Satellite navigation and dyscalculia: reasonable adjustment under the DSA?

1. Satellite navigation and dyscalculia: reasonable adjustment under the DSA?   Dyscalculia and Dyslexia in Higher Education “Forging the Future” Wednesday 5th April 2006 Edward Herbert Building, Loughborough University

2. Introduction • Case study • To protect confidentiality no names or locations will be given • Support was provided following the assessment in line with the DfES (DSA) guidelines • Subsequently a Global Positioning System (GPS) was recommended • The recommendation was approved by the Local Education Authority (LEA) • Student has been successful in using GPS to support her to gain her degree

3. What is the Disabled Students’ Allowance? • An allowance to meet the additional costs arising from the combination of impairment and demands of the course • Who qualifies? • A student taking a recognised course: eligibility confirmed by their LEA or Funding body, such as the NHS • The disability has been diagnosed by a recognised practitioner • SpLD disabilities include: dyslexia, dyspraxia, AD(H)D, dyscalculia • New regulations from 2007 to ensure standardisation of recognised practitioners qualifications, tests administered and report style and content.

4. What does the DSA provide (05/06)? There are four kinds of financial help: • Specialist equipment allowance of up to £4,680 for the whole course. • Non medical helper allowance (up to £11,840 for full time study; up to £8,885 for part time study). • A general disabled student allowance (up to £1,565 for full time study; up to £1,170 for part time study). • Extra travel costs allowance.

5. DSA Access Assessment • Assessments arranged through recognised centres • Assessor reviews evidence, course information and student details in advance of assessment • Assessment takes the form of an interview, with an exchange of information • Strategies are discussed during the interview • There will be a demonstration of equipment and software, as appropriate

6. History and current problems experienced by the student Details of the course requirements Evidence provides justification for recommendations in report

7. Following the interview: • Liaison with other agencies: LEA/Disability officers/suppliers/course leaders • A report is written based on the interview • It is a consultative document for the LEA administering the DSA • The report will make specific recommendations from the 4 categories of funding • A copy of the report is sent to the student before it is sent to the LEA

8. Reasonable adjustment All students can expect to spend money on books, photocopying, transport, paper etc. The DfES (DSA) guidelines provides for • Additional expenses the student incurs , due to their disability, by attending their course • Any recommendations must be supported by evidence of need • LEA’s have a duty to ‘gate-keep’ the allowance • If the LEA feel the recommendation is not related to both disability and course, they may decline to accept the recommendations

9. Case study student: • Female, mature student • Year 2 of 3-year degree BA Social Care • Degree involves 2 long-term placements of 100 days each • During placement she must visit care-users in their home or at day centres • Diagnosis of Irlen syndrome • Diabetic

10. Student reports: • Not dyslexic: reading, writing and spelling not a problem • Main difficulty so far: passing level 2 Basic Skills Mathematics • Life long difficulties with number, space, time, distance, money, left/right confusion • Cannot use a watch • Does not handle money- hands her purse over in shops • Has one PIN number for all cards • Gets very stressed and confused when map-reading • Impossible to map-read and drive

11. Educational psychologist reports: • Diagnosis of dyscalculia • Ed. Psy. report notes difficulties with map-reading, left/right confusion, numbers and sequencing • Performance subtests scores depressed, not in line with verbal skills,16 point difference • WRAT-3 Written Arithmetic at 3rd percentile

12. Educational psychologist reports (cont): • Lowest indexical score was in Perceptual Organization: Scaled Score of 0. Confirms difficulties with ability to identify fine details and with identifying patterns and sequences • Short-term auditory memory a strength: index score 14, 91st percentile  • This relative strength in auditory memory would suggest that the task of driving a car whilst using a GPS would not overload the auditory working memory

13. Course details: • Course leader confirmed that two one-hundred-day placements are compulsory • During these placements the student must attend team meetings at a variety of locations • Student must visit service-users in their homes • In order to attend the team meetings and visit the service-users the student must navigate to many, varied locations

14. Why recommend a GPS? • The student contacted CELT concerned about not being able to find her way to clients • The key factor is that she has to navigate a large number of routes on each placement, which does not allow for familiarity or routine to be established • She had tried alternative support: sharing a car with another student/her tutor travelling with her/map-reading herself • She asked CELT to consider supplying a GPS system

15. How GPS met the needs of this student with dyscalculia • Simple to use and understand • Route is established by postcode • Student does not need to make any decisions about route • Directions given by neutral, calm voice • Clear, visual ,mapping with 3D images and arrows confirming aural instructions • If driver goes off route then GPS quickly advises how to reposition • Reduces stress levels

16. Is it Reasonable Adjustment under the DfES guidelines? • Is it an ‘additional expense incurred due to her being a student’? • Is the support justified due to her disability? • Is the support needed due to her course? • Is it reasonable to expect her to be able to use the GPS efficiently? • Will the provision of this support meet her particular, individual needs under the DfES guidelines?

17. Without the GPS? How would the student's academic progression suffer without the GPS? • She would take longer getting to people's homes and care team meetings (time others could use for preparation/private study) • She would arrive in an anxious state and been less able to perform well on her placements • In some instances, she might have been unable to arrive at all and would have had to extend her placements or miss out on cases that would have been relevant to her coursework.

18. Recommendation made from Specialist equipment allowance • In November 2004,after serious consideration, CELT recommended the provision of a GPS system to meet this students needs • In December 2004 the LEA agreed this was a reasonable recommendation and agreed to supply this equipment • TomTom Go 300 recommended , today’s price £280.00 approx.

19. Questions we asked at CELT • Will this start an avalanche of requests for GPS systems? • Will this undermine the perception of the DSA in the mind of the LEA/public? • Is this a unique set of circumstances? A nursing student, for example, would be likely to undertake each of his or her placements on a single site and so it would be expected that familiarity with the route would soon develop. Not so in this case.

20. Positive factors: • Student was keen and pro-active to get the support • Student liaised closely with the Disability Officer at university to discuss the request • The Ed. Psy report gave clear, specific test results to justify the recommendations • The officer at the LEA agreed to the recommendation, after considering the evidence. He did not dismiss it out of hand.

21. What the student says today: • Fantastic! It has transformed my life • Taken away the stress of driving • Gives me peace of mind: it talks to me • Took me some time to be confident that it would get me there but now I trust it 100% • The best bit of equipment I got! • I have passed all parts of my course

22. References: • Disabled Students’ Allowance: www.dfes.gov.uk/studentsupport • DfES Working Party Report on Assessment in Higher Education www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/dfesreport • Forum and review of GPS: www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk/tomtom-go-300-reviews.html

23. Questions & Answers

24. Sue McKennaSM9@soton.ac.uk Centre for Enabling and Learning Technologies (CELT), University of Southampton, Highfield Southampton SO17 1BJ Celt@soton.ac.uk Tel: 020 8059 7233