Glossary
Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA)
Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) is UK government support for students with a disability, mental health problem or long-term illness, to cover study costs that come from the condition. It depends on individual needs rather than household income, and it does not have to be paid back.
Updated October 16, 20264 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called DSA.
Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) is support from the UK government for students who have a disability, a mental health problem or a long-term illness. It covers study-related costs that the condition causes, and GOV.UK says it can be given on its own or in addition to any student finance a student gets. The support is for costs a student has because of a mental health problem, long-term illness or any other disability.
DSA pays for costs that come from the disability
The support is for costs that a student would not have without the condition. GOV.UK lists specialist equipment, such as a computer if a student needs one because of their disability. It also lists non-medical helpers, such as a British Sign Language interpreter or a specialist note taker, taxi travel to and from the course if the disability stops the student from using public transport, and extra printing for proof-reading 1. Costs that any student would have are not covered.
The needs assessment is the step that decides what a student gets. It is an informal meeting, not a test. After it, the student receives a report and an entitlement letter, and a supplier contacts them to discuss equipment and arrange any assistive technology training they need 2.
The maximum is £27,783 a year
GOV.UK says undergraduate and postgraduate students can get up to £27,783 per year for support 3. That is a ceiling, not a guaranteed amount. The support a student receives depends on the assessment.
Needs decide the support, not income
DSA depends on a student's individual needs, not household income, and it does not have to be paid back 4. Household income therefore does not decide whether a student gets support, and the needs assessment sets what is provided.
Example: a computer with dictation software
A student with a repetitive strain injury finishes a course that requires long written essays. After the needs assessment, the entitlement letter may recommend a computer and speech to text software. The supplier arranges the equipment and training, and the student uses the software for drafting. Because the support is set by the assessment, the student should not buy the equipment before the assessment, since the page says they would not be reimbursed for it.
Why it matters for dictation and typing
The GOV.UK page does not name dictation software, so students should ask their assessor whether a speech to text tool is in scope for their course. Speech to text can reduce the typing a student has to do for essays, notes and reports, which matters for people with hand pain or motor disabilities. The guide on speech to text for students with disabilities covers the tools and the questions to ask.
Related terms
- Access to Work: the UK grant for disabled people at work, which can also pay for assistive software.
- Section 504 plan: the US accommodation plan for school students.
- Assistive technology (AT): the devices and software that DSA can help fund.
Guides that cover it
Evidence
Every number on this page, with where it comes from. Open a fact to see the exact words in its source.
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Related terms
- Speech to Text for Accessibility, RSI and DisabilitiesThe topic this term belongs to
- Access to WorkAccess to Work is a UK government grant for people with a disability or health condition who need support to do their job. GOV.UK says it can help pay for specialist equipment and assistive software, among other support, and that the grant does not affect other benefits and does not have to be paid back.
- Assistive technology (AT)Assistive technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment or product system that increases, maintains or improves what a person with a disability can do. Speech recognition, voice control and screen readers are common examples.
- Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is a clinical practice area that supplements or compensates for impairments in speaking or understanding language. It uses tools such as picture boards, letter boards and speech-generating devices, and it is augmentative when used alongside speech and alternative when used instead of speech.
- CART captioningCART captioning is a live text service in which a trained captioner types what is said, usually on a stenotype machine, and the words appear on a screen as they are spoken. CART stands for Communication Access Realtime Translation, and it is also called real-time captioning.
- De Quervain's tenosynovitisDe Quervain's tenosynovitis is a painful condition in which tendons that move the thumb become irritated where they pass through a narrow tunnel on the thumb side of the wrist. Repeated thumb and wrist movements, such as texting, can worsen it.
- DysarthriaDysarthria is a speech disorder that happens when brain or nerve damage changes the way the muscles used for speaking work, so speech can sound slow, slurred or hard to understand. Speech recognition trained on typical voices can make more errors with this speech, so accuracy depends on the person and the software.
- DysgraphiaDysgraphia is a difficulty with writing that does not match a person's cognitive level and age, even after adequate instruction. It can affect letter formation, spacing, spelling, writing speed and composition, and speech to text lets a person get their words onto the page without writing each letter by hand.
- Individualized Education Program (IEP)An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a written statement for a child with a disability, developed, reviewed and revised under the federal IDEA regulations. For US students, it is the school's plan for the special education and services the child needs, and the team must consider whether the child needs assistive technology.
- Median nerveThe median nerve is one of the main nerves of the arm. It runs from the forearm through the wrist into the hand, giving feeling and movement to parts of the hand.
- Reasonable accommodationA reasonable accommodation is a change to the job, the workplace or the equipment that lets a qualified person with a disability do the work. Under U.S. law, employers with 15 or more employees must provide one unless it would impose an undue hardship.
- Repetitive strain injury (RSI)Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is an umbrella term for pain and damage to muscles, tendons and nerves that builds up from repeated movements, held postures or sustained effort, felt in the hands, wrists, arms, shoulders and neck.
- Screen readerA screen reader is software that reads what is on a computer or phone screen aloud, or sends it to a braille display, so that people who are blind or have low vision can use the device. The most used screen readers on Windows are JAWS and NVDA, and VoiceOver is the one built into Apple devices.