Providing extra support for DSA students

Increased confidence and success for DSA students across the UK

At Texthelp, we design assistive technology that provides supports to students with dyslexia and other learning difficulties who qualify for the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). 

Read&Write, Read&Write for Professionals, and EquatIO^® are helping higher education students across the UK who struggle with a range of literacy and mathematical challenges, giving them the confidence they need to study smarter and achieve their full potential.

Help DSA students study smarter with brand new Read&Write

Read&Write’s toolbar covers everything from reading and comprehension aids to supports for writing and research, including:

• Check It - checks grammar and spelling for capitalisation, punctuation, tense, and homophones
• PDF Reader - makes PDFs accessible, enabling students to use text-to-speech, dictionaries, and highlighters
• Scanner - converts inaccessible paper documents into accessible Word Documents or PDFs
• Audio Maker - supports auditory learners by converting text into MP3 files
• Highlighters - help students collect key information from their research

Explore Read&Write

Boost productivity with Read&Write for Professionals

Read&Write for Professionals is an add-on to Read&Write that can predict and spell-check over 100,000 faculty-specific words for DSA students who are studying medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, midwifery, nursing, veterinary, engineering and law, offering students additional supports that:

• Increase productivity
• Remove communication issues
• Improve accuracy
• Speed up the writing process
• Provide independence

Find out more

Make maths accessible for DSA students with EquatIO

EquatIO provides DSA students with the accessibility supports they need to succeed in maths and STEM, including:

• Maths, Chemistry and Formula Prediction - eliminates transcription errors in maths and science terminology
• Screenshot Reader - makes any equation across the web into accessible, editable maths, which can be read aloud
• EquatIO Mobile - converts inaccessible handwritten or printed equations into accessible maths, which can be added to a digital document
• Multiple Inputs - enables students to choose how they express their thinking, whether through Type, Speech, Handwriting, or Graphing

Explore EquatIO

Meet Our DSA Specialists:

Nicole Reid 

Nicole is passionate about her role looking after DSA within the company, especially as she got assessed for DSA while studying in Belfast for her degree in Communication and PR.  Not only is she involved in the daily goings on of DSA but also in the wider eco- system of BATA in which she chairs a weekly DSA call discussing wider issues within AT in Higher Education. 

When she is not at work Nicole is a keen baker and often brings in tasty treats for her friends and colleagues in the office, much to their delight.  She also loves travelling and sampling local food and drinks along the way.

Sarah McGookin

Sarah has been working for Texthelp for almost three years and is passionate about helping students understand and express themselves through assistive technology. Despite working within the UK education team for almost three years helping schools, colleges and universities implement assistive technology, Sarah is new to the DSA team. 

Outside of work Sarah enjoys, spending time with her friends and family, going to the gym, sampling gins and jetting off on holidays.