DSA stands for ‘Disabled Students Allowance’ and is the support you will receive if you have applied for funded assistance through DSA.

Send an electronic copy of your form to Student Records at slcquery@qub.ac.uk  or speak with the staff at the Information Desk, Level 1, One Elmwood Student Centre.

Contact the Student Help Line at reghelp@qub.ac.uk  

Regularly check your email account for messages from the Education Authority (EA) / Student Finance (SFNI) about your DSA application and open them as soon as possible. Messages from the EA (the body that administers the DSA award) are sent using Barracuda encryption and for data protection purposes, disappear from your account after 30 days if unopened. If you think you have missed a message from the EA, contact the EA directly and it will be resent to you.

When you access a message for the first time, you will be prompted to create login details. Keep a note of these as they will be needed to access other communications from the EA.

As students tend to access their Queen’s student email accounts more than their personal ones, you can update your SFNI DSA login details so that messages from the EA about your DSA award are sent to your Queen’s email address instead.

To do this, either contact your DSA Officer at the EA directly or log in to your online account at www.studentfinanceni.co.uk and edit your contact details.

Check your needs assessment approval letter (known as a DSA1) or find your local Student Finance NI office using your post code at: www.studentfinanceni.co.uk/find-your-local-office/

DSA Officer details may also be found in the ‘Bridging the Gap’ DSA guidance at: www.studentfinanceni.co.uk/media/1713/sfni_dsa_guide_2425_o.pdf

You will be contacted directly by the Needs Assessment Centre at Queen’s (nac@qub.ac.uk).

When you receive confirmation of your eligibility for a needs assessment from the EA (referred to as a DSA1 letter), the Needs Assessment Centre will send you a Welcome email and a Pre-Assessment Questionnaire from a system called Cudos (so look out for this name / double-check your Junk folder in case the email is sent there in error) and complete the questionnaire as soon as possible.

Only when you have completed the Pre-Assessment Questionnaire will the Needs Assessment Centre be able to offer you an appointment.

One questionnaire is in preparation for your appointment with your Disability Officer to register with the Service and arrange your in-course supports.

The other Pre-Assessment Questionnaire is to provide your DSA needs assessor with important information about your condition/s, course and academic support requirements for your funded supports.

Contact your local Student Finance NI for a progress update. To find an email / contact number for your local Student Finance NI office, enter your post code at: www.studentfinanceni.co.uk/find-your-local-office/

Either leave a voicemail message on 028 90 975062 or email the Needs Assessment Centre at nac@qub.ac.uk and someone will come back to you as soon as possible.

Arrange for a review appointment by contacting the Needs Assessment Centre at nac@qub.ac.uk / 028 90 975062.

Refer back to the support confirmation letter (known as a DSA2 letter) sent to you by your funder, follow the instructions and order directly from the quoted supplier.

Because of possible changes in prices, it is important to place your equipment order promptly, within 3 months of the date given on the DSA2 letter.

See above. If you have already placed your order, contact the supplier directly for an update.

As confirmation that you have passed your exams and are in good standing to progress into the next year is required, normally the School should complete your Confirmation of Attendance form so get in touch with your School Office.

However, if your request is urgent (e.g., you are leaving soon for an overseas placement), send an electronic version of the form with a short email explaining your situation to Student Records at slcquery@qub.ac.uk  and they will do their very best to help.

Refer back to your DSA2 letter (see above). If you have been approved for funding for training, you should arrange your training directly with the training company cited on the letter.

As with equipment orders, because of possible price changes, it important to arrange this promptly, within 3 months of the date given on the DSA2 letter.

Although you cannot unfortunately get top-up training through DSA, contact the Needs Assessment Centre at nac@qub.ac.uk / 028 90 975062 and you will be sent useful links to YouTube demonstration clips etc.

Refer back to the support confirmation letter sent to you by your funder (known as a DSA2 letter), contact the supplier detailed, let them know about the issues and the company will arrange for your laptop to be repaired.

Unfortunately DSA funding cannot be used to cover the cost of replacement equipment in these situations so contact your Disability Officer at accessiblelearning@qub.ac.uk to discuss what alternative support solutions may be available to you.

You should have sufficient equipment cover for the duration of your course. If you received equipment through DSA previously and need to extend this to cover the duration of your new course, contact the Needs Assessment Centre at nac@qub.ac.uk / 028 90 975062 to arrange for a review appointment and this will be done for you.

Alternatively, contact the original supplier and arrange with them to extend your insurance / warranties. Remember to retain your proof of purchase and use the receipt to get a refund from the Education Authority using the General Allowance Claim Form (see Travel section).

Contact the Register of Support Providers at nmhregister@qub.ac.uk / 028 90973610 for an update.

Contact the Needs Assessment Centre at nac@qub.ac.uk / 028 90 975062 to make a case for additional support hours.

Get in touch with the Needs Assessment Centre at nac@qub.ac.uk / 028 90 975062 with details of why you need to access your one-to-one support during the summer months.

Contact the Register of Support Providers at nmhregister@qub.ac.uk / 028 90973610 to request to be matched with someone new.

