Book your Study Needs Assessment appointment online or contact us by phone or email:
Email: adminac@mdx.ac.uk
Tel: 0208 411 5366
NLRAC at Middlesex University is a Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA) registered centre, offering Study Needs Assessments, advice, and support for disabled students in higher education. At NLRAC we aim to help you get the most out of your studies and will provide support to minimise unnecessary barriers to learning, enabling you to focus on succeeding at university. Our work with students is confidential and we only disclose information to other services with the student’s explicit permission.
Your assessment outcome, report, and recommendations, all of the support sessions, and communication with us remain confidential.
This means we do not share verbal or written information about you to others, including family, friends, lecturers, faculty, other offices of Middlesex University, or external providers without your prior consent, and details of your contact with the service are not recorded on your academic records.
There are rare instances when we would have to break confidentiality, such as if you or others may be at risk of serious imminent harm.
DSA Study Needs Assessments for all DSA-eligible students applying for or attending a UK-based institution and who would like to have their Study Needs Assessment with us. We offer face to face assessments at our centres across London. We also offer remote assessments via phone or video link.
Our office hours remain unchanged and we have an even better availability of remote appointments, so please Book your Study Needs Assessment appointment online or contact us by phone or email.
Mob: 07792 663 197
Tel: 020 8411 5366
Email: adminac@mdx.ac.uk
ATT is for DSA-eligible students who have Middlesex University as their ATT provider on your DSA2 letter. You will have to have ordered your equipment before booking the first session with us.
We offer remote online training on any day of the week and face-to-face training sessions at our Middlesex University campus.
For a Study Needs Assessment, you should contact us when you have received a DSA letter (DSA1 letter) advising you to book a Study Needs Assessment at a registered centre.
For Assistive Technology Training, you should contact us after you have received a DSA letter (DSA2 letter) advising you that your Assistive Technology Training (ATT) provider is Middlesex University.
We will not be able to see you without the DSA approval letter.
The DSA process can take between six weeks and three months, depending on whether you have all the required supporting evidence. It is best to apply as early as applying for university so that you have your DSA support in place at the beginning of your studies. And here are the different steps of the process:
You need to have a medical report, GP letter or SpLD diagnostic report.
Apply online: www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowances-dsas. You can ask the Disability and Dyslexia Service at Middlesex to help you with the application. Contact them at disability@mdx.ac.uk .
DSA will send you a letter (DSA1) telling you if you can book a Study Needs Assessment.
You can book your Study Needs Assessment appointment online, call us on Tel: 0208 411 5366, Mob: 07792 663 197 or email us at adminac@mdx.ac.uk.
This is a meeting between you and the assessor to discuss the effects of your condition. The assessor will suggest strategies to help overcome the impact of the disability on your study. Don’t worry, this is not a test.
The assessor will write a report, called the Needs Assessment Report, outlining your needs and recommended type(s) of support. The report will be sent to your funding body for their approval. We will send a copy of the report to you as well.
After your funding body receives the Needs Assessment Report, they will send you the DSA Notification of Entitlement letter (DSA2). Check your email for this letter.
The DSA2 letter will outline what support is approved and how to access it. You may need to place an order for your equipment to a specific supplier. If you are not sure, give us a call and we will help.
The DSA support package will help you fulfil your potential and succeed on your course. You are welcome to contact us for advice and support throughout your university career. If your needs change or if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. Enjoy your university journey!
Appointments for all Assessment Centres are available from 9.00am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday, with assessments available at evening and weekends on request.
You can book your Study Needs Assessment appointment online for any of our centres. If you wish to find out more about our services and waiting times, please call 020 8411 5366 or email our team.
Please note that NLRAC operates a flat fee policy; this means the cost of your assessment that is stated on the letter from your funding body also covers any queries or top-up assessments that you may need for the duration of your course – there will not be any additional charges to you from NLRAC.
