Provided you meet our eligibility criteria, you can apply for support towards the costs of non-medical helper support. You must have applied for and received a decision regarding this support from your DSA funding authority before applying to us. If your support falls under Band 1 or Band 2 (with the exception of Sighted Guide support), you must first request this support from your institution. If your support falls under Band 3 or Band 4 (with the exception of Specialist Transcription Services and Communication Support), you must first request this from Disabled Students Allowance. Please read further for guidance on non-medical help support bands. We strive to ensure this information is correct and up to date, however the DSA criteria is subject to change.
The following support is included under Band 1, and therefore should be funded by your institution (with the exception of Sighted Guides):
- Practical Support Assistant
- Library Support Assistant
- Reader
- Scribe
- Workshop or Laboratory Assistant
- Proofreader
- Sighted Guide – Sighted Guides are the only Band 1 support that can be funded by Disabled Students Allowance
The following support is included under Band 2, and therefore should be funded by your institution:
- Study Assistant
- Examination Support Assistant
- Notetaker
The following support is included under Band 3, and therefore should be funded by DSA (with the exception of Specialist Transcription Services and Communication Support):
- Lipspeaker
- Specialist Notetaker for Deaf students
- Speech to Text Reporter
- Respeaker
- Specialist Notetaker for Visually Impaired students
- Mobility Trainer
- Specialist Transcription Service – this support is exempted from DSA and is the responsibility of your institution
- Communication Support – this support is exempted from DSA and is the responsibility of your institution
The following support falls under Band 4, and therefore should be funded by DSA:
- Specialist Mentor (Mental Health)
- Specialist Mentor (Autism Spectrum Conditions)
- Specialist one-to-one Study Skills and Strategy support (Autism Spectrum Conditions)
- Specialist one-to-one Study Skills and Strategy support (Specific Learning Difficulties)
- British Sign Language (BSL) Interpretation
- Assistive Technology Training
- Specialist Support Professional (sensory impairments)
- Specialist Support Professional (Deaf with/without BSL)
- Specialist Support Professional (Visual Impairment)
- Specialist Support Professional (Multi-sensory Impairment with/without BSL)