Unlocking Your Potential: A Guide to DSA

Why apply for DSA?

Accessing DSA funded assistive technology software and specialist human support is a great way to develop efficient and effective study skills. Software can enable or improve access to technology or provide you with new strategies to develop more efficient methods of working. Specialist support can also enable or improve access by allowing you to explore strategies you might not have thought of before and consider ways of working with an independent and impartial specialist. These resources work together to streamline your academic life and can help ensure you preserve mental and physical energy for intensive study related activities such as advanced research and critical writing or busy labs and placements. Throughout this process your university disability support service will be available to provide advice, encouragement and expert help.

Examples of Specialist Software

These tools are examples of what may be available to help you work more effectively. These are examples and are not specific endorsements. There are benefits to using funded over 'free' apps that include use of apps specifically designed for disabled/neurodivergent users and access to ongoing specialist support from the developers. Many of these will allow you to explore them before your needs assessment via limited trial features. DSA will fund specialist training to help ensure you can make full use of the software recommended for you.

Productivity and Organisation

Jamworks: Comprehensive aid to developing detailed lecture notes from recordings and part notes.Visit Jamworks
Genio: Previously known as Glean, excellent for recording and organising lecture notes. Visit Genio
Global Tasks: Visual task management to help you stay on track. Visit Global Tasks
Booost: Support for mental health and daily study organisation. Visit Booost
Brain In Hand: Digital support for significant anxiety and executive function challenges. Visit Brain In Hand
Aspire: Guidance on strategies to aid transition into and through university. Visit Aspire

Literacy and Research

Sensory Readable Suite: Multisensory reading and writing aid with strong privacy features. Visit Sensory Readable
Read&Write: Comprehensive toolkit for reading and writing tasks. Visit Texthelp
Scholarcy: AI summary tool to help you process research papers quickly. Visit Scholarcy
Pro Study: Management tool for bibliographies and research notes. Visit Pro Study
TextAid: Cloud based literacy support and text to speech. Visit TextAid
Speechify: High quality natural sounding text-to-speech. Visit Speechify
Luna: Flash card learning strategies for revision and ongoing consolidation. Visit Luna

Planning and Writing

MindView: Powerful mind mapping and visual learning aid for essays, assignments and project-based work. Visit MindView
MindManager: Advanced mapping for complex projects. Visit MindManager
Ayoa: Visual mapping software that claims to be designed from the ground up for neurodivergence. Visit Ayoa
MindMeister: MindManager alternative visual mapping and planning aid with strong collaboration features. Visit MindMeister
Dragon: Leading voice recognition and dictation software. Visit Dragon
TalkType: Cross platform flexible voice recognition and dictation software. Visit TalkType
LightKey: Accessible and customisable text prediction and writing assistant. Visit LightKey

Access And Participation

Caption.Ed: Live captions in lectures and online tutorials, add captions to audio-visual study resources. Visit Caption.Ed
Jaws: Advanced, powerful, fully customisable and trusted screenreader for blind users. Visit Jaws
SuperNova: Useful suite of screen access apps for partially sighted and blind users. Visit SuperNova
ZoomText Screen access for partially sighted users. Visit Zoomtext

Specialist Equipment and Ergonomics

Physical tools can significantly improve access, focus and comfort.

Low Vision Aids: Electronic and passive magnification and scanning devices providers like Humanware or RNIB Technology Shop can help ensure access to all aspects of studies and university life.
Hearing Loss Aids: Providers like Phonak or Connevans offer a range of devices and aids to help address the impact of hearing loss in lectures, tutorials and placements.
Ergonomic Support: Chairs, desks and posture aids from providers like Posturite or Back Care Solutions can help ensure students can maintain a correct posture and extend the time they can work by reducing pain and physical fatigue.
Noise Management: Noise cancelling headphones and attenuating earbuds help address sensory overwhelm.
Audio Tools: Classic digital audio recorders when physical devices are needed to capture audio content for later review.
Home Printing: Personal printers and help with additional printing costs reduce screen fatigue by allowing you to proofread work on paper.

Specialist Human Support

Specialist assistance to ensure independent access to your course.

BSL Interpreters Fully trained and registered interpreters to facilitate access to lectures and communication with tutors and fellow students.
Specialist Notetakers: Immediate access to complex terminology for deaf/hearing impaired students in lectures and other live taught sessions.
Specialist Support Professionals: Personalised and targetted specialist support for students with sensory disabilities to ensure full and independent access to higher education.

One to one support builds your independence and helps you master your unique learning style.

Mental Health Mentoring: Collaborative, specialist trained and independent support for developing practical strategies for maintaining structured and sustainable self-directed study routines that take into account the fluctuating nature of mental health conditions.
Neurodivergent Mentoring: Strategies for understanding, interacting and thriving in the university environment.
Study Skills for Dyslexia, ADHD and Autism: Personalised and targetted practical specialist techniques for reading, writing and managing executive function challenges.

Achieving Support: The Journey

The application process is designed to enable you to work through each stage without any need for additional support, but you may find following a collaborative journey with your university disability support service works well to ensure you successfully clear each stage of the journey in a timely manner.

1. Application: Start your request via your Student Finance provider. You will have to give 'evidence' that proves any condition(s) you state you have in your application. Do give full details of conditions here (even if you think they might not be relevant) as this can help ensure your needs assessor is able to advise you and apply for the full range of support that might be available available.

2. Eligibility: You will receive a letter confirming you can proceed to your assessment on the basis of the conditions accepted by the funding body.

3. Needs Assessment: A positive and focussed discussion to explore what might be challenging at university and explore which software, equipment and support can help you overcome these challenges. Your needs assessor then produces a report of this meeting for your funding body.

4. Confirmation: Your funding body confirms what has been agreed and directs you to contact suppliers of equipment, software and support that they have selected for you. This is the stage where things can get complicated at times so do reach out for help from your university disability team if confused or if anything seems to be going wrong!

Note: Your needs assessment will cover you for the course along with any future courses you might take immediately afterwards, so you are not usually referred for a review of your DSA funded needs unless you develop or obtain evidence of a new condition while studying, or there is a significant gap between the date of your original needs assessment and the start of your new course. You can reach out for advice and support from your needs assessment centre throughout your course so do keep a copy of their contact details even if you don't keep the full needs assessment report.

Empowering Yourself

You play an active and vital role in this process. Prepare for your needs assessment by researching your course (if you haven't started yet), carefully considering each stage in the academic journey, discussing the needs assessment with your university disability adviser and researching strategies that you feel might work well for you. This ensures you can identify exactly which tools and strategies will help you study most effectively. Being proactive allows you to lead the conversation and secure the support that fits your academic goals.