Disability & Inclusion Advice Service (DIAS)
The Disability & Inclusion Advice Service (DIAS) provides information, advice and guidance relating to inclusion issues.
Who do we support?
We support students with a wide range of disabilities, medical conditions, Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs), and mental health conditions, including:
- Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs), such as dyslexia and dyspraxia
- Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC)
- ADHD
- Neurodiversity
- Hearing impairments
- Visual impairments
- Mental Health conditions
- Mobility impairments
- Long-term health conditions, such as epilepsy, cancer or fibromyalgia
We offer:
- A confidential and non-judgmental service
- Appointments (both in person and remote) to meet individual support needs
- Pre-entry information, advice and guidance
- Help with the Disabled Students' Allowances (DSA) process, for those eligible
- Reasonable adjustments, such as exam arrangements and alternative assessments
- Assistance with arranging one-to-one Specialist Study Skills (for students with SpLDs and/or other communication disorders), Specialist Mentoring support and Study Assistants.
- Appropriate liaison with Academic Departments relating to on course support
- Wider liaison where appropriate with other areas of Marjon
How to find us
The DIAS team are located in the Student Wellbeing and Support Hub on the West side of the campus on the ground floor, just down from the Marjon Stores shop. If no one is at the front desk, please press the bell and someone will come out and see you.
Drop-in appointments
In term time, we aim to hold weekly drop-in sessions every Tuesday and Wednesday from 12.30 - 13.30. They operate on a first come, first serve basis and are intended to be short (10-15 mins) appointments for students with a quick query. Longer appointments can be arranged by email (details below).
Disabled Students' Allowances (DSA)
Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA) are grants that are available for UK students who have a disability, long-term health condition, mental health condition or a SpLD (e.g. dyslexia). DSA can help towards the extra costs you may have on your course and pay for additional support, such as Specialist Equipment, Specialist Mentoring or Study Skills, Travel and General costs (e.g. printing and ink).
The type of support and how much you get depends on your individual needs - not your household income. Eligible students may be entitled to DSAs of up to £27,783 (2025-26 figures) which is not a monetary award but goes towards any specialist support & equipment you may need to assist with your studies.
Undergraduate students can apply online, through their funding body (for most UK students this will be Student Finance England). You will need to supply supporting documentation that confirms any diagnosis/es or symptoms. E.g. a letter from your GP or a copy of your diagnostic assessment report from an Educational Psychologist if you are dyslexic. If you don’t already have appropriate documentation to support your DSA application, Student Finance England (SFE) have produced a medical evidence form (link below) that you can take to your GP or a relevant healthcare professional to complete.
All part-time and Postgraduate students need to apply for DSA each year of study by completing a DSA1 form (link below). You will also need to supply supporting documentation.
The DSA process can take up to 12 weeks, so we strongly recommend applying as early as possible so that any support awarded can be put into place ahead of you starting your course.
Here are some useful links:
Gov.uk DSA info - the full DSA process
All DSA application forms and notes for 2025 to 2026 - including DSA1 forms and the SFE medical evidence form
DSA info (Save the Student) - an alternate guide on the DSA process from a student's perspective
Disclosing a disability or medical condition
We know that not everyone who accesses our service thinks of themselves as disabled, but we use the term because it is used in the Equality Act. In the Equality Act, a disability means a physical or a mental health condition which has a substantial and long-term impact on your ability to do normal day-to-day activities.
We strongly encourage students to disclose any disabilities or medical conditions so that we can consider any reasonable adjustments that will support you during your time at university. This might cover anything from extra time for exams to adjustable desks.
We would encourage you to disclose as early as possible but you can do this at anytime during your course. If you have already disclosed, and have a newly diagnosed or an additional condition, please let us know, so that we can review and adjust your support as required.
Please be reassured that any data shared with us is treated as sensitive data under the Data Protection Act.
Further resources
You may also find the following websites helpful:
Information for DSA Needs Assessors
Please see below for information on the support we can provide through DSA.
External Providers Info Pack
NMH Rates 2024-25