So you’ve applied for the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). Congrats! You’re one step closer to getting up to £27,000 worth of support at university, which can make a huge difference to your ability to study and your quality of life, especially if you’re a student with a disability, long-term health condition, mental health condition, or specific learning difference like Dyslexia, ADHD, or Autism. The next key step in the process is your DSA Needs Assessment, which is simply a friendly meeting with an Assessor to chat about the kind of support and equipment that could help you thrive in your studies.
Since Tailo is available through the DSA, and has so many benefits for neurodivergent and disabled students, we wanted to help students understand what a Needs Assessment is, and how to get the best tools and resources in place for your studies. To help take the mystery out of it, we’ve gathered top tips from students who’ve already had their DSA Needs Assessment – so you can go in feeling informed, confident, and ready to get the support you deserve!
Top Tips from Students for your DSA Needs Assessment
‘Keep all of your files in one place’
It’s best to keep all of your files in one place – whether on your PC or physically in a file, as it makes things a lot less stressful when being asked about medical evidence, previous assessments, etc. I’d also advise being proactive about checking if things are going smoothly as they should be, as it’s very easy to be delayed due to miscommunication/lack of communication.
Helena Mok, Student with Autism, ADHD and Chronic Illness
‘Prepare to advocate for yourself’
Most often, assessors are eager to provide you with as much support as possible. However, it is good to prepare to advocate for yourself. The best way to do that is by preparing a list of what you struggle with and might benefit from. I would strongly encourage you to bring up what your ‘friends’ (even if it’s someone you have seen on TikTok) have benefited from. The assessors will not know everything that’s out there.
Deniz Uyanik, Graduate with ADHD
‘Make a list beforehand of things you find challenging in your studies’
My top tip would be to make a list beforehand of things you might find challenging currently when in education/home/anything. For me, I would really struggle to read on screens for big chunks of text like reading chapters of a book. This meant that in my Needs Assessment I was able to explain why I would need a printer. Also, if it is online, make sure you’re connected to the right wifi, haha.
Robyn Bradbury, Autistic Student
Want to learn more about the DSA, or find out if you’re eligible?
If you’re keen to know more about the DSA process, what happens in your DSA Needs Assessment, and the next steps once you have secured your support, then it’s time to join This Student Needs. TSN is our student community where we help disabled students advocate for themselves and get the support they deserve through Disabled Students’ Allowance.
Through This Student Needs we’ve created a DSA Guide that takes you step-by-step through the process of applying for DSA. In our guide we answer any common questions, making the application easier to understand and most importantly, more accessible.
Jump into the This Student Needs’ DSA Guide to find out more.
Written by Mina Moriarty
Content Creator