Assessment of needs appointment information

Unsure what happens during a Disabled Students' Allowances (DSA)  Assessment of Needs appointment? Read this page and/or check out our FAQs which include answers to common questions, such as 'what is the current waiting time?', 'how long does an appointment take?', 'where will it take place?' and many similar questions.

The DSA is designed to help to compensate you for any difficulties or extra expenses that you may experience on your chosen course, as a direct result of your disability, and help to 'create a level playing field'. It cannot be used to give you an advantage over other students on your course.

The assessment is a confidential one-to-one conversation with an opportunity for demonstration and evaluation of equipment and software with an experienced assessor to help identify suitable resources and strategies for you; it will be directly related to the specific difficulties you experience on your course as a result of your disability.

Once the assessment has taken place the assessor will write a Needs Assessment Report (NAR) consisting of suitable recommendations for your disability related difficulties, which were discussed during your assessment. The report will then be sent to your Funding Body for approval and you will also receive a copy.

Once your Needs Assessment Report is sent to your Funding Body the NAC has no control over their decisions or the length of time it takes them to process your DSA. However, we suggest that if you have not heard anything within 3-4 weeks after your report has been sent to them, you should contact the person dealing with your request at your Funding Body; you can find their contact details in your report. 

For further details or if you have any other questions about the assessment process, please contact the NAC.