DSA stands for Disabled Students Allowance and is a term used in the UK in higher education institutions.
Includes:
Everything in Ayoa Pro, plus:
Idea bank reduces cognitive overload by allowing students to get ideas down quickly without having to decide where to add them to their mind map
Ayoa's toolbar customisation and Auto Focus tool hide unnecessary buttons and information, allowing students to focus their attention
Ayoa promotes group work collaboration by providing a free version to all students, allowing project collaboration and live chat, all within the Ayoa app
Visual task management with user-defined categories reduces overwhelm and allows students to plan their academic work with help from a supporter
A clean and intuitive interface motivates students by eliminating cluttered menus, making tool discovery effortless and encouraging software usage.
Allows students to manage their academic tasks within user-defined categories, reducing anxiety and overwhelm.
Allows creative note-taking with the ability to add text, sticky notes, images and attachments or start with one of the proven templates.
Allows users to set default font type, size and background colours, ensuring their work is accessible from the start.
Allows students to keep track of their ideas an add them to their mind map at a later point, so that they are not forgotten.
Allows students to access and add to their work anywhere, any time with iOS and Android apps included for mobile an tablet.
Ayoa Ultimate includes neuro-settings that support neurodiverse learning and suggest ideas to help avoid blank page syndrome.
Allows students to collaborate on planning, task lists and whiteboards and chat with group members and supporters, all within the software.
“One of my favourite features is the idea bank, as very often students will advise they have ideas but don’t know where they fit in their plan – so they can store them all in the idea bank until they find the most relevant section to link them to. I have also found students respond well to the task boards, as it enables them to keep track of projects, deadlines and their progress on each – particularly useful for those completing dissertations or thesis.”
Flora, Access for Students
To give you more information about the DSA, whether you are a needs assessor or student, you will find answers to specific questions here:
DSA stands for Disabled Students Allowance and is a term used in the UK in higher education institutions.
The DSA (Disabled Students Allowance) is a grant that’s available to students that have a disability, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty or neurological difference (such as dyslexia or autism). It covers specialist equipment and software that can aid learning (such as Ayoa), as well as non-medical helpers and additional travel requirements.
The DSA is something that doesn’t need to be repaid, and it can be claimed on top of regular student finance. The amount somebody is entitled to will depend on their individual needs, not their household income. Please see the official GOV.UK website for more information, including how to apply for DSA.
If you live in the UK and have a disability or health condition that affects your ability to study, you are eligible for the DSA. This could be a physical disability, a sensory disability, a long-term health condition, or a specific learning difficulty (SpLD) such as ADHD or dyspraxia.
Once your eligibility for the DSA has been confirmed by Student Finance England or Student Finance Wales, you will need to get in touch with an assessment centre to determine what help you need. At this stage, you can express your interest in using Ayoa to aid in your learning, and find out how you can access it or upgrade your free account to use its full features through your DSA.
Find your nearest assessment centre in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland by clicking here.
Ayoa is a versatile piece of assistive technology, meaning that it can help a range of neurodivergent learners, studying various degrees and courses. The best way to discover how Ayoa can help your students is to book in for a one-to-one Ayoa Assistive Software Training session.
Ayoa also creates YouTube videos on its features, justification sheets which can be downloaded, and has a whole page dedicated to supporting needs assessors which can be accessed by clicking here.
“As an Assessor, Ayoa is my favourite software to demonstrate and recommend for university students (and to use for myself!). The mind maps are easy to create, highly customisable and the ability to export into a Word document makes it easier for students to get started with writing. Thank you to the Ayoa team for creating such an excellent, easy to use software to support planning and organisation!”
Flora, Access for Students
Give your students the head start they need with their time at university with Ayoa's templates:
If you’d like to learn more about how Ayoa as an app and as a company is helping neurodivergent students, check out our recommended reading below:
Ayoa is a DSA (Disabled Student Allowance) approved supplier for Student Finance England.
