Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's consultation document entitled Assistive software funded through Disabled Students’ Allowance, published on 26 March 2026, whether an Impact Assessment has been conducted on the potential impact of the proposed changes to Disabled Students’ Allowance support for assistive software.

The anecdotal feedback referenced in the consultation document reflects issues raised through routine engagement activities, including meetings and discussions with delivery partners, sector bodies and other stakeholders. It would not be appropriate to identify individual contributors, and no quantified count of cases has been compiled. No assessment has yet been made of the extent to which students feel overwhelmed by the volume of recommended support because the department is currently gathering the evidence that would be required to support such an assessment.

The rationale underpinning the proposed policy position that assistive software is widely available is explained in the consultation document, which is available here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowance-team/assistive-software-funded-through-disabled-student/supporting_documents/assistive_software_funded_through_dsa_consultation_march_2026pdf.

It also sets out proposals relating to considerations around the accessibility and suitability of commonly available software for students with different disabilities. Decisions on how it would be determined that a student’s disability-related needs cannot be met by such software before specialist provision is funded would be made following the conclusion of the consultation process.

An initial equality impact assessment of the proposed changes is included in the consultation document, and the department intends to develop and refine this further as the consultation progresses.