Equipment and services can be supplied with financial support from the Disabled Students Allowance scheme (DSA). The amount you can claim is set at the maximum for the academic year in which you make your first application. If you are applying for this allowance for the first time in 2009-2010, you may claim up to £5,161 over the whole period of your course. The allowance will cover the cost of equipment such as a personal computer, voice recognition software or Braille printer.

If the equipment you need costs more than the maximum, you may use any unspent basic allowance to make up the difference. However, you cannot later use the basic allowance to buy other large items of equipment.

As long as you do not go over the maximum for your course, you may also use the allowances for basic or large items of equipment to pay for support services such as:

• Approved repairs, modification or updating
• Insurance or extended warranty costs arising from owning the equipment.
• Training in how to use the equipment or software.

In certain circumstances, you may be advised to lease rather than buy a major item of equipment if this would be more economical or beneficial (for example, if you only need equipment for a short period of time or if you are near the end of your course).