I enroll at uni on Wednesday, and I'm really apprehensive, I haven't got my funding yet, and I'm worried I might not get the funding, I only got the letter last Thursday offering me a place, but the course starts on the 23rd.
I'm also worried about the reaction of other students to me, I get enough bullying and stigma already.
I am going to be putting a form in for Disabled Students Allowance, but unsure if I'll get it or not, I also due to living in a rural area may have to do my CBT and get myself a Scooter, this is an awful lot for me to do all at once, and I feel under pressure as everyone seems to have high expectations of me.
I'm looking forward to the course itself, but guess I'm just stressing about everything that I need to get done, including getting a passport photo for my student card, I hate having my picture taken, uni is such a big step for me, and I'm worried what will happen if things don't work out.
Re Disabled Students Allowence, as long as you have the evidence from a medical professional/educational psychologist you should get it. It isn't means tested at all. I would urge you apply for it as quickly as possible too as it can take 3+ months to get the support into place.
I'd also advise that you speak to your universities disability service/student services to make them aware of the fact you are applying for DSA as they can help out a few things into place before the DSA goes through.
Regarding your other concerns about uni, I think those are pretty normal concerns about starting university. It is a big commitment and it can be daunting, but remember you are not the only person who feels that way. Just take each day at a time and enjoy the experience as much as you can.
Definitely contact the disability service at your uni, if they haven't already made contact. Sometimes they wait for you to contact them. They are really the best people to connect with because as they are internal with the university they can help you navigate being a university student with a disability. They can help you with managing stress and anxiety, they can help you set up exam arrangements to make it easier, they can help you get extensions on work if you need it.
I saw someone at my uni's disability service weekly and it was incredibly helpful. I talked about how I was feeling, how my MH impacted on my ability to study. The person I saw would help me to think about how I could study in ways that were manageable for me.
Also when you have the assessment for DSA it is very comprehensive and the assessor will find out how your disability impacts your life and how that translates to the university environment and what ways you need help with to put you on an even level with other, non disabled students. They can suggest things like taxi travel to/from university if you struggle with public transport, assistive computer equipment and software, money towards consumables like printer paper and ink, a person who can sit with you at uni and help you to take notes and provide support etc. They will write up a report with their recommendations and the university disability service will get a copy if you agree so that the uni can put in place the things on their end. They won't tell any of your tutors unless you personally agree to it, and even then they can just say vaguely that you are someone receiving extra support and may need extensions on work.
As Iamcatbug said DSA stuff takes months to get arranged so definitely have the assessment as soon as possible!
Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back, everything is different…
you once called your brain a hard drive, well say hello to the virus.
Hey thanks guys, I have been told until I get my application in for student finance, I can't put in the application for DSA, as they have to select what account it is in connection with, after speaking on the phone with student finance, I found this out, but I do have a number for the disability team, so may contact them and at least advise them of my situation :)
I'm not exactly sure what evidence I'm gonna need for my DSA claim, I don't have an educational psychologist, and wouldn't know how to go about getting one, the only medical professional I can really get any evidence from is my GP, I was discharged from the CMHT last year, I do have a disabled bus pass already, I had a letter for that from my old psychiatrist, maybe this is something I can discuss with the uni disability team, and possibly with the staff at Mind, who have been helping me during the application process :)
GP is fine, educational psychologists are more for conditions like dyslexia. I only mentioned that in case that was something you were seeking support for. The evidence is just basically confirming what conditions you have and how they may affect your studies.
Have you not got a SFE ID number yet? I applied for DSA on 08 before I had been awarded student loans.
You basically only need something that just confirms you have X diagnosis, or needs. Not really any special, long reports because the DSA assessor will assess you properly.
Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back, everything is different…
you once called your brain a hard drive, well say hello to the virus.
The evidence is just basically confirming what conditions you have and how they may affect your studies.
Have you not got a SFE ID number yet?
Hope the disability team at uni can help you
No I don't have an SFE ID number yet, I'm mainly seeking help with keeping my anxiety under control while studying, there will need to be things explained to my tutor, like I don't like to be touched, I'm uncomfortable with loud noise, so I may sometimes choose to wear ear plugs/defenders, if I do get excessively anxious I may need a 5 minute break in order to calm myself (go for a quiet walk), I also struggle to communicate my feelings, and to understand others feelings, sometimes having someone else who can help me communicate would be beneficial to me :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Night Circus
You basically only need something that just confirms you have X diagnosis, or needs. Not really any special, long reports because the DSA assessor will assess you properly.
Thanks, so I may also benefit from letters from the staff at Mind and my local drug and alcohol agency as well as the CMHT, although I've been discharged from the CMHT a year now (I still think the CMHT would be the best to explain my SI and urges and how it can effect my studies)
You only actually need evidence from one medical source. I'm providing a link of the application support information for the DSA application, page 8 explains the evidence. http://media.slc.co.uk/sfe/1516/ft/s...tes_1516_d.pdf
I believe they won't take evidence from Mind or the drug and alcohol agency as they are technically not seen as medical professionals and they may be reluctant for the CMHT due to you being out of contact with them. As has been said, GP is probably your best bet. When I applied back in 2008 I had a letter from my GP that stated all my medical and mental health diagnosis.
Like Night Circus has said, the assessment is where they tend to go over things in more detail where you would explain what you have said in your last post.
While you are waiting for this all though, I would say make the disability service aware of your issues so they can suggest things.
Also, be aware that some of the support provided by DSA has changed this year, so not all support that may have been available in the past will be available now.
