Earlier this week I had my needs assessment for DSA (Disabled Students’ Allowance) ready for my PGCE in September. It was a bit of a head-palm moment, when I realised I hadn’t applied for support during my MA.

CSM and UAL have been aware of my conditions and have been a great help, but it occured to me that things could have been so different and arguably easier had I applied.

In contrast, I had DSA in place for my undergraduate degree and this resulted in a 1st Class Honours. When the assessor, Louise, asked me what my biggest worries were, I replied that it wasn’t achieving a final qualification that truly reflected my ability as the issues I face can have a huge impact on my output. I realised in this moment, that when SFE had turned down my appeal for finance, and I was left with the challenge of paying for it myself, despite my health issues, I automatically DIDN’T apply for DSA which as Louise pointed out, I would still have been very much entitled to.

It left me feeling like the difference between my BA and MA had been huge, due to the lack of support I could have had throughout my MA. On the gov website, it states:

Disabled Students’ Allowance

Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) is support to cover the study-related costs you have because of a mental health problem, long-term illness or any other disability.

This can be on its own or in addition to any student finance you get.

The type of support and how much you get depends on your individual needs – not your household income.

You do not need to pay back DSA.

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I realised that DSA provides far more to assist in ensuring people like myself achieve a qualification that truly reflects their ability and enables an equal playing field – especially when I think back to what I had during my BA.

I always hated the idea of me having the conditions I do, I fought tirelessy to try and achieve the same as everyone else, without additional help and support. The support I had during my BA made me realise how valuable it was to enabling this, if only I’d realised that without student finance, I could have had the same support anyway.

It’s a bit late now, but I’m thankful I now have it in place again for my upcoming course at Cumbria University.