Advise the Register of Support Providers at nmhregister@qub.ac.uk / 028 90973610.

Alert the Register of Support Providers at nmhregister@qub.ac.uk / 028 90973610.

Speak to your Note Taker and alert them to the issues. If the problems persist or you are uncomfortable approaching your Note Taker, contact the Register of Support Providers at notetaker@qub.ac.uk / 028 90971404 to request to be matched with someone new.

Advise the Register of Support Providers at nmhregister@qub.ac.uk / 028 90973610 and you will be matched with a new Tutor.

Contact the Register of Support Providers at nmhregister@qub.ac.uk / 028 90973610 and you will be matched with a Tutor who is able to meet with you on a face-to-face basis

Advise the Register of Support Providers at nmhregister@qub.ac.uk / 028 90973610 that you want to cancel your support.

If you are a PG student and would like to earn money outside of QWork by providing support to disabled students, please see our Support Providers page for the various role descriptors, rates of pay and Expression of Interest form (expressions of interest from STEM subject Note Takers are particularly welcome).

Submit your receipts to the Education Authority using the EA’s General Allowance Claim Form. You should have received a copy of this form from the EA but if you cannot locate it, contact your DSA Officer or the Needs Assessment Centre at nac@qub.ac.uk to request one. Please remember that failure to submit receipts may result in an overpayment situation or future payments being withheld.

No, unfortunately DSA support for travel costs is unavailable to students on work experience of a year in duration unless that work is unpaid.

However, students on part-year or unpaid placements may potentially be eligible for DSA.  Contact the Needs Assessment Centre at nac@qub.ac.uk / 028 90 975062 and someone will check this for you with your DSA Officer.

Once you have completed the Personal Information section, send an electronic copy of your form to Student Records at slcquery@qub.ac.uk then complete the All Students section.  Please just remember that there may be a delay with the former as Student Records may not be able to complete that part until closer to the start of the new academic year / when you have registered for the next year of your studies.

If you have registered for the new academic year,  you should send an electronic version of the form to Student Records at slcquery@qub.ac.uk or speak with the staff at the Information Desk, Level 1, One Elmwood Student Centre. 

You will need to reapply for DSA funding for your one-to-one support before it may be put back in place for you.

For the SFNI Form Finder facility, please see the SFNI web site at: www.studentfinanceni.co.uk/types-of-finance/undergraduate/full-time/northern-ireland-student/extra-help/disabled-students-allowance/applying/

Click on Form Finder, choose the relevant year, go to the relevant forms and choose the ‘Disability forms’ tab.

Choose from:

• DSASL SLIM form if you are also applying for student finance.
• DSA1 FULL if you are only re-applying for DSA funding.

Complete / return to the Education Authority (EA) as directed.

You will then be contacted by the Needs Assessment Centre (nac@qub.ac.uk) and asked to make an appointment for a review of your support requirements.

Complete and return the Confirmation of Attendance form (or the DSA Only Returner’s form if you do not have student finance) sent to you by the Education Authority.  If you do not want to wait for either form, the Education Authority will also accept a DSA1 FULL for (see above).

If you are applying for student finance, you do not need to complete any forms and your one-to-one support will be reinstated. If you are not applying for a student loan, then complete the DSA Only Returners form (sent to you by the EA) or the DSA1 FULL.

If, however, your break has been over one year, you will need a review of your support requirements before you may resume your one-to-one support.

All your one-to-one supports will be reinstated except for Note Taker support as students repeating modules should have the notes for those modules from the previous year.

To determine your entitlement to DSA, the Education Authority will send you a Confirmation of Study Mode form.  Complete Part 1, send to slcquery@qub.ac.uk  and ask them to complete part 2 and then return to the Education Authority as soon as possible.

Students who are continuing their course and are registered on an ‘exam-only’ or ‘assessment only’ basis (i.e., for resit exams / assignment resubmissions where class attendance is not applicable) are still eligible for one-to-one support through DSA. 

Remember to let the Education Authority know of your change in status and, if your support requirements have altered as a result of the aforementioned, please contact the Needs Assessment Centre at nac@qub.ac.uk to request a review.

Thesis-only students will still be eligible for DSA support during their write-up period as long as they keep to their completion timeframe.

Students who find they are still writing up after the anticipated completion date who wish to continue to access DSA need to submit a DSA application form (i.e., either a DSASL or DSA1 FULL) for the relevant academic year along with confirmation from their School / PhD supervisor of their new expected end date.

Complete a new DSA application (see ‘Change in attendance’ above, i.e., either a DSASL or DSA1 FULL) and contact the Needs Assessment Centre at nac@qub.ac.uk / 028 90 975062 to arrange for a review appointment.

Complete a new DSA application (see ‘Change in attendance’ above, i.e., either a DSASL or DSA1 FULL) and contact the Needs Assessment Centre at nac@qub.ac.uk / 028 90 975062 to arrange for a review appointment.

Although you do need to reapply for DSA, you can ask the Needs Assessment Centre to request interim one-to-one support for you until you have a review of your support requirements.  Contact the Needs Assessment Centre at nac@qub.ac.uk.