very pertinent time.

[DyslexiaAction1 in reply to friendlylion]

I look forward to hearing from you via email. Many thanks, Stephanie.

[jojo53]

Is this just for the UK? Or is it in the USA too? I hope so because I feel God has me her to do something to help others. I am not good with writing, but I like giving advice.

[DyslexiaAction1 in reply to jojo53]

On this particular matter our interest is contained to what is happening to students in UK universities as we advise and lobby on national policy matters.

[doddch]

After dealings with Disability Students Allowance twice, I have to say they are very poor, I submitted all the forms that they requires as soon as found out that i had got a offer. They sent no confirmations of getting these forms or what else i need to do, I rang them up with 3 week before i was going to start Uin to be told that they had not processed, this had be due to the fact they where unable to located the Psychologist who done my report, I told Disability Students Allowance that the Psychologist had lost there number they said tough, so i start uin with out any support. I went to talk to university student support and they where very helpful after put on a peace a paper a summry that the Psychologist had lost his number but the dates that they had done the reports had been done, Disability Students Allowance finally processed the form, however the funding did to come till second semester, meaning that the uin did not have to put anything in place but again the student support again step up and made sure that staff where aware of my Dyslexia, lucky i had no exams till the end of the year as other wise i would not been give any receive reasonable adjustments. when the funding came i found that it was very good. With the second time dealing with Disability Students Allowance I did not know that I had to go thought the same process when move on to a top up for my course even thought this had been include in program of study by the uin so i had to go thought the process again.

one thing that i would really thing would help is to make students aware of Disability Students Allowance as i did not know about it till I apply for uin, also may be have someone that can help with the process as it can get very compacted and is not very easy to understand