Post the Thirty-Fifth - I, too, am Higher Education

Many of you will recognise today's title as an adaptation of the slogan used by students seeking to raise awareness of the presence (and importance) of ethnic minority groups on university campuses. Now, I am Caucasian, so I cannot claim to share the experiences articulated in these campaigns. That said, this post constitutes my contribution to #DSAday, a nationwide lobby by students against proposed cuts to Disabled Students' Allowance and, as these cuts have the potential to exclude students with disabilities from Higher Education, the wording seemed extremely appropriate.

So, in the spirit of the campaigns whose name it shares, for this post I have taken some photographs of me holding up signs that relate to my experience of the importance of this provision. First, though, I feel I should explain what exactly it involves. To phrase it fairly simply, DSA is a government-funded grant facilitating study-related support for students with disabilities. The provision covers a wide range of conditions, from physical and sensory impairments and chronic illness, to mental health issues and Specific Learning Difficulties like dyslexia. It includes:

• Computers with individualised adaptations and/or specialised software

• Note takers, scribes/readers and extra time or breaks for exams, and other non-medical help such as library assistance or mentoring support

• Reimbursement on course-related costs incurred as a result of disability (encompassing everything from extra printing and photocopying to a small discount on accommodation fees)

Due to the nature of my cerebral palsy, I require almost every single item on each one of those three bullet points - and, thanks to DSA, I have had access to them throughout the course of both my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. They have been vital, and they will continue to be so. However, under the proposed cuts, most of these will be removed. Note takers and scribes are to be cut completely, computers will be limited to those students who have only the most (verifiable on paper) complex needs, and students presenting with dyslexia will only be eligible if they are either profoundly affected or have additional complex needs. Also, there will be no reimbursement for accommodation costs (if, for instance, the most expensive block on campus is the only one with rooms big enough for my chair).

With these rules (dyslexia excepted, since I do not have it, though many of my friends do) it would be impossible for me to study - as you will learn from the photos below. Moreover, I am not the only one - these changes will be to the detriment of the educational futures of the vast majority of students (and, indeed, prospective students) who have disabilities in the UK. Hopefully, if enough people say no, they won't be put through. Otherwise, we may well disappear from academia altogether. As we've only really just got here, I don't want that to happen, do you?

DSA means I could afford to live on campus with help instead of 100 miles away.

DSA means the difference between good lecture notes and NO lecture notes.

DSA means I can dream of doing a PhD. DSA cuts means I may not be able to.