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In Touch: Disabled Student Allowance

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12/06/2018

Disabled Student Allowance

BBC Radio 4 - In Touch, Disabled Student Allowance

One student's experience of applying for the Disabled Students' Allowance.

Disabled Students' Allowances are there to help with the extra costs incurred by having a disability. We hear from Sam Hoskin, who has had to fight for his funding.

We hear from a student who has had to appeal twice against his Disabled Student Allowance settlement from the Student Loans Company. 
The award is supposed to help students with a disability pay for human help and equipment, but Sam Hoskin says his experience has shown that unless they are prepared to argue with your award - blind students could be missing out. 
The system changed in 2014 to place more emphasis on what universities should be required to provide under equality legislation. 
Studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Jesus College Oxford, Sam argues that universities with less financial power are unable to provide a safety net if students don't appeal against assessments they feel are wrong. 
Sam argued that because his course required so many diagrams, he was entitled to a human helper to make those diagrams tactile. His assessment however offered no hours of support. His two successful appeals saw that number rise to 250 hours across the year. 
Sam argues it's a process which could put prospective blind students off. 
We also hear from the RNIB's Helen Lee, on the new report from the All Party Parliamentary Group on Eye Health which suggests patients are losing sight because of poor provision of eye care. 
Presented by Peter White
Produced by Kevin Core.

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