Next steps after completing DSA application: Northern Ireland Applying for Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA): Northern Ireland
After receiving your Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) application, Student Finance NI will contact you to confirm whether you’re eligible. Student Finance NI will also let us know if you’re eligible.
Needs assessment for DSA application
We will contact you to organise your needs assessment. First of all, we'll send you a pre-assessment form to complete. We'll also need a copy of the supporting evidence you sent to SFNI as part of your application. Once you’ve returned the form and evidence, we'll contact you to confirm a time for your needs assessment. You don’t have to pay for the needs assessment as the fee is covered by your DSA.
A needs assessment is not a test or an assessment of your disability. It is a collaborative meeting between you and a study needs assessor to discuss your specific study support needs. Sometimes a needs assessor will recommend you also have an ergonomic assessment as part of your DSA application. They will discuss this with you during your needs assessment, however the ergonomic assessment will need to be done at a different time.
After you’ve had your needs assessment, you’ll receive a report with recommendations for your support. You should receive this within seven working days of your appointment. This may take longer if you also need an ergonomic assessment, as you will receive both reports together once the ergonomic assessment has happened.
Next you will receive a letter of entitlement, called a DSA2, listing the support and equipment that has been approved for you.
Receiving the agreed DSA support
Your DSA2 letter will explain the support you’ve been awarded.
If you've been awarded assistive technology, your DSA2 letter will give instructions and contact details of the supplier. Contact the supplier as soon as possible to arrange delivery.
If you've been awarded non-medical help, we'll contact the provider on your behalf to arrange for them to contact you to organise your support sessions.
If you’re not eligible for or have reached the maximum of your DSA
Contact the Open University (OU) Ireland Disability Support Team at ireland-dsa@open.ac.uk or call us on +44 (0)2890 323718 (Mon to Fri 08:30 - 17:00) to discuss options for other sources of funding and support.
Other sources of funding
Alternative funding, separate from the OU and DSA, might be available, for example:
