Drastic government cuts slash disabled students’ benefits

Over 90 per cent of students currently receiving the Disabled Students’ Allowance will be affected by drastic measures reducing their benefits.

The cuts are set to be enforced as early as next September according to a survey conducted by Randstad Student Support.

The funding cuts will affect 94 per cent of those currently receiving DSA, with the majority – 54 per cent- of these students not even being aware of the plans.

Nine of out 10 students surveyed said the measure will prevent them from reaching their full academic support, while research shows only 14 per cent of DSA students would achieve a 2:1 of more – a huge decrease from the current rate of 80 per cent.

Workplace diversity is set to be negatively impacted too, with fewer disabled students able to find a job after study.

Victoria Short, managing director of Randstad Student and Worker Support, said: “Equality of opportunity is why schemes like DSA exist. So, any improvements should be aimed at making that mission more effective.

“Unfortunately there doesn’t appear to have been a real public debate about the impact of these changes on those terms – or a determined effort by the departments involved to build a viable alternative.

“Shifting responsibility to universities is much more significant than it sounds.

“If disabled students must judge universities not by their teaching reputation, but on the likelihood of receiving the necessary support to study, then disabled students face a fundamentally different choice to others.

“This matters when choosing where to study, and whether to attend higher education in the first place.”

The cuts keep happening

Third year politics student Adam is outraged by the news that Liverpool University will be cutting disability funding: “I can’t believe there are more cuts to education funding, especially to extremely worthy people.

“It is just a fact that students with disabilities need certain help from the University and that quite often doesn’t come cheap.”

The University can choose to fill the gap left the by the cuts itself, but only 4 per cent of students believe the same level of support will be provided.

The University told The Tab: ‘Disabled Students’ Allowance is provided by student funding bodies such as Student Finance England. It has never been administered by the University.

“The University is in the process of considering new ways to support disabled students in light of the proposed changes to the funding system.”