About Us
Iona Kent and South East is an Independent Organisation for Needs Assessments and carries out needs assessments for all disabilities, for funding bodies throughout the country.
In addition to maintaining contact with schools, Iona Kent & South East has actively promoted awareness of the Disabled Student Allowance (DSA) to ensure a more confident transition for disabled students to Higher Education.
The DSA Forum South East (formed in 2005 by Iona ) and the DSA South East Educational Conference (bi-annual, launched in 2008 by Iona) were supported by local HEIs and FE Colleges. Three major conferences were convened, in conjunction with AimHigher and have been hosted, in turn, by The University of Kent; Canterbury Christ Church University and Canterbury College.
Since 2004, The Iona Assessment Centre has, in the students’ interest, worked closely with and established, collaborative links with many public-sector specialists, FE and HE Institutions, which include The Open University; University of Kent at Canterbury and Medway; Canterbury Christ Church University; University for the Creative Arts in Canterbury and Rochester; Canterbury College; The National Autistic Society (NAS); Working with Dyslexia; Dyslexia East Kent Support Group (DEKS), Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in Greenwich; Goldsmiths, University of London, The Oxford Access Centre and the RNIB/Action Group in Judd Street, London.
Joint Professional Experience and Expertise:
The Iona Centre selects and trains all their Assessors who are drawn from a broad range of pertinent disciplines. The principal assessment team brings together a collective experience across the full spectrum of UK educational provision and regulation for all disabilities.
Members of the Iona team currently support institutions such as Canterbury Christ Church University, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, University for the Creative Arts, Open University and the University of Kent.
Professionally respected by authorities and institutions within the UK, Iona Needs Assessors are well qualified to address all disabilities:
- a mental-health condition, such as anxiety or depression;
- a specific learning difficulty, such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, AD(H)D;
- autism;
- a progressive medical condition such as Multiple Sclerosis, Cancer or HIV;
- a sensory impairment which could affect the ability to see or hear;
- other conditions e.g. diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, musculoskeletal disorders, pain disorders etc.
The Iona Centre has continued to be proactive in convening and running numerous DSA events to promote awareness and interaction between students and all stakeholders in the SE Region. Events have included presentations and training for Chartered Educational Psychologists; Student Award Officers at The Open University; Disability Advisors, Specialist Tutors, Mentors and other HEI disability staff; Diagnostic Assessors (PATOSS) and a DSA Symposium on Quality Assurance (QA) for Student Finance England (SFE) Management and Assessment Centre Managers. Open Days, supported by DSA Suppliers of specialist equipment and assistive software, and regular Continuous Professional Development (CPD) events, to update disability awareness, specialist product knowledge and DSA changes, are also run for Needs Assessors and local HEI disability teams. Students, parents, teachers and charitable organisations, such as NAS, DEKS, MIND, Demelza House, are welcomed at these events, for which there is no delegate fee.
Employability Points Scheme
The Iona Centre also helps students prepare for the workplace by providing industry experience and supporting The Employability Points Scheme run by The University of Kent to reward students for their involvement in Co-Curricular Activities.
