Campaigners Urge Government to Halt Funding Cuts for Disabled Students' Tech Support
Disability advocates have urged the government to reconsider plans to reduce funding for specialist technological support for tens of thousands of disabled students across England.
Nearly 10,000 individuals have signed a petition opposing the Department for Education's (DfE) proposal to withdraw financial support for specialist assistive software currently provided through the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA).
The petition warns that these cuts could "widen the attainment gap for disabled students, increase student withdrawals, worsen mental health pressures, and reduce progression into employment."
The DSA is a grant designed to assist students with additional costs related to their disabilities in higher education. In the academic year 2023-24, over 88,000 students benefited from the allowance, which amounted to £203 million in funding.
Government Cites Advances in Technology as Reason for Funding Withdrawal
The DfE has stated that funding for specialist software is no longer necessary except in "exceptional circumstances," attributing this to technological advancements that have made free, widely available mass-market tools sufficient for most needs.
"Where a student requires support that can’t be met through widely available free tools, they will continue to receive funded software through DSA,"a DfE spokesperson said.
Concerns Raised Over Effectiveness of Free Tools Compared to Specialist Software
However, the British Assistive Technology Association (BATA) has challenged this view, emphasizing that free, general-purpose tools "do not provide equivalent functionality" compared to individually assessed, clinically recommended specialist tools.
"For many disabled students, specialist assistive technology is the difference between participating in higher education and being unable to do so at all,"a BATA spokesperson stated.
The assistive software funded through the DSA includes specialised tools for text-to-speech, speech-to-text, mind mapping, composition functions, as well as software that supports research, note-taking, and time and task management.
Student Experiences Highlight Importance of Specialist Technology
Sam Wood, 19, a second-year criminology student and disabled students’ officer at Edge Hill University, described the significant barriers he faces due to a severe visual impairment.
"DSA-funded specialist tech is what levels the playing field for me,"Wood said.
"Because of my condition, reading takes me much longer. Tools like Scholarcy are vital because they summarise long journal articles into key points, saving me from wasting hours on irrelevant literature. I then use MindView to break that information down into manageable visual chunks that I can easily refer to when writing.
"Forcing us onto clunky, free alternatives adds an unnecessary layer of stress and academic stigma, while creating a huge burden of proof for students to qualify for ‘exceptional circumstances’."
Helena Mok, 22, in her final year studying neuroscience with data science at Keele University, has fibromyalgia and ADHD and uses tools such as Genio, Grammarly, Read&Write, and Tailo to support her studies.
"The government’s proposal to strip away specialised software and replace it with generic, mass-market AI tools like ChatGPT or Copilot completely misjudges how disabled students learn,"she said.
"While specialist tools like Tailo use tailored AI to give short, relevant educational explanations, asking a generic chatbot a scientific question just results in a long-winded, inaccurate wall of text."
Industry Voices Warn Against Replacing Specialist Technology with Free Alternatives
Chris Purcell, co-founder of CareScribe, an assistive technology company, criticised the proposed changes.
"Replacing specialist assistive technology with untested free alternatives is abandonment.
"It strips away the adjustments that make study possible and exposes disabled students to failure that is entirely avoidable. Ministers should halt these proposals, publish a full impact assessment and protect disabled students’ allowances so talent is not lost at the university gate."
Consultation Period and Government Response
The government consultation on the proposed changes to the DSA is scheduled to close on 18 June.
The DfE spokesperson reiterated the department’s position:
"As technology has moved on, much of the functionality in the tools DSA currently funds is now freely available and already widely used by university students.
"We want to modernise the system to reflect this, while ensuring that all students continue to receive further specialist help if they need it. No one will be left without the support they need to study with confidence."
