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The Access SUMMIT Assessment
Service is able to assist students with a wide range of difficulties as we
have assessors with a wide range of expertise. Access SUMMIT is on the list
of registered assessment centres with the
Quality Assurance Group (QAG) to undertake DSA assessments. The Centre
is also a member of the
National Network of Assessment Centres (NNAC). |
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As a member of The National Network of
Assessment Centres,
Access SUMMIT offers an Assistive Technology and Personal Support Assessment
Service for people with disabilities. Most of our assessment work is related to
the Disabled Students Allowances (available for many students with disabilities
in Higher Education) but we are also able to undertake assessments for people in
relation to study in FE and employment where we believe our expertise allows.
Our team of assessors has
experience and expertise in assisting students with a wide range of needs
resulting from specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, physical
difficulties and communication impairments, hearing and visual impairments,
mental health difficulties and Aspergers Syndrome. We consider each referral
carefully to make sure that an appropriate assessor or assessors are assigned to
each client. Where we think that we may need additional expertise, for example
from a Speech and Language Therapist or an Occupational Therapist or staff from
one of the specialist disability centres such as The
ACE Centre - North or The RNIB we will
advise the client accordingly and organise this.
If you wish to apply for funding through the
Disabled Students Allowances, you must contact your Local Education Authority
(LEA) Student Awards Team (or NHS for Nursing Students or Social Work Funding
Council for Social Work Diploma students ) and ask for forms relating to the
Disabled Students Allowance to be sent to you. You should complete these and
send them back to your Funding Body as soon as possible along with proof of your
disability. In the case of dyslexia (or any other specific learning difficulty)
this will be a copy of your diagnostic report (e.g. from an educational
psychologist - although reports from other professionals may be accepted - you
should check what is acceptable with your Funding Body).
If your evidence is accepted, your Funding Body
should then
write to you giving its permission for you to proceed for an Assessment of Needs
at an Assessment Centre and telling you about any particular requirements or
limitations which may apply.
To enquire about an assessment
or to make a referral please contact:
Marlene Parnell Tel 0161 275 0986 or Emma Woodward on Tel 0161 275 0996 or Email
assessments@access-summit.org.uk
Alternatively use our
Assessment Referral Form.
Things that you need to know about an
Assessment of Needs Appointment at Access SUMMIT
- The appointment is likely to take between 1
and 2.5 hours
- The purpose of the Disabled Student Allowance
assessment is to identify study strategies and appropriate technologies, which
will support your study in H.E. It is the aim of the assessor to utilise your
strengths, recognise the impact of your disability and identify ways of making
you as independent in your studies as possible.
- While this appointment is called an
assessment, it is not a test and will not require you to pass anything.
Instead, it is a discussion with someone who has experience of helping
students to identify
appropriate provision, resources and strategies for you to use in relation to
the particular difficulties you are or will experience on your course. The assessment is a
two way process of listening, experimenting, at the end of which the assessor
will make recommendation based on need, knowledge and experience. You may have
a good understanding of what has supported you in the past but it is helpful
not arrive with preconceived ideas but to keep an open mind and let the
assessment process identify the most suitable options.
- The DSA cannot be used to give any student an
unfair advantage over course colleague, it is designed to create a level
playing field.
- Many students feel that computer technology
would be useful to them and the assessment report may recommend equipment,
training and study strategies etc based on the identification of needs.
However, there are particular restrictions applying to these and both Access
SUMMIT and your funding body have to follow strict guidelines from the
government (Department for Education and Skills) which sets out the
circumstances in which they may be recommended. All recommendations made must
be directly associated with a difficulty you have as a consequence of your
disability. In a number of cases this means that we are unable to recommend
all the resources you feel would be useful.
- Specific software or hardware can only be
included in the assessment where the disability demands it.
- However, if this is the case, many funding
bodies will allow you to add your own funds to that money they are able to
make available to allow you to purchase additional or alternative equipment.
For example: it may not have been possible to recommend a laptop PC and so a
desktop was recommended and your funding body has approved this, but you would
still prefer a laptop. Your LEA may allow you to pay the difference to the
supplier to allow you to get a laptop PC.
- If you already have a computer, we
will need to
take that into account, but to do so, we will need to know the details of
its specification. Information about how to find these details are available
here.
- Assessments are different, please do not
compare yours with others as each assessment is tailored to the individual
needs.
- The strategies recommended are designed to
support you in your education and will be configured to utilise the technology
which may be introduced, to its highest potential. They are tailored around
your strengths.
- Suppliers of technology are recommended in the
assessment report. Most LEA’s order the equipment direct from the recommended
supplier.
- Any funds recommended in the assessment report
for equipment of that specification only. Equipment of a higher specification,
although it may be cheaper CANNOT be considered.
- It will be helpful if, before the Assessment
appointment, you think carefully about the particular difficulties you are
experiencing and the possible ways in which these could be addressed. You
might find it helpful to think about what has and has not worked for you in
the past. The assessor’s job will be to consider how these difficulties can
be addressed through the use of The DSA given those limitations which do
apply.
- We may have sent a Further Details Request
Form to fill in and send back to us. If we have, it is simply to help us
decide which Assessor will be best for you to see and to give us some idea
about the kinds of things you might need.
- When you first arrive for your appointment we
may need to check out some details with you. We may have other Assessment
appointments organised so may need to ask you to wait while we get everyone
sorted out.
- During the Assessment appointment you may be
given the opportunity to try out various resources. The assessor will need to
write some notes to help with writing the report. Some assessors may type
these notes directly into a PC.
- Following the Assessment the assessor will
write a report which will form the basis of your request to your funding body
for assistance from the Disabled Students Allowances.
- If computer technology is recommended we have
to specify a supplier. Access SUMMIT, under the direction of the government
(Department for Education and Skills - DfES), must specify a supplier
recognised by them. These suppliers have satisfied The DfES that they meet
certain standards. In most cases, Access SUMMIT specifies the nearest
recognised supplier which is
Remtek based in
Salford.
- The Assessment Report will usually take
between one and two weeks to write.
- If you agreed with the recommendations made at
the time of the assessment and agreed that the report can be sent direct to
your Funding Body then as soon as it has been forwarded to Access SUMMIT and
checked over it will be sent to your Funding Body.
- However, you may have asked to see a copy of
the assessment report before it is sent to your Funding Body in which case it
will be sent to you to check over. Check over the report carefully when you
get it to make sure it is accurate, is a fair record of your discussion and
has the recommendations you agreed with the assessor. Then contact Access
SUMMIT to either: agree that the report is accurate and can be forwarded to
your funding body or point out any inaccuracies or omissions which will be
discussed and resolved before submission to your Funding Body.
- Once the Assessment Report reaches your
Funding Body Access SUMMIT has no control over this decision or the length of
time the decision takes but we suggest that if you have not heard anything
within three weeks after the Assessment Report has been sent to them you
should phone or e-mail the person dealing with your request at your funding
body using the contact details on the front of your Assessment Report.
- Occasionally funding bodies ask Access SUMMIT
for more information or clarification about a particular recommendation. We
try to deal with this as quickly as possible but if it does happen the final
decision will be inevitably delayed.
If you have any queries relating to an Assessment Appointment please contact:
Marlene Parnell Tel 0161 275 0986 or Emma Woodward on Tel 0161 275 0996 or Email
assessments@access-summit.org.uk
If you have had an Assessment Appointment and
you need to let us know that you agree with the recommendations made:
Use our Agreement
with Assessment Report Recommendations Form.
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