The Access Bus is a fully equipped mobile assessment facility for students in higher education who have applied to receive the Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA), a non-means tested government grant. Assessors identify how a student's disability is likely to impact on their study and what recommendations for support, such as assistive technology, aids and adaptations, and human support, can be made and paid for via the DSA.
Malcolm Dixon, Manager of the OU Access Centre in Disabled Student Services, commented,
"Students with disabilities or long-term health conditions often face challenges with their studies which the DSA can help to alleviate. The Access Centre strives to ensure that disability does not have to be disabling, and the Access Bus is part of that strategy to reach individuals."
The Access Bus is equipped with a range of assistive technology for demonstration and testing as part of the DSA assessment process. The bus can be taken to locations across the regions and nations, including the homes of disabled students, or other educational establishments and facilities, for DSA assessments to take place.
The Mobility Roadshow is the UK’s original hands-on consumer showcase event for mobility innovation, displaying a range of products and new ideas promoting independent living for disabled people.
The OU Access Centre will also be a key sponsor of the Ready Willing & Mobile Writing Competition 2012, which will be launched at the Mobility Roadshow on 23 June. School children from across the UK can write a 500-word short story with a disabled child as the central character, encouraging them to think about preconceptions and problems of young disabled people on the move.
Find out more:
- Contact the OU Access Centre: email: Lesley Birch Tel: 01908 653473
- The OU Access Centre
- Services for Disabled Students at the Open University
- Mobility Roadshow Peterborough 2012
