7 Tips For Making Friends In Freshers (updated for COVID-19)

Being a fresher doesn’t have to be scary. In fact, we think it could quite possibly be the best time of your life!

1) First of all remember that everyone is in the same boat. Everyone is new and will be feeling excited with a mix of apprehension and nerves. Some people just hide it better than others. Most people are living away from home for the first time and like you, are trying to find their feet.

2) Before you go to University, there may be opportunities to meet future fellow students and flatmates online. Most universities will have forums for new students where you can discuss courses and accommodation. Be proactive and utilise this, get to know people on social media and possibly meet up beforehand or on arrival and you will have made a head start.

3) Be friendly….you don’t have to be an extrovert or the life and soul of the party but try to be welcoming and approachable with your new flat mates/fellow students. If you’re not a party person, remember not all freshers’ events are based around drinking alcohol and staying out late. Even if you’re painfully shy, a simple smile and introduction goes a long way. Show interest in the people you meet, ask a few questions but keep it light. Remember they are probably feeling the same.

In light of Covid-19 try to be more respectful of people’s personal space. You might feel comfortable with people in your space but it doesn’t mean that everyone feels this way.

4) Try to get to your new accommodation early and unpack asap. It’s going to be a busy week and it will help make life easier if your room is organised and everything is at hand. You will meet people as they arrive and it also leaves you more time to socialise and join in with the week’s events! Check your emails frequently as events and timetables can often change.

5) Resist the urge to hide away in your room, if you are unpacking leave the door open so people can chat if they are passing. If new people arrive, introduce yourself, maybe offer to make them a drink.

There will be online and possibly on campus Welcome Fairs and events. These are a great opportunity to meet new people and socialise with other students in your halls and on your course.

6) Don’t overdo it but do try to join in with as many things as you can, be open to events on offer and join societies you are interested in. In fact, if someone asks you to join a society with them or try an activity that you hadn’t previously considered, give it a go, you may discover a new passion and at the very least meet new friends.

7)  Try to enjoy the experience, you may not meet your lifelong friends in the first week but friendships will be forged. Stress not, you are probably there for at least three years and new friends and different friendship groups will be established over time. Relax and the rest is easy.

To find out more about us visit A2B Assessments

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The College Leavers Guide To The Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)

If you are a student who has additional needs and you are shortly finishing college, you may be wondering what are the next steps to ensure you have support in place for your university course in September?

The interval between applying for funding and receiving the appropriate equipment and support may be up to three months. It is therefore advisable that you apply as early as possible, if necessary, before the confirmation of your course. 

The College Leavers Guide to the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) has been set up with the goal of providing the information you need to ensure support will be in place at the appropriate time.

COVID-19 (Coronavirus Update)

Due to COVID-19 we are currently doing all our DSA assessments remotely either by video or phone call.

This means we can take bookings from anywhere in the UK and you can complete your assessment from the comfort of your own home. (click here to book your assessment)

What is the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)?

The Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) is a UK government-funded program providing students financial grants to cover any extra study expenses a student may have due to a disability. Both part-time and full-time students can get access to the DSA including those on postgraduate, distance learning and Open University courses.

Watch the short 2 minute video below for a complete overview of the Disabled Students’ Allowance…

 

Our Guide To All Areas Of The DSA

Click to view…

1. Find your funding body. 
2. The DSA application Process.
3. Booking your DSA study needs assessment.
4. What happens at your DSA study needs assessment.
5. Receiving your DSA Entitlement letter.
6. Arranging delivery of your DSA equipment.

If you still have questions we have an extensive FAQ section towards the bottom of our main DSA page here, you can also email any questions to admin@a2bassessments.com

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Deafblind Awareness Week: DSA Support

This week is Deafblind Awareness Week…

To get involved with Deafblind Awareness Week we wanted to share with you some of the assistive software that can help visually and hearing impaired students, accessible through the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). 

Support for Students with hearing Impairments

The items below are regularly recommended for students with hearing impairments, however, all assessments and recommendations are done on an individual basis, tailored to that student’s specific needs. Not all students with hearing impairments will receive the same support.

