ABOUT US

When Access2Learn was founded we had one clear mission – to support students in accessing and experiencing an empowered and positive education by providing simple, straightforward and supportive DSA Needs Assessments where the student is always at the heart of what we do.

Avatars of the staff members of Access2Learn, all giving a thumbs up and looking happy

Make Learning Yours

We want our students to reach their goals and unleash their full potential in education. Our brilliant assessor team will always ensure the best available support is recommended.

Simple, Straightforward and Supportive Assessments

Our aim is to make the DSA process as simple and straightforward as possible from the moment you contact us, supporting you through DSA and beyond.

Here for you

Our customers are always at the heart of everything we do at Access2Learn. You can reach us by phone, email, text, live chat or via our mobile app, ensuring we are always here for you when you need us.

Average time from Assessment to report sent (2021)

Number of Centres around the UK

Total number of Assessments

MEET THE TEAM

Senior Management Team

Jo Beacham

Jo Beacham

Chief Executive Officer

Jo has been working in the DSA Sector since 2013 as a Needs Assessor but also as a Service Manager.  She has over 10 years of Management experience in different sectors, as well as a Health Care Professions degree in Physiotherapy.  In her role as CEO for Access2Learn, Jo hopes to ensure the smooth running of all aspects of Access2Learn’s service – from the student’s first contact, right through until their support is in place.   She will coordinate our central administration team, as well Quality Assurance Staff and Assessors, driving quality and staff development.  Jo will strive to ensure that all students can get access to the support they require and have the best experience of DSA Support available.

Mark Vincent-Piper

Mark Vincent-Piper

Chief Operating Officer

Mark is the Chief Operating Officer at Access2Learn, whose aim is to support students and those in education with their learning, empowering them to become independent and confident learners. After graduating, Mark has worked in the University sector for over 15 years, from Admissions, Accommodation, Finance, Graduation, and for the last 12 years DSA, so has a true overview of the University Student experience. Mark is passionate about ensuring that all Students who are eligible for DSA support receive this, and learn the strategies to help them flourish in Education and beyond.

Hayley Clark

Hayley Clark

Chief of Staff

Hayley has been working in the DSA Sector since 2010 and prior to that had a real passion for supporting learners with disabilities in other jobs.  Hayley founded Access2Learn in 2016 following her success at building DSA Assessment Business, but her main motivation for creating A2L was following her 3-year-old son being diagnosed with autism.  From her son and family’s experience of his educational journey, she learned the importance of building happy and confident learners is key through early support and intervention.  The more she learned the more she became aware of the lack of awareness regarding students’ rights in their education and the support they could access in overcoming barriers in their learning with effective and personalised strategies – this is what she wanted as a key goal of Access2Learn.  Hayley has been fortunate enough to have recruited staff that excel in their areas of expertise, provided the company with strong leadership and helped support the growth and future of A2L.

Administration Team

Stef Brown

Stef Brown

Customer Service Manager

Stef has been at A2L since January 2020 and is focused on ensuring that all students have a positive and comfortable journey through the DSA process. With personal experience of close family members that have learning difficulties and mental health conditions, Stef is able to relate to many students’ personal circumstances and suggest ways to overcome any barriers they may encounter.

Shoaib Bashir

Shoaib Bashir

Senior Administrator

Shoaib has been working at access2learn since May and has 5 years of customer service experience. His passion to help students with accessing DSA support comes from him recently being a student. Higher education should be accessible to all, he hopes to make it even more accessible to meet your needs and ensure you can achieve the best you can.

Sean Curtis

Sean Curtis

Senior Administrator

Sean has been at Access2Learn since November 2021 and since beginning university in 2017 he has been passionate about the student experience, recognising it as a crucial time that helps shape many people’s lives. Therefore,  he wants to ensure that everybody has the best experience possible and ensuring those with disabilities or learning difficulties have a level playing field is something he loves being a part of. Since graduating in 2020, Sean has been working with students and so he understands the experience of being a student very well and, since working in the DSA since November, he is able to combine these bits of knowledge together to help and advise in any way he can.

Tracy Pink

Tracy Pink

Customer Service Assistant

Tracy has been with Access2Learn since September 2022. She has worked in the Charity sector for the last 20 years and has vast experience of supporting disabled people and their families and providing a 1st class customer service; she has a true passion for the industry.

Faith Jemutai

Faith Jemutai

Customer Service Assistant

Faith recently joined the Access2learn team in October 2023. As a recent graduate, Faith believes with her recent university experience, she’ll be able to utilise the skills she has gained such as problem solving to provide solutions to students and make their dreams come true! Faith is passionate about helping people and especially students going through the DSA process, to help overcome their challenges and empower them in society!

Diepriye Fidelix-Osaribie

Diepriye Fidelix-Osaribie

Customer Service Assistant

Diepriye (Pre) recently joined Access2Learn in December 2023. Coming from the healthcare and support-worker industry, Diepriye has worked closely with vulnerable and disabled people for over three years and understands that everyone has unique support needs.  Customer service is important to Diepriye, and he is committed to meeting and supporting all students’ needs to ensure a smooth and productive education study journey.

Jay Crook

Jay Crook

Customer Service Assistant

Jay recently joined Access2Learn in the beginning of 2024. After moving straight into the management sector in continuation from his education, he has become accustomed with a variety of great people, and becoming a staple in his local community. In having a sibling with a terminal disability, he has matured with a passion to create a supportive and inclusive community.

