There is good support and financial help if you are considering further education.

Many young people with hearing impairment may feel unsure about the prospect of going off to university or other higher education institutions. AimHigher is a national government project that was set up in 2003 and will continue to 2008 aimed at helping young people make informed choices about going into higher education. The project can provide information about higher education and courses and can give information about financial matters to students entering higher education – particularly about financial support and advice.  In Cumbria there are AimHigher officers working in West Cumbria, Carlisle and Eden, South Lakes and Barrow. They can arrange visits for young people to ‘try out’ particular universities. They put on information evenings in schools and arrange for  university graduates to talk with individual young people about their experiences of higher education.

www.aimhigher.ac.uk

There are a number of Further Education Colleges in Cumbria that offer a wide range of subjects. Studying at a FE college can give you a vocational qualification, combine practical work placements with college-based study, or provide you with the right qualifications for higher education. FE colleges can offer independence and further study with the support of being fairly close to home. To get a list of FE colleges in Cumbria link to website: www.scit.wlv.ac.uk/ukinfo/felisth.html  Click on the ‘active map’ link.

All FE colleges in Cumbria have a learning support department and team who can offer additional support for students with hearing impairment. Many students have found their help has been really useful in getting them through their courses. Supporting them by providing the right sort of technical equipment, extra note taking, providing signing support, etc. The important thing is not to feel afraid to ask for the support, it is there and yours by right - and if it means you can get better results and therefore better job prospects it has got to be worth taking up. Each FE College website will give you the details of their learning support team. Try this one for an example – Link to  www.westcumbcoll.ac.uk/Learning_Support.asp

If you are worried about further and higher education and whether you will be able to cope you will be pleased to know that there is good support available. University of Central Lancashire is a good example and Doncaster College has a campus for deaf students from all over the UK
www.uclan.ac.uk  
www.deaf-college.com
www.connexionscumbria.co.uk

Doncaster College for Deaf People

The College is for Deaf and hearing-impaired young people and the vast majority of students are educated and trained on campus.  Courses are delivered using a range of communication methods appropriate to the student’s needs.  Residential accommodation is available, if required. 

The College can advise on:-

• Course guidance
• Course careers
• Personal and social support
• Help in claiming benefits and allowances
• Medical needs
• Audiological support

www.deaf-college.com

The University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN)

Deaf students are supported in class by interpreters, note-takers and lip-speakers as appropriate, along with technical equipment.  The University also has specially-designed living accommodation for students who are D/deaf.

UCLAN is a member of the National Federation of Access Centres which means they can assess your needs and make representations on your behalf, should you require additional funding.

There is a full information pack outlining services for D/deaf students and they strongly recommend you contact them before applying, to find out if they can offer you the support you need.  Telephone/textphone no. is
01772 892593.

www.uclan.ac.uk

1 .  What other help is available?

Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs)

DSAs help with costs you incur, in attending your course, as a direct result of your disability.  DSAs are available to full-time and part-time students with disabilities, although part-time students must be studying at least 50% of a full-time course.  DSAs are available to both undergraduates and postgraduates.  How much you can get does NOT depend on your income or that of your household.  Unlike a student loan, this assistance does not have to be repaid.

Depending on your needs, extra support from the DSA could include specialist equipment, a non-medical helper's allowance, help towards the additional costs of travelling to your institution and a general allowance - for example:-

• Specialist equipment allowance for the whole course
• A non-medical helper's allowance
• A general disabled students' allowance
• Extra travel costs you have to pay as a result of disability and not normally for everyday travel cost.

In addition, financial help may be available from the Access to Learning Fund. This applies to students already on their higher education course.  Your college or university will be able to tell you how to get help from this fund. 

2.  How to apply for financial help

• If you are a full-time undergraduate student or on any initial teacher training course, you should contact your local authority (LA, previously Local Education Authority or LEA) for further advice on making an application. The process of getting DSA support will be made quicker and easier if you agree to certain measures being taken by your LA to get you the help you need - for example, your LA paying suppliers of equipment and other support direct, and to releasing information about your DSA application to the Disability Officer at your university or college and your DSA assessor. Your LA will ask you to consent to these arrangements.

• If you are a part-time undergraduate student or a postgraduate student (other than a student on a PGCE course) you can apply for a DSA using the "Application for Disabled Students Allowance" form, which comes with a "Guide to filling in your application for DSA".  You can get a copy of any of these forms from your Local Authority.  They can also be downloaded from the 'Forms' part of the 'Forms and guides' section from www.dfes.gov.uk/studentsupport/students/stu_students_with_d_1.shtml  website.  You can read or download them by clicking here.

3.  Other information

Further information on help available to students with disabilities can be found on the Skill website.  Skill is a national bureau for students with disabilities. It promotes opportunities for young people and adults with any kind of disability in post-16 education, training and employment across the UK. The Skill website can be accessed at: www.skill.org.uk  
 

Skill: National Bureau for Students With Disabilities. Skill is a national charity promoting opportunities for young people and adults with any kind of disability in post-16 education, training and employment across the UK.

The Quality Assurance Group (QAG)

In order to determine the extra help needed for your course, your LEA will ask you to undergo an assessment of your course related needs at an agreed assessment centre. The assessment centre will provide a comprehensive report identifying the type of equipment required, the cost and a recommended supplier. It will also identify any training and non-medical help that will be required, together with an estimated cost of this support.  It is likely that your LA will ask you to attend one of the assessment centres which have registered their intentions to meet the requirements of a new quality assurance scheme which aims at delivering a quality assessment service for students.  Registered centres are subject to a regular inspection.

Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

Generally speaking, study should not affect your Disability Living Allowance (DLA) as it is a benefit that meets your home needs, and therefore, is not related to your study pattern. Two exceptions to this are as follows:-

1)    If you are attending a residential college where care is provided as part of the service, then the care component of your DLA may be stopped;

2)    The care component may also be stopped if you have been assessed as being unable to do something (e.g. you are following a catering course, but have previously been assessed as being unable to prepare a meal).

Income Support

Generally, full-time students cannot receive Income Support.  However, certain disabled students may claim this if they qualify for a disability premium or if they have been incapable of work for a continuous period of at least 28 weeks.  If you are in receipt of Income Support and are attending a residential college you may be asked to contribute part or all of your benefits.  This generally depends on who is paying for your residential placement.

For more detailed information about how to qualify for this benefit as a disabled student, please refer to Skill’s information booklet Income Support for disabled students.

What about everyday help?

For many parents of children with a disability or special need getting the appropriate support for their children at school may have been a struggle. The assumption can be that this will be similar if their children go onto further education. This need not be the case. As long as there is evidence of need, then it should be possible to put in the appropriate support.

The system of support in further education is called 'Additional Learning Support'. A learning support advisor at the college should work with you and your child to identify the appropriate support which they will then put in place.

This support can include:

Curriculum support - inside or outside the classroom
Mobility or Personal support
Specialist equipment
Adapted or Modified learning material
Exam Concessions, e.g. extra time, readers and scribes.

The funding is then claimed from the Learning and Skills Council by the college.

It is important to make contact with the advisor at the college as soon as possible as arrangements can take time to put in place.