Help to create a debate in parliament

Are you a student or the parent or guardian of a student who has had the advantage of the DSA?  Are you perhaps a person with a specific learning difficulty who is hoping to gain Access Arrangements when you study at University?  If so, the proposed changes to DSA will affect you.  The Disabled Students Allowances are a non-means tested scheme which helps level the playing field for students with disabilities by providing appropriate Assistive Technology — hardware, software and furniture — training and personal support such as note-takers and study skills support.  DSA enables students with disabilities to help overcome the difficulties and disadvantages faced when studying.  It is vital that DSA is maintained if students with disabilities are going to have equal access to Higher Education.

The first thing to do is to sign the petition at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/63748. If it reaches 100,000 signatures, there will have to be a debate in parliament, but in any case it shows the strength of feeling. It’s easy to do. There are only about 36,000 students who get the DSA each year — so it needs your support, especially if you are dyslexic and don’t normally like writing or filling in forms!

Then share it with your Twitter, Linked In and Facebook and your own contacts to encourage others to sign it too.

If you are a DSA student, say what difference the DSA has made for you at http://tinyurl.com/DSAreviewstudentfeedback. That will also be fed back to the government as a sort of petition — which is why it needs details like your real name, so that it could, theoretically, be checked that it is real people.

You can also write to your MP. Use the Write To Them service to find your MP and to write to them. Keep it short but say a little about the DSA (they may not know what it is), and how it affected how well you have done on your course. Refer to the Ministerial Statement made by Rt Hon David Willetts, Minister for Universities and Science on changes to the DSA (07/04/14) at http://ian.lt/willetts-dsa.

To find out how we can help you,

Call: 01992 589 159
Mob: 07802 750 178

Email: enquiries@about-dyslexia.co.uk

to discuss your needs.