This is a plain text version of a carousel we shared on Instagram that annotated the Department for Education’s survey regarding the non-medical helper allowance. We also explained what a non-medical helper is on Instagram!

Complete the full survey. 

Each image of the carousel is below along with the text it contains.

Questions

The questions below seek views on the way in which the current NMH system is working for students, HEPs (Higher education providers your university or college), and DSA suppliers (that’s places like us! D&A!), and proposals for improvement.

8. What do you consider is working well for students in the current NMH system?

Please provide your response in the box below

Examples:

• If you’re a student: What has your support helped you with? What did you like about the process of accessing support? How did your support improve your studies? What did you like about your supporters?
• If you’re a tutor/mentor/coach: What have your students said about their experience?
• If you’re HEP staff: How has NMH helped your students? What improvements have you witnessed? what positive feedback have you got from them?

 

9. What do you consider is working well for HEPs ( for example universities, technical colleges) in the current NMH system?

Please provide your response in the box below

Examples:

• If you’re a tutor/mentor/coach: What works well for you in this system? How do you find your job? Do you feel the system considers your needs, and if so, how?

 

10. What do you consider is working well for DSA suppliers (the company coaches/ tutor/ mentor/interpreter/ notetakers work for) in the current NMH system?
    
    (no question is compulsory!)

 

10. What do you consider is working well for DSA suppliers (the company your coach/ tutor/ mentor/interpreter/ notetakers works for) in the current NMH system?
    Please provide your response in the box below
    

Example:

11. What aspects of the current NMH system do you consider are not working well for students? Please provide your response in the box below

Examples:

12. What aspects of the current NMH system do you consider are not working well for HEPs? Please provide your response in the box below

Examples:

13. What aspects of the current NMH system do you consider are not working well for DSA suppliers?

Please provide your response in the box below

Example

• If you’re a tutor/mentor/coach: What isn’t working well for you in this system? What parts of the process do you struggle to understand? Do you feel the system considers your needs, and if not, why?

 

14. Do you have any suggestions for how the current NMH system could be improved?

Please provide your response in the box below

I’d like to see XYZ change about the NMH system

 nothing!/everything!/ time frames/ language/ eligibility criteria/ more choice in suppliers/ less choice in suppliers/ accessibility/ awareness of

 

15. Do you consider it more important for a student to have an individual entitlement for more specialist NMH support or for a HEP to have overall responsibility for the whole of a student’s NMH support?

 Individual entitlement more important (Students’ right to choose their support)

 Overall HEP responsibility more important (Universities’ responsibility to provide support)

Other (please specify)

Please can you explain your answer to the question above.

Examples:

• I preferred having a supporter outside my university because of XYZ and want everyone to have access to the same. I preferred having my university provide support because of XY and want everyone to have access to the same.
• As a tutor/mentor/coach my students have told me they preferred having session with myself as a DSA supplier because of XYZ..
• As HEP staff I think HEP responsibility is important because of XYZ.

 

16. How do you think giving HEPs overall responsibility for the whole of a student’s NMH support would affect the provision offered?
    
    This means that universities and other providers would be wholly responsible for providing each type of support and the process would go through disability services/equivalents. Do you think that would be a good idea?

Please provide your response in the box below

Example:
I think HEP responsibility would be bad/good/better/worse because of

17. Do you think a single approach will work for all students and HEPs?
    
    Did you know there are over 500 different HEPs? HEPs are a lot more than just universities, they

 include specialist providers and colleges. Some have less than 50 students a year!

 

 Yes

 No

Why?

There are 6 more questions to complete!

Complete the full survey. 

Diversity and Ability provide one-to-one support through the Disabled Students’ Allowance. Explore how to apply for DSA, our support, and much more!