Using Your Support

Once you have attended your Study Needs Assessment, you will receive your DSA-2 entitlement letter within around 10 working days of the funding body receiving your Study Needs Assessment report. Take the time to read every page of your DSA-2 entitlement letter.

  • Your DSA-2 letter will tell you:

    • What support and/or equipment you are entitled to from DSA, such as the Present Pal app or Tailo

    • Who the suppliers of the support and/or equipment are

    • How to access this support and/or equipment.

    Your DSA-2 entitlement letter will be split into different sections. You may see all of these sections, or only a few. This is dependent on what type of support you are entitled to. these sections cover;

    • Specialist equipment allowance.

    • Non-medical helper allowance.

    • General allowance.

    • Travel allowance.

  • Your DSA-2 letter will detail all the support you are entitled to, for each item you will be able to see;

    • The item details.

    • Who the supplier is.

    • The supplier’s contact details.

    • Your quote number.

    • The amount that you will pay the supplier. This may be £200 if you are contributing towards the cost of a laptop.

    • The amount that the funding body will pay the supplier.

Arranging Your Support

Your DSA-2 letter will detail all the support you are entitled to, and how to arrange your support with your supplier.  You will work directly with your supplier to arrange the delivery of your equipment and support. 

  • Your supplier will contact you to arrange delivery of your specialist equipment. If you have any queries you can contact your supplier directly. The contact details will be listed on your DSA2 letter.

  • Your supplier will contact you to arrange delivery of your specialist equipment. If you have any queries you can contact your supplier directly. The contact details will be listed on your DSA2 letter.

  • To arrange your non-medical help, e.g. a study skills mentor or tutor, use the contact details for your non-medical helper, which will be listed on your DSA-2 letter.

    You’ll also be able to see the number of hours that has been agreed for your non-medical helper support.

  • Your general allowance helps with the day to day costs of studying such as printing or photocopying costs, and ink cartridges.

    Your DSA-2 letter will let you know how these costs will be funded, depending on your funding body. Normally, you’ll pay the costs up front, then complete and return a Claim for Reimbursement form with receipts.

  • Travel support in the form of taxis, or car fuel, is available for students who cannot use public transport. Travel support applies to any studying-related travel, including university classes and work placements.

    To claim your travel allowance contact your university for more details.

Example DSA-2 Letter

Need help making sense of your DSA-2 Letter? The video below will walk you through it step-by-step.

  • Your DSA-2 letter will be split into sections, some of which may be on your letter, dependent on your entitlement;

    • Specialist Equipment
    • Specialist Ergonomic Equipment
    • Non-Medical Help
    • General Support
    • Travel Cost Support

  • It is likely that your assessor will have included training in the equipment recommended in your report. You have the option of selecting either on-line or face to face training, depending on your requirements.

    You should receive the full support of your supplier throughout this process and if further support is required it is important to contact your needs assessor.

FAQs

  • If you feel like you need additional support, you should contact your needs assessor or disability services at your university or college. They’ll be able to assist you in arranging any extra support you may need.

  • To upgrade your equipment you can call your supplier with your quote number (found in your DSA-2 letter) and let them know what equipment you’d like to be upgraded.

  • If you’re experiencing problems with your equipment, contact the supplier and they will be able to help rectify any issue. These contact details can be found on your DSA-2 letter.

  • If you require more training for your equipment, contact both your needs assessor and your supplier who will arrange additional training. The details for your supplier can be found on your DSA-2 letter.

〈 3. The Needs Assessment