Expected waiting times for a study needs assessment can up to 15 days, but appointments are typically arranged within one week for a face to face assessment and within a couple of days for a remote assessment.
North London Regional Access Centre (NLRAC) is an assessment centre which carries out Study Needs Assessments for disabled students eligible for the Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA).
NLRAC operates from four sites and you could have your assessment at any one of them:
The Study Needs Assessment is not a test, there is no need to worry. It is a meeting between you and an assessor: an experienced and qualified person with knowledge of specialist equipment and who can support students with disabilities to study successfully at university. Students with a range of disabilities are assessed, including dyslexia, mental health or long-term medical conditions.
At the meeting, your needs and the demands of your course will be discussed. You will be able to see and try out the various pieces of ergonomic equipment and assistive software recommended by your assessor. The assessor will work with you to find the best solutions to aid your study and will aim to reach an agreement with you about the equipment and support recommended.
Most assessments take up to two hours, however, some more complex cases may take longer. It is very important that you are on time for your assessment because if you are more than 30 minutes late, the assessor may not have time to see you and your appointment may have to be rescheduled.
Before you arrange an assessment, you must have written confirmation (email or letter) from your funding body that they agree for you to have a Study Needs Assessment.
Book your Study Needs Assessment appointment online or simply get in touch with us to book your appointment:
Tel: 020 8411 5366, Mob: 07792 663 197
Email: adminac@mdx.ac.uk , web: www.mdx.ac.uk/access-centre
We will ask you to email us two types of documents before your assessment meeting:
If you have any special access requirements such as parking, British Sign Language interpretation, dimmed lighting or access to special equipment, please let us know in advance so that we can make the necessary arrangements.
Like all assessment centres, NLRAC will charge a fee to carry out your Study Needs Assessment and produce the Needs Assessment Report. You will not be personally charged for the assessment. The fee (£660 with no VAT) will be paid by the funding body as part of your DSA General Allowance. NLRAC will invoice your funding body directly.
The needs assessment fee will cover most additional work required for the duration of your course for the purposes of review of your support requirements. This includes:
In some cases, where a funded review is approved, you will be directed to your original assessment centre for another assessment. A funded review is a repeat assessment. Some examples of where a review assessment may be recommended include:
The assessor will produce a written report of what was discussed and recommended during the assessment meeting. The report will be sent to you and your funding body for their agreement.
The report (sometimes referred to as a 'Needs Assessment Report' or NAR) is used by funding bodies to work out the support they are willing to fund from the DSA.
The assessment report will also help you and your university or college to discuss and agree important study strategies so that you can get the most out of your course.
Your Needs Assessment Report will detail the issues that you discussed with the assessor during the assessment. Please let the assessor know if there are any points raised in the discussion that you would rather not see noted in the final report.
Recommendations for DSA funded equipment will be in line with the funding body DSA guidelines. Suppliers of equipment recommended are those working to the DSA Suppliers Service Level Agreement.
We aim to produce your report within ten working days. Sometimes your assessor may ask you to provide additional information in order to complete the report.
We will send you a copy of the report and submit it to your funding body within ten working days of your assessment. You will have the option of seeing the report before it is submitted to the funding body for their consideration. Should that be the case, you need to respond to us within five working days of receiving your draft report. If we don’t hear from you, we will submit your report five days after we sent you a draft copy.
On receipt of the Study Needs Assessment report, your funding body will consider the recommendations made by your assessor. They will make a decision and will write to you directly explaining what type of support has been approved and what to do next. Please read this DSA entitlement letter carefully.
If you do not receive the DSA entitlement letter within two weeks of receiving the report, please contact your funding body to enquire about the progress of your application. You could also ask your institution’s Disability Officer to assist you.
It is your responsibility to do that. Once you receive your entitlement letter, you have to contact the equipment supplier and your support supplier(s) to make the necessary arrangements. The entitlement letter explains everything in detail, please read it carefully. If you need help, contact your institution’s Disability Officer, who will be able to assist you. You can also contact us for guidance.
