Disabled Students Allowance to be scrapped

SU Welfare Officer Luke Pilot has condemned plans to scrap the Disabled Students Allowance.

After the minister for universities and science, Jo Johnson MP, announced an overhaul of the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) which will come into place from September next year, Luke Pilot has written blog about the idea. He stated that the changes will bring “distinct disadvantages” to disabled students.

Under the current system, the DSA is a grant that assists students with additional costs of study relating to their disabilities. However, under the new changes universities and other higher education institutions will now have to pay for non-medical support staff, as well as specialist computer equipment and accommodation.

The DSA helped support students with disabilities through their education Photo: Dominik Golenia / Flickr

The controversial cuts, rejected by the NUS, were announced in 2014 to come into practise by 2017 but were said to be postponed.

Mr Pilot points out the irony of the announcement of the plans which came on the UN’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

He said: “These services are integral to disabled students’ attainment and their wellbeing at University, especially when not all courses use lecture capture technology to help with accessibility issues. Without these services, our disabled students are put at a distinct disadvantage.”

Jo Johnson defended the changes remarking that “a review of the DSAs scheme has been long overdue…The increasing numbers of disabled students entering HE is to be celebrated, as is the increasing numbers of those declaring their disability. However, it is possible that the continued provision of DSAs may have removed the urgency of some HE providers to expand provision for all disabled students”

Jim Cunningham MP for Coventry South challenged Prime Minister David Cameron on the scrapping of the DSA at PMQs in late October of this year.

This followed from a letter from president of the Students’ Union Isaac Leigh to Mr. Cunningham raising the issue.

The Prime Minister ignored this intent of the question whilst providing information on government plans to increase apprentices as well as record high numbers of students, including those from low-income and disabled students.

When questioned, Cameron said record high numbers of disabled students went to Uni Photo: FCO / Flickr

Becky Gittins, third-year Politics student and Chair of Warwick Labour argued that “disabled students incur many costs other than the ones being considered in the government’s decision…The unconsidered costs of caring staff, mobility devices and more expensive accommodation, in some cases, are a crucial element of the debate which is going unaccounted for.”

Lindo Nyathi, first-year Biomedical Science student, said: “The government is putting arbitrary targets over the lives of students, students who are struggling already with the support they’re being given. These changes will surely only make higher education institutions less inclusive place.”

Pilot finished his blog post with a statement to the government “this government, with its austerity-driven agenda which continues to disproportionately affect and discriminate against under-served groups, is being both careless, callous and dangerous in the politics it is playing with the lives of real people.

“Now more than ever we need to oppose these cuts and fight for education which is open to all, with equal access and free from discrimination. These cuts are regressive and a major step backwards in supporting vulnerable students through their education”