DSA - Equipments and Assessment process - Guidance

The request was successful.

Dear Student Loans Company Limited,

I am looking for all information available relating to DSA.

One of the requests you have replied:-

"All recommendations are assessed on a case-by-case basis, and not by
category of disability, working within the parameters of DSA guidance.
Decisions are based on the information available in the needs assessment
report and from the student’s medical evidence. The needs assessment
report is reviewed in order to ensure that all the recommended
support/items are fully justified for the individual student"

1. Can we have DSA guidance that the DSA officers make decisions based on that guidance.

2. Can we have Guidance where assessment centre make decision based on needs assessment reports from student's medical evidence.

3. Can we have other papers or any correspondence relating to make decision on providing PC laptop or Apple laptop?

4. Define what fully justified for the individual student for receiving Apple Laptop.

5. Any other information about providing PC Laptop or Apple laptop using DSA assessment?

Yours faithfully,

Ezio Savva

FOI Publication Scheme, Student Loans Company Limited

Dear Ezio Sawa

Thank you for your email dated 29/04/2015 requesting information under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000. Your request has been logged under
reference 66-15 . Please quote this reference in future communications.

A full response will be issued in due course and no later than 29/05/2015.

Yours sincerely

Dona Marie Steele
Paralegal
Student Loans Company
100 Bothwell Street
Glasgow
G2 7JD

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FOI Publication Scheme, Student Loans Company Limited

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Savva

I refer to your request dated 29/04/2015 requesting the following
information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“FOIA”):

“I am looking for all information available relating to DSA.

One of the requests you have replied:-

"All recommendations are assessed on a case-by-case basis, and not by
category of disability, working within the parameters of DSA guidance.
Decisions are based on the information available in the needs assessment
report and from the student’s medical evidence. The needs assessment report
is reviewed in order to ensure that all the recommended support/items are
fully justified for the individual student"

1. Can we have DSA guidance that the DSA officers make decisions based on
that guidance.

2. Can we have Guidance where assessment centre make decision based on
needs assessment reports from student's medical evidence.

3. Can we have other papers or any correspondence relating to make decision
on providing PC laptop or Apple laptop?

4. Define what fully justified for the individual student for receiving
Apple Laptop.

5. Any other information about providing PC Laptop or Apple laptop using
DSA assessment?”

Response

I can confirm that the Student Loans Company Limited (“SLC”) holds some but
not all of the information you have requested. This response is given for
Student Finance England (“SFE”) Disabled Student’s Allowances (DSA’s)
application only.

I will respond to each question in turn.

1. Please find attached extracts from our DSA Decision Matrix which are
relevant to your request. Any information that does not fall within
the scope of your request has been redacted.

2. SLC does not hold this information. To offer advice and assistance
SLC does not produce or hold guidance for assessment centres. The
Disabled Students’ Allowances Quality Assurance Group (“DSA-QAG”)
website has information about assessment centres which you may find
useful, this can be found at: http://www.dsa-qag.org.uk/.

3. Please refer to the attached extracts from our DSA Decision Matrix.
We have also attached guidance on agreed computer specifications.

4. Please refer to the attached document. There is no prescribed list
of circumstances where an Apple product may be agreed. As with any
other product, Apple products are considered on a case by case basis,
depending upon the specific need of a student.

5. This question appears to be duplication of question 3. Please refer
to the attached documents. I would also refer you the general
information on computer specifications that is published in our
2015/16 DSA Guidance Chapters. This information is technically
exempt under section 21(1) of the FOIA as it is reasonably accessible
to you by other means. Please refer to Practitioners’ section of
our website, at the following internet link:

http://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/polic...

I would draw your attention to the following specific section:

http://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/media...

(section 6, commencing page 52)

Internal review process

I trust that my answer to you is satisfactory; however, if you are unhappy
with the decisions made by me in relation to your freedom of information
request, you may ask SLC for an internal review.

Any such review would be conducted by John Brown, Company Secretary, 100
Bothwell Street, Glasgow, G2 7JD. You may request a review by writing to
John Brown or by emailing the FOI Office
([SLC request email]). In the event that John Brown took part
in the original decision, then David Wallace, Deputy Chief Executive, will
conduct the review. SLC will only consider requests for internal reviews
which are made within 3 months of the date of our original response (except
in exceptional circumstances).

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision.
The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely

Dona Marie Steele
Paralegal
Student Loans Company Limited
100 Bothwell Street
Glasgow
G2 7JD

Email: [SLC request email]

(See attached file: DSA Decision Matrix FOI 66-15.pdf)(See attached file:
Agreed Computer Specification March 2014.doc)

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