Students who do not have their own computer are asked to pay £200 towards the cost of a DSA-funded desktop or laptop. If you are not able to make the £200 contribution, contact your university or college for advice.
Students who are approved for DSA-funded travel support are asked to pay the public transport cost for their journeys. The remainder of the cost is covered by the DSA.
Your assessor can normally recommend a standard Windows laptop or desktop computer that meets the minimum requirements to run the assistive software. If you prefer a different computer, for example, a high specification machine or an Apple Mac, you can negotiate with your equipment supplier at the point of ordering.
It will be your responsibility to cover the difference in cost. Please note that you cannot decline some elements of your DSA award to pay towards another. For example, it will not be possible to decline a software package in order to use the funding towards an Apple Mac. If you decline an item, the funding for it will simply be deducted from the total allowance.
Yes, you can, but you need to ask your funding body’s permission before you do that.
Your equipment supplier will explain to you how to order your equipment. They will agree a delivery date with you and will help you set it up when it arrives. They will check that the correct items have been delivered and are working properly.
If you have any technical queries (e.g. problems with the equipment or software), contact your equipment supplier. Your DSA- funded equipment will be insured, so check the insurance policy after delivery.
If there are issues with your 1:1 support, you need to discuss them with your support supplier. If the issues still persist, please contact us and we will try to help.
"The assessor is a very lovely person and made the process very easy and simple. I'm very thankful for all of the support the assessor has given me."
“Very thorough assessment. The assessor was excellent. :-) ”
“Very good assessor, very easy to book the appointment. All staff are very friendly. ”
“Excellent, well-structured conversation on the challenges of doctoral studies. Very helpful to discuss new strategies for the next level of academic studies. ”
“Friendly and professional staff. They are knowledgeable about their field and quick to help. I felt at ease during the assessment. ”
“The assessor was great, really thorough with all the software accessible to me. The assessor demonstrated and talked me through all the processes, helping me gain some familiarity and understanding of the programs recommended. Really helpful session. ”
"The manager has excellent customer service skills, really helpful and friendly. Made me feel listened to and welcome. The assessor who completed the assessment, left me feeling positive about my learning journey."
"Prompt assessment (within two days). Made to feel comfortable and relaxed."
“The information as very clear and the assessor explained everything perfectly. ”
“My experience was excellent. ”
“Very friendly, efficient and helpful. I learned a lot about the services available to me. ”
“Very good service with plenty of options to help me in my education. ”
“Very happy with my assessment.”
North London Regional Access Centre,
Sheppard Library
Lower Ground Floor
Middlesex University
The Burroughs
Hendon
London
NW4 4BT
Tel: 020 8411 5366 / 0779 266 3197
Email:adminac@mdx.ac.uk
Directions to the campus. Car parking is available on site for Blue Badge holders, and can be arranged in advance upon request.
St Mary's Access Centre
St Mary's University
Student Centre
Waldegrave Road
Strawberry Hill
Twickenham
TW1 4SX
Tel: 020 8411 5366 / 0779 266 3197
Email:adminac@mdx.ac.uk
Directions to the campus. Car parking is available on site for Blue Badge holders, and can be arranged in advance upon request.
Rada Studios
16 Chenies Street
Fitzrovia
London,
WC1E 7EX
Tel: 020 8411 5366 / 0779 266 3197
Email: adminac@mdx.ac.uk
Directions to the campus. Limited car parking for Blue Badge holders
The College of Haringey, Enfield, and North East London
High Road
London
N15 4RU
Tel: 020 8411 5366 / 0779 266 3197
Email: adminac@mdx.ac.uk
Directions to the campus. Car parking is available on site for Blue Badge holders, and can be arranged in advance upon request.
We always welcome feedback (positive and constructive) from students and staff about our services.
If you wish to provide us with feedback then please email the Access Centre Manager.
Contact us directly via email
Call us on 020 8411 5366
Monday to Friday | 9.00am to 5.00pm