Disabled Students Allowance (DSA)
NEEDS ASSESSMENT CENTRE
The Needs Assessment Centre will assist you in applying for Disabled Students' Allowances (DSA) through a tailored Needs Assessment. Our Assessors have a wealth of experience in supporting, advising and guiding students with a wide range of needs.
Who is eligible?
To be eligible for the DSA award, you must be:
· studying an eligible full-time undergraduate course (including a distance-learning course); or
· studying an eligible part-time undergraduate course (including a distance-learning course); or
· undertaking a taught or research postgraduate course (including a distance-learning course); or
· undertaking an Initial Teacher Training course;
and
· able to provide medical evidence on the effects of your disability, long-term condition, mental-health condition or specific learning difficulty. Your funding body/Education Authority will let you know if you are eligible.
The Needs Assessment Centre is available to any Queen’s students who are entitled to DSA or the BSO student bursary for Nursing students (see Funded Support). If you are from the Republic of Ireland, you may be eligible for funded assistance through the Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) award. We also complete needs assessments for students applying to or attending Stranmillis or St. Mary’s colleges.
Disabled Students Allowance (DSA)
How do I book an appointment for my Needs Assessment?
Once you have received your letter of confirmation from your funding body/Education Authority (EA) to say you are eligible for the award (DSA1 letter from the EA), you will receive two welcome emails from the Needs Assessment Centre via Cudos, our information management system.
Follow the instructions on these emails to complete the pre-assessment questionnaire and upload the requested documents. If you have any issues, problems or queries with this important part of the process, please contact the Needs Assessment Centre at nac@qub.ac.uk for advice / guidance
The assessment will be carried out by one of our experienced assessors who will help guide you through the process. Your assessor will demonstrate software and show you specialist equipment in order to identify the most suitable support package to meet your needs. They will look at your medical evidence and ask you to think about the possible impact your disability may have on your studies at university. Perhaps you have had support at school/college which worked well for you in the past? The assessor may also discuss and recommend other types of support for example, campus assistance, mentoring or specialist tutor support.
Your funding body will let you know the outcome of the assessment after they receive your needs assessment report from us. It is important that you read carefully any letters or emails you receive about your funded support. Keep a copy of your DSA 2 letter, as this tells you what funding has been approved and if applicable, how to order equipment or arrange one to one support. There is no cost for the Needs Assessment. It can take up to 14 weeks for the DSA process to be completed. Our team in the Needs Assessment Centre are here to help answer any queries you have: nac@qub.ac.uk
- One to One Support
- Assistive Technology