On a slight tangent, I used to have an agreement with my lecturers that if things got too much for me in seminars (I used to panic a lot too) I could just walk out for a bit, unis are usually ok with that. Again this is something the disability services at uni could help sort you out with now.
Another point, just be aware that a lot of services will be very busy at universities at this time of year due to it being freshers week, so it may take a while to respond. It might be easier to pop in and speak to them, or send them an email sooner rather than later.
Just a thought, not that I am encouraging you to quit or anything at all, but given it is enrollment this week and due to a variety of reasons you have no finance stuff in place, would it maybe be worth deferring entry for a year to give you time to start to sort this stuff out? It just gives you more time to sort out the evidence etc for DSA. And also gives you the possibility of having funding and equipment sorted before you even start the course.
Feel free to ignore my last comment if it is irrevlevent, I'm just slightly concerned that you may well be facing the prospect of not having your DSA in place until January or even later.
What DSAs can pay for
You can get help with the costs of:
specialist equipment, eg a computer if you need one because of your disability
non-medical helpers
extra travel because of your disability
other disability-related costs of studying
You may get a new computer if you don’t already have one, or your current one doesn’t meet the required specification. More information will be provided to you if you’re assessed as needing a new computer.
You’ll need to pay the first £200, which is the minimum cost that any student is likely to incur when buying a computer.
DSAs don’t cover disability-related costs you’d have if you weren’t attending a course, or costs that any student might have.
Last edited by Iamcatbug : 15-09-2015 at 01:42 AM.
I have classic autism and complex mental health problems. I get full DSA, including a full time 1:1 support worker who basically makes uni accessible for me (without her I wouldn't function at all in uni). If you want to ask me any questions about the process, you can PM me.
Last edited by Steel Maiden : 15-09-2015 at 02:58 PM.
Reason: additional.
PM me if you want a PDF copy of the ICD-10or the Mental Health Act 1983/2007. I ALSO HAVE THE DSM-V BOOK and am a pharmacology student.
I have a visual impairment / neurological problems so I need people to type in clear text and no funny fonts. Also excuse any typos, my vision blocks things out.
I have autism and have problems communicating, PMs included.
Just becasue I type well doesn't mean I speak well. I am only part time verbal.
Thanks guys, I will go through everything at the enrolment tomorrow, I'm sure I can decide there then whether to defer my application until next year, however my support worker from Mind is going with me, so maybe things will be easier to access once I'm there, I have everything I need except the funding, I can even sort my transport if I need to until my funding comes through, after speaking with family today, I am doing digital media, so books aren't a problem as most stuff is done on the computer just with explanations of how I achieved it on paper, so one pack of A4 paper should be fine, a new set of cartridges for my printer, they don't cost much, so I'm pretty much set, just the funding left, and the DSA support that maybe the uni can provide something similar until my DSA claim goes through, even if it's just someone I can report to, a quiet room, I'm not so concerned about money it's getting everything in place to avoid my anxiety causing me to potentially drop out :)
Well I may have to scrap my uni, as have been to the Jobcentre, phoned Wrexham, and my student Finance will effect my ESA, as it's classed as income based, If I was on DLA or PIP it'd be fine, but because it ESA I may have to find the £900 a year course fees myself, and that is impossible for me, also I have been told that they may also say if I'm well enough to do 4 hours a week in uni, I'm then classed as well enough to work, which really isn't the case :( I'm so close to just giving up and saying take me to hospital as every time something starts to look positive, SMACK I get a kick in the face :'( I just want a drink right now, I want to cut so bad :( release all the anger and pain. I don't want to be stuck on benefits for the rest of my life, so I thought part time, I might just make it, but hey ho, not meant to be, think I'll stop opening my mail, have really had enough of being kicked while I'm down :(
I received ESA, DLA and student finance all together with no issues. It was always my understanding that ESA was not affected by student loans because it is a disability benefit as opposed to something like JSA.
Edit- I've done a search and you CAN get ESA and student loans if you also receive DLA/PIP. Can you apply for that? Is there any reason you are not already in receipt of DLA/PIP? It sounds like you would not have a problem getting it if you are eligible for ESA and DSA already.
Edit 2- if you study for less than 16 hours a week then you can still get ESA, you will need a letter from the uni stating that you only need to study for those hours.
Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back, everything is different…
you once called your brain a hard drive, well say hello to the virus.
I found out that the woman I spoke to from Wrexham lied, my ESA is unlikely to be cut, and definitely won't be stopped, and as far as both I and my family are concerned, the things she said are nothing short of Mental Health Discrimination.
I'm still going to uni, but she just set back my mental health by sending me into a panic and rage, turning me to drink myself to a stuper, making me emotionally unstable, I feel my mood becoming manic and out of control, the slightest thing puts me on edge, making me snap if someone so much as speaks out of turn.
I've found myself rocking back and forth, feeling trapped inside a body that doesn't even feel like mine, I'm not even sure if I'm capable of studying now, my concentration has been so badly affected, that I just want to curl up and run away into a corner, into a cupboard where I can hide, where nobody can find me.
I'm not applying for DLA/PIP, because I had enough hell getting Income Support & Disability Premium (automatically switched to ESA in the Support Group), I feel I can barely function most days, but I just make the best of things.
I don't even want to see my GP, as I'm fearful and have a lack of trust in anyone right now, if I was to explain that I'm feeling manic and have found myself rocking back and forth, feeling trapped, I'm afraid he'll want to try medication again, but I don't feel comfortable to have any medication here due to the overwhelming feeling that I might take it all in one go, so I guess I'm just avoiding things at the moment :)
