Disabled Students' Allowance

Students undertaking full-time or part-time undergraduate or postgraduate courses, who have a disability, ongoing health condition, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty (SpLD) such as dyslexia, dyspraxia/developmental co-ordination disorder, dyscalculia, or attention deficit disorder can apply for extra financial help through the Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs).

The DSAs are grants available on top of the standard student finance, they are not means tested and do not need to be repaid. They aim to help students meet the extra costs they may encounter as a result of their disability or SpLD, and enables them to study on an equal par with other students. If your students have a SpLD they will need to take a relevant psychometric assessment and provide evidence about their:

Attainments in Literacy
Underlying Ability
Cognitive Processing
Attainments in Numeracy and
Motor control and Visual Perceptual Skills.

Please note that since February 2019, students can provide a diagnostic assessment report from any age as evidence of their disability, but are still free to take a post-16 assessment should they need one.

Further information on the DSAs can be found at www.sasc.org.uk.

Tests suitable as evidence for DSA

Please view the SASC paper, 'Evaluations of Need by Remote Video Platform' for further details on use of our SACS approved products via remote online test administration

	Beery VMI
Reading
Single Word Recognition
Continuous Text Reading - oral reading
Continuous Text Reading - silent reading
Non-word Reading
Listening Comprehension
Spelling
Single Word
Writing
Writing
Underlying Ability
Cognitive Processing
Working Memory
Phonological Processing
Speed of Processing
Other Relevant Information
Attainments in Numeracy
Motor control and visual perceptual skills	X

	GORT-5	KTEA-3**	TOMAL-2
Reading
Single Word Recognition		X
Continuous Text Reading - oral reading	X	X
Continuous Text Reading - silent reading
Non-word Reading		X
Listening Comprehension		X
Spelling		X
Single Word
Writing
Writing
Underlying Ability
Cognitive Processing
Working Memory			Only when an attention / concentration index is obtained from all 5 subtests
Phonological Processing
Speed of Processing
Other Relevant Information
Attainments in Numeracy
Motor control and visual perceptual skills

	TOWRE-2	*WAIS-IV UK	*WASI-II
Reading
Single Word Recognition	X
Continuous Text Reading - oral reading
Continuous Text Reading - silent reading
Non-word Reading	X
Listening Comprehension
Spelling
Single Word
Writing
Writing
Underlying Ability		X	X
Cognitive Processing
Working Memory		X
Phonological Processing
Speed of Processing		X
Other Relevant Information
Attainments in Numeracy
Motor control and visual perceptual skills

	*WIAT-II UK	WIAT-III UK for Teachers	*WIAT-III UK
Reading			See guidance issued on WIAT-III UK
Single Word Recognition	X	X
Continuous Text Reading - oral reading
Continuous Text Reading - silent reading	X	X
Non-word Reading	X
Listening Comprehension
Spelling
Single Word	X	X
Writing
Writing
Underlying Ability
Cognitive Processing
Working Memory
Phonological Processing
Speed of Processing
Other Relevant Information
Attainments in Numeracy	X
Motor control and visual perceptual skills

	*WMS-IV UK	WRAT-5	WRAML-2
Reading		See guidance issued on WRAT5
Single Word Recognition		X
Continuous Text Reading - oral reading
Continuous Text Reading - silent reading		X
Non-word Reading
Listening Comprehension
Spelling
Single Word		X
Writing
Writing
Underlying Ability
Cognitive Processing
Working Memory	X		X
Phonological Processing
Speed of Processing
Other Relevant Information
Attainments in Numeracy		X
Motor control and visual perceptual skills

	WRIT	WRMT-III
Reading
Single Word Recognition		X
Continuous Text Reading - oral reading		X
Continuous Text Reading - silent reading		X
Non-word Reading		X
Listening Comprehension		X
Spelling
Single Word		X
Writing
Writing
Underlying Ability	X
Cognitive Processing
Working Memory
Phonological Processing
Speed of Processing
Other Relevant Information
Attainments in Numeracy
Motor control and visual perceptual skills