Audio amplification devices like Phonak Roger

These transmit clear audio of class, seminar and tutorial content, direct to the user’s hearing aid (via the T switch), or via headphones. The devices are suited to both a single speaker and multiple speakers, making them readily adaptable to any activity. These will help to overcome the barriers to participation the user experiences due to hearing difficulties.

 Automated transcription tool (Caption.Ed): 

Caption.Ed provides the user with a live transcription of YouTube videos (improving on the inaccurate captions offered on the website) and Vimeo videos (which do not offer captioning at all).  Making online research much more accessible.

Specialist Note-taker: Speech-To-Text Reporting (STTR) 

Essentially live transcription used during both in person and online lectures and seminars, ensuring that the student is able to follow the content which can be difficult to hear.

 Support for students with visual Impairments

As above, all the items below are regularly recommended for students with a visual impairment, however, all assessments and recommendations are done on an individual basis for that student’s specific needs. The items below wouldn’t all be recommended for one student, as some of them are different strategies that achieve the same results. 

iPad Pro

The iPad is able to increase the size of text, change the colour of the screen background and text to make it more legible and read text aloud using the built in text to speech software. The iPad also has numerous accessibility shortcuts. E.g. Triple clicking the Home button toggles, VoiceOver screen reader and Zoom magnifier. The Royal National Institute of Blind People have recently stated that the iPad is excellent for accessibility features which makes it easier for blind people to use and navigate and use the touchscreen tablet style computer.

 C-Pen Reader 

This “pen” scans hardcopy text and then reads it back to the user. Excellent for accessing reading material when it is unavailable in an alternate format.

Handheld Video Magnifier 

This can assist in reading any handouts or lecture notes given out in class that aren’t available in an alternative format.

ZoomText Magnifier / Screen Reader 

Allows users to enlarge sections of their screen enabling them to see text easier. The screen reading capabilities of ZoomText allow the text to be played back.  OmniPage Professional can be used alongside Zoomtext to convert Scanned documents, books or any other reading material into an editable digital file. Creating a digital file will allow the screen reading functionality in ZoomText to work.

Large External Monitor 

Helpful if you need to enlarge text several times larger than the standard size.

Dragon Dictation Software

Allows users to accurately dictate their work, improving the speed at which they can input text. Dictation also eliminates any typing difficulties.

Text to speech software 

can be recommended so rather than having to read text on screen the computer will play text out loud. This can be helpful when doing research but is also an excellent way to proofread your own work. You could for example compose your essay with Dragon and then listen back to it with text to speech software for any mistakes.

Specialist Notetaker for Visually Impaired (VI) students 

A specialist notetaker will attend your lectures and seminars and make a complete set of notes for the session.  The notes are digital so they can be enlarged and read by the text to speech software.

 A Sighted Guide 

Available to help you navigate around University or any external field trips.

 A Taxi Allowance 

This can be recommended if you have difficulty accessing public transport.

Get involved or learn more about Deafblind Awareness Week.

For for some free assistive software that can help with visual impairments check out our blog posts on Be My Eyes and Microsoft Seeing AI

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Video Blog #14 – 7 Revision Tips To Boost Your Exam Performance

In this video blog we cover 7 Revision Tips To Boost Your Exam Performance.

 

enjoy,

A2B Assessments

The post Video Blog #14 – 7 Revision Tips To Boost Your Exam Performance appeared first on A2B Assessments DSA Needs Assessment Centre.

What is Autism?

Autism Spectrum Disorder is an umbrella term used to describe a group developmental disabilities resulting from differences in the brain.  The condition affects how a person thinks, feels and interacts with the world.  Neurodiverse is another way to describe people with autism. This is opposed to neurotypical, which is often used in the autistic community to describe people not on the spectrum. While it is important to realise that no two autistic people are the same, there are some attributes of autism that are common among many autistic people.

What are some of the characteristics of autism?

Fascination with certain things

Some people with ASD can have an intense fascination with certain things they are interested in. This could be anything from abstract things such as stories or music to concrete objects such as books, cups and plates. The object of fascination varies between different autistic people. But it can lead to them knowing everything there is to know about the subject. These fascinations could last from weeks to months, or throughout their entire lives.

