If you’ve been through a DSA needs assessment and support has been recommended, you’re at the start of something that can make a real difference to your university experience. But the support only works if you engage with it consistently and use it well.
Here’s how to get the most from everything that’s been put in place for you.
Understand what you’ve been allocated
Read your needs assessment report carefully. It will outline exactly what support has been recommended and why. If anything is unclear, your DSA assessor or disability services advisor can explain it.
Common DSA support includes specialist mentoring, specialist study skills tuition, assistive technology, and non-medical help for specific needs. Each element is there for a reason.
Set up everything promptly
DSA equipment and software need to be ordered, and support sessions need to be arranged. Don’t leave this until term has started and you’re already overwhelmed. Ideally, get everything in place before the academic year begins or in the first week.
Attend your sessions consistently
This sounds obvious, but it’s worth saying: the students who benefit most from DSA support are those who show up regularly and engage honestly. Missing sessions, particularly in the early weeks when you’re building a working relationship, costs more than it saves.
Be honest about what’s working and what isn’t
Your support is meant to be tailored to you — but that tailoring only happens if you communicate. If a particular strategy isn’t helping, say so. If something new has come up that you’d like to focus on, bring it. Your mentor and tutors want the sessions to be useful.
Keep records
Keep a note of strategies you’ve found helpful, resources you’ve been given, and progress you’ve made. This record is useful in its own right — and it’s genuinely motivating to look back and see how far you’ve come.
Review your support each year
Your needs may change as you move through your degree. A needs review can be requested if your circumstances change significantly.
Your DSA support is an entitlement, not a favour. Use it fully — that’s exactly what it’s there for.