Let’s be honest, a lot of us don’t need our Disabled Students’ Allowance

You might use the free laptop, but when have you ever trekked to the Welcome Centre for a one-on-one tutorial?


Even if you don’t qualify for it, you’ve probably heard of Disabled Students’ Allowance. Maybe you’ve seen your flatmate’s fancy dictaphone, or the complex supportive software installed on their laptop.

But the chances are you found out about DSA after hearing them boast about how they got that laptop – along with a brand new printer and printing supplies – for free.

What you might not hear about, however, is the extra training and resources totalling thousands of pounds regularly granted to DSA students.

As a beneficiary of DSA, I can safely say that I’m one of the people who has only ever used the free laptop and printer. I bet that most people who receive DSA support don’t bother with the additional benefits either.

Of course, there are many people who legitimately need DSA help and would struggle if their support was cut or removed. To provide the point, the National Union of Students recently claimed: “59 per cent of disabled respondents are worried about not having enough money to meet basic living expenses.”

Fair enough, but why does a middle class student with mild dyslexia or dyspraxia need thousands of pounds of equipment and training spent on them?

I obviously need a laptop for my studies, but who doesn’t? Why should I be more deserving of some free stuff than every other student – let alone those from families further down the income ladder? As much as I enjoy having a laptop and free replacements – the government will always give me a new one if it ever breaks down – I simply don’t deserve one just for being a bit clumsy.

But more importantly, the laptop and printer account for less than £500 out of the money assigned to me and other DSA beneficiaries. Huge sums are set aside for expensive tutorials, training and software programmes.

Edward, a third year politics student and DSA beneficiary, said the extra services are vital: “The one-to-one tutoring time is the thing that mainly helps you develop, it gives you the confidence that everything will be checked out.

“I can probably function independently but it is still very useful because I try to get better.”

Computer Science second year Jack Reed said the free laptop has been “very helpful”, but admitted hundreds of pounds of software has been wasted on him: “I don’t actually use any of the software because all my lectures are recorded for me by the lecturer.”

A brief examination of my own Disabled Student’s Allowance funds reveals that £755 of equipment or software was wasted on me since I’ve only ever used the laptop and printer. A further £1750 per year was assigned for tuition I have never actually attended.

The NUS may be right to support concerned students in a climate of cuts, and no one would suggest taking away the equipments or services they use.

But a simple fact remains: the government is spending ludicrous amounts of money on stuff that isn’t getting used. I know many people who get DSA, but not one of them has used any of the £400+ specialist software assigned to them.

You might ask why people are taking this free stuff if they don’t need it in the first place. But I’m sure you brought loads of things to uni you thought were necessary but have never touched. The same goes for a lot of the DSA software.

When you first get your DSA, an expert tells you what you do and don’t need. You don’t have a clue that your £100 dictaphone and microphone are useless until you get to university and realise all the lectures are recorded anyway.

Considering all the cuts being made in education, this sort of waste is disgusting and the money could be spent in more efficient and effective ways. Pay the staff a fair wage, buy more library books and improve facilities that benefit everyone rather than on a group people who, if they were being honest, don’t really need it.

But until this happens, I’m going to enjoy my free laptop.