Discomfort with social interaction

Autistic individuals may have difficulties in sharing their emotions or interests socially. Children may have subtle problems such as looking down or not making eye contact during conversations. Adults may not indulge in communication that is based away from their interests. Some autistic individuals may also show contradictory facial expressions during conversations.

Difficulty with rules

Some autistic children or adults may struggle with following rules and guidelines. Experts believe this can be caused by the intense focus or passion that is common among people with autism. Autistic people can find comfort in following a routine and experiencing a sudden change of routine, or schedule, can cause anxiety and mood swings. In some cases, those without autism or awareness can misinterpret this attribute and liken it to stubbornness.

Sensory problems

Some people with ASD may have difficulties with sensory overload. For example, children may close their eyes when faced with certain colours or noise. Others may tap their legs repetitively as a way of calming themselves. The underlying principle is that some autistic people can be hypersensitive. Most of the time, they suffer an overload of sensation, which may force them to seek external outputs as a means of self-regulation. For example, some people with ASD may find it easier to wear headphones while trying to study to block out other distractions.

How to communicate effectively with autistic people

Address the person just as you would anyone else

People with autism are intelligent individuals, address them like you would any other adult or however they would prefer to be addressed.

Say what you mean

It is advisable to keep your statements less vague, more transparent and literal. That way, you limit the chances of miscommunication.

Listen carefully

Taking time to listen carefully to what the person is saying, this can help show that you do care and are supportive of them.

Maintain calmness

It’s bad practice to exhibit anxiety and worries while addressing an autistic person. Try to demonstrate calmness as it gives room for more conversation.

Language to use when talking about someone with Autism

This is a heavily debated topic in the ASD community.  With some disabilities such as physical disabilities it is generally best practice to use person first language.  For example you would say “person in a wheelchair” rather than a “wheelchair person”.  This is because rather than defining people primarily by their disability, people-first language emphasises the individuality, equality and dignity of people with disabilities.  However many people with Autism don’t see autism as a “disability” and rightly so. Therefore it can actually be empowering to use the phrase autistic person rather than person with autism.  If dealing with someone personally it is always best to respect their own preference. Further reading on this.

Autistic people throughout history

Because it is hard to diagnose anyone retrospectively, all the people listed below may not have been on the Autistic Spectrum.  However,  Prof Michael Fitzgerald of Dublin’s Trinity College , who is an acclaimed Psychologist specialising in ASD believes that the following people all had strong autistic traits.

Charles Darwin

With Darwin’s intense focus, which led to the discovery of evolution. Darwin achieved a nobel prize for his groundbreaking discovery, which changed the face of scientific evolution.

Vincent Van Gogh

Among the world’s greatest painters. Vincent made incredible paints which leave us speechless to this day.

Albert Einstein

His common attributes included intense focus, obsession with light beams, inflexibility with authority and rules, being anti-social. Despite all these, Einstein is remembered for his uncanny ability to solve puzzles and incredible humour.

Useful Links

National Autistic Society

Autism Society

The NHS page for autism

thanks for reading, A2B Assessments

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Video Blog #13 – 5 Productivity Tips For Students

In this video blog we have 5 productivity tips for students…

In the video we mention being able to block out distracting apps. Follow these links to see some of the tools we recommend for doing this…

Google chrome extensions to increase productivity

Freedom Distraction Blocker

Forest: Liberate yourself from your smartphone

Thanks,

A2B Assessments

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People with learning disabilities prioritised for COVID Vaccine

Some good news for those with learning disabilities. The government has announced that everyone on the learning disability register will now be prioritised for a COVID-19 vaccination.

There were around 150,000 people who were not eligible for the vaccine, but who are at higher risk due to their disabilities.  These people will now be prioritised as part of group six, regardless of how severe their disability is.

The update comes after an analysis of date that shows those with a learning disability tend to suffer more severe symptoms of COVID-19.

It is advised that those with a learning disability should ensure they are on the learning disability register by ringing their GP.

The data shows that only 1 in 4 people with a learning disability are actually on their GP’s learning disability register. With 1.2 million people in the UK with a learning disability, this means that there are 900,000 people who aren’t registered. To help with this fallout, the NHS has also asked local authorities to identify any other adults severely affected by a learning disability.

Read the full Gov.uk Announcement.

Learn more about the DSA

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