In a needs assessment, you meet with an assessor for an informal chat to discuss your disability and how it impacts your studies. You will simply be asked how you study and what additional support you might need to achieve the best results. This is where you can ask for assistive technology like the Present Pal app to help you with presentations, or a laptop to help with your studies.

If you’re unsure of the support that is available to you, visit Stage 1 of the guide and scroll down to ‘support available on the DSA’. Your needs assessor will also suggest support that can help you based on your disability or disabilities. It’s important to remember that your Needs Assessment is not a test.

The cost of this appointment is covered by the DSA and if you need help with travel costs, ask your Funding Body whether they can help as this can be paid from the General Allowance of the DSA.

Remember - You should only book a DSA Needs assessment once your funding body has told you to in your DSA-1 letter.

There are assessment centres across the UK that offer needs assessment services. You will need to choose one and make an appointment. You can choose to do this in person, online, or even over the phone. Most students can find an assessment centre that is either near home or their university – it’s your choice where you go.

If you require any additional support accessing your assessment centre before your needs assessment, you can enquire about this in person or over the phone. Remember, you do not have to attend the assessment alone. You can bring a carer or guardian to help you feel more at ease.

Check out our resources below for more info about assessment centres and where to find them.

During the needs assessment, you will have the opportunity to meet with a needs assessor to talk about your past experiences and any strategies you have developed to support your disability. Your assessor will consider any assistive technology or ergonomic equipment you may need, together with support strategies including study skills tuition, and counselling.

It’s a fully confidential meeting and generally lasts around 1-2 hours.

You can prepare for your assessment by looking at the coursework involved in your studies. That way, you can anticipate what type of support you might need. For example, presentations are a part of most courses and you can get support with this by asking for the Present Pal App.

Read out Top tips below for some initial prompts you can ask yourself, to help you make some notes to bring with you to your assessment.

After your assessment, you will receive a report detailing your needs and the assessment centre’s recommendations. Once this has been approved by your relevant funding body you will then receive a DSA-2 letter where you can start arranging your support. Find out how to get your support in Stage 4.

Prepare yourself. Ask yourself some questions in advance.

Think about what support you might need, write up some questions or even look up some solutions you think might help you. Some questions you might consider asking yourself prior to the assessment:

• What kind of support did you receive at school?

• Is there something you’ve struggled with in the past but never had addressed?

• How is your course going to be assessed?

• Have you spoken to your university disability adviser about the potential support already available?

• Do you know anyone who has been to university and can tell you how it differs from school/college?

• How does your disability impact your day to day life?

• If your coursework involves a lot of reading, do you feel this would be a struggle and in what way?

• Are there social aspects to your course you may have difficulty with, such as group work or presentations? If so, which elements do you find most difficult to navigate? For example, presentations are a part of most courses and you can get support with this by asking for the Present Pal App.

• If you have a physical disability, is there any specialist equipment or hardware that could help make studying easier and more accessible? Do you need help with travel to and from your course?

• What is the easiest way for you to process information? E.g. visual, auditory, reading and writing etc.

• You can request extra time in exams for a variety of disabilities. Are there any otheraccommodations that would help during exams?

  You can always contact your funding body or disability services for further advice.