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We would advise that you go back to your Assessment centre as they recommend the products we supply to yourself. If you cannot afford the upgrade, they have the ability to recommend a higher specification machine and put this forward to the funding body. Alternatively, you may also apply for a hardship fund should your university support this.
We are bound by our agreement with the DSA and your assessment centre to provide what they have recommended.
As a result, we cannot remove items from the order to put towards an upgrade.
If you have a look at your Sales Order, you will see that the total value of the order will match up to the amount detailed on your funding letter. Each item on the sales order will have a cost next to it, where the allocated funding is going.
We have our online portal which shows our upgrade offers, this will show how much the upgrade is and how to do so. The portal information will be included in your confirmation email you will receive once we have processed your order.
If you are considering purchasing your own computer; here is some information to help you decide if it’s the right decision for you.
You may not be aware of some of the benefits to ordering equipment from an approved DSA supplier that has been quoted in your study needs assessment report, here are a few:
- Your funding body pays the supplier directly for your equipment so you don’t need to fund all the cost upfront yourself
- High level of after care services
- Experience of providing equipment to disabled student’s and understanding of their needs
- They will ensure any assistive software recommended in your needs assessment is set up and runs correctly on your computer
If you’d still like to purchase your own computer from another supplier such as an internet company or high street store you can do so, however you’ll need to pay for this yourself and then send your funding body a copy of your receipt for reimbursement. The amount will be confirmed by your funding body and will be the same amount they would have paid towards a computer if you had not decided to purchase your own.
You will also need to make sure you have sufficient warranty and insurance on your computer for the duration of your course. Your funding body will also be able to reimburse you for this cost if you send them a copy of your receipt.
The computer you buy needs to meet the following minimum specification to be eligible for reimbursement:
Before you carry out any updates to your operating system, please contact the supplier of your software to confirm compatibility. If any problems occur with your computer you’ll be responsible for repair or replacement, DSA won’t be able to provide any funding to you for this.
Your next steps:
- Confirm you do wish to purchase your own computer by emailing DSA_Team@slc.co.uk or by calling 0300 100 0607 (Please ensure you use the e-mail address registered on your account and that you state your full name and customer reference number. If you are purchasing a Mac, please let the funding body know so they can re-quote for correct versions of your assistive software)
- Your funding body will confirm that you can go ahead and purchase your own computer.
- Your funding body will request a re-quote of your DSA IT equipment order minus the computer currently on there, and issue you with an updated funding letter.
- Purchase the computer and send them a copy of the receipt.
- Forward a copy of your updated DSA funding letter to the selected equipment supplier, who will be able to install the equipment on your order onto the machine you have purchased.
- Your funding body will pay the amount listed above directly to your bank account once they have received the invoice from your supplier confirming the installation was successful and specification is sufficient.
Our listed Mac upgrades are the default specification for each model as detailed by Apple. If you wish to change aspects of the Mac such as processor, RAM or storage, this changes the Mac into what is known as Configured To Order (CTO). Apple do not hold CTO Macs in stock and can increase the time to source and deliver the machine by up to 4 weeks. If you wish to discuss a CTO Mac upgrade, please contact us.
As long as the assistive software and hardware on your order is compatible with an Apple Mac, you can. If you have items on your order that does not have a Mac compatible version or alternative, the portal will prevent you from upgrading, and display an error message. In situations like this, we recommend contacting us via our live chat facility or calling 01432 845143 to discuss your order further.