A third of university students with learning needs unaware of allowances

Global assistive technology company, Texthelp, has unveiled new research highlighting the way that neurodivergent university students feel about the support they receive through the Disabled Students’ Allowance.

More than half of UK these students who were surveyed feel more could be done to increase awareness of neurodiversity within university, the media and amongst their peer groups 

The survey interviewed and polled more than 100 UK neurodivergent university students and it discovered that many were either not aware of or had not applied for the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA), despite being eligible.

Awareness of the DSA and who is eligible was highlighted as one of the biggest setbacks of applications. Almost a third of students surveyed who had not applied said they had not heard of the DSA and a third said they did not know that they were eligible for the allowance.

The survey questioned the wide range of reasons as to why students might not apply for DSA support. A third of students said that they feared judgement by their peers. And 30% said that they feared people would think they are not as smart as they are.

The results of the report are important, as three quarters of neurodivergent students said that DSA support (such as receiving assistive technology) would be beneficial for their academic studies.

Increasing awareness of the DSA and who is eligible is key to ensuring neurodivergent students are able to access vital support and guidance. This will help eligible students to achieve their full potential at university.

Rick Bell, Head of Education at Texthelp said: “The findings from this survey have been incredibly insightful. They have highlighted what needs to be done to further support the needs and aspirations of neurodivergent university students

“These insights will help Texthelp to build on our intelligence, vision and knowledge of the DSA to provide a powerful suite of assistive tools for neurodivergent students.”

This survey and its findings are part of a wider awareness campaign titled, “Same but Different”, which aims to highlight the similar but distinctive brains of neurodivergent students from all around the nation.

 To find out more about Texthelp, visit https://text.help/same-but-different