Quality Assurance Team

Dawn Hodgson

Dawn Hodgson

QA Manager

Dawn has been working in the DSA sector since 2015, she started out at Student Finance England as a DSA Eligibility Assessor and then progressed to becoming a DSA Officer so she has extensive knowledge and experience in all aspects of DSA. Her experience has helped her understand a wide range of disabilities and how these can impact students. Dawn is very student focused and her passion is ensuring every student has the smoothest experience possible and that the correct support is received. In her role as QA Officer with Access2learn she will be making sure that the quality of our Needs Assessment reports aim to identify your needs, so that you are able access the right support available to you to assist with your studies.

Jade Bramwell

Jade Bramwell

Senior QA Officer

Jade has been working in the DSA sector since 2019 by helping students get booked in for their assessments, answering their queries, being a team leader and most recently a QA Officer. With a background in adult special needs teaching and a qualification in autism awareness, Jade understands why support is so important to students and just how this can help them thrive during their studies. In her role as a QA officer, she ensures that your reports reflect the quality of your assessment so that you can access your support and take your studies further.

Runa Peacock

Runa Peacock

QA Reviewer

Runa has been working in the DSA sector since 2011, mainly as an assessor, but she has also taken various other roles and responsibilities within the organisation. She feels that her background in Counselling has benefited her in her Needs Assessor role, as it enabled her to have insight into the psychological impact of a disability, helping students feel comfortable and safe when talking about their condition. In her role as a QA reviewer with Access2learn, she will be focusing on ensuring that the quality of our reports aim to identify your needs, so that you can access the best support available to you whilst studying at University.

Michelle Sisson

Michelle Sisson

QA Reviewer

Michelle has worked in the DSA Sector for almost 20 years as a study skills tutor for specific learning difficulties. She has provided this support remotely for 10 years as a freelance tutor – one of the first in the country to offer this accessible service as an option to students. She has previously sat on the national executive board of ADSHE (Association of Dyslexia Specialists in Higher Education).  In her new role as QA Reviewer at Access2Learn, Michelle will help to ensure that the students’ needs assessment reports conform to the required standard consistently, which will help students to continue through the DSA process without unnecessary delay. Michelle is a retired midwife and was a SureStart Midwife before retiring, part of a multiagency initiative enabling families to ensure that the youngest of children could flourish and reach their full potential.  She is pleased to now be part of a team that enables the same possibilities a little further down the education line, for those who are disadvantaged in higher education.

Freya Robinson

Freya Robinson

QA Reviewer

Freya has worked in the DSA sector since 2021 helping students book and access their assessments, answering their queries, and conducting quality assurance of student reports. With a background in DSA and personal experience of ADHD, Freya understands how essential getting the right support is, and how much of a difference it can make to students. In her role as QA officer, she will make sure your report reflects the quality of your needs assessment, so that you can access the right support for you in your studies.

Assessor Team

Liz Montgomery

Liz Montgomery

Assessment Service Manager

Liz has worked in the DSA Sector since 2010 as a Needs Assessor, Senior Assessor, QA Officer, and Freelance Assessor Manager, with some time spent performing ergonomic/DSE assessments, autism mentoring and assistive technology training. With roots in nursing and community care, Liz has a breadth and depth of knowledge about a range of disabilities and health conditions, and the impact they can have on day-to-day life, work, and studies.

In her role at Access2Learn, Liz will manage our assessor team, through high-quality training and ongoing assessor development. She will ensure that students have tailored needs assessments, conducted by highly skilled, student-focused assessors who advocate students’ needs thoroughly and identify appropriate support strategies throughout their DSA journey.

James Butlin

James Butlin

Senior DSA Assessor

James has been working in the DSA Sector since 2012. He has worked as a Needs Assessor since 2016, assessing the needs of students with a range of disabilities, and recommending adjustments to ensure students get the support they need. James has previously led on Quality Assurance and Query Management to ensure high quality customer service and reports and James previously worked at Student Finance England in their DSA teams across all of the workflows so understands the student’s DSA journey from start to finish.

Lori Bailey

Lori Bailey

DSA Assessor

Lori has recently joined the Access2Learn team as a DSA Assessor. Lori graduated university with a degree in Primary Education and was a Primary School Teacher for 18 years. During her career as a teacher, she has supported the learning journey of many students with a variety of learning needs and disabilities and believes that all learners should be given the opportunity to flourish and become confident and successful individuals and lifelong learners. In her role as a DSA Assessor, she feels privileged to be in a position to support students in their next steps of their learning journey as they move into higher education.

James Matthews

James Matthews

DSA Needs Assessor

James has recently joined the Access2Learn team as a DSA Assessor, having previously worked in the DSA sector as an Assistive Technology Trainer for multiple NMH providers, supporting students in the use of various assistive programs provided in their support. He is personally motivated to support students with technology, having understood the positive impact this kind of support would have had during his own higher education.

Rebecca Snell

Rebecca Snell

DSA Needs Assessor

Rebecca has been working as a Needs Assessor since 2015, and has experience of carrying out both DSA and Access to Work assessments. Originally having graduated as a primary school teacher, Rebecca taught for thirteen years and undertook a qualification in teaching students with additional learning needs. Rebecca also has experience of supporting disabled adults to access learning and recreational activities. She is passionate about lifelong learning and enabling access to learning in all its forms.

Nicola Speirs

Nicola Speirs

DSA Needs Assessor

Nicola has recently joined the Access2Learn team as a DSA Assessor. Nicola graduated from university with a degree in Immunology and spent 10 years plus in the world of medical diagnostics. She has spent the last 20 years as a civil servant in a customer service role with HMRC Personal Taxes. Helping people has been at the heart of every job role she has undertaken. She believes in the power of education and learning and the requirement for it to be accessible to all. In this new role, she is looking forward to helping each student make the most of their higher education journey and be able to confidently show their talents in full.

Karen Stuart

Karen Stuart

DSA Needs Assessor

Karen has worked as a DSA Assessor since 2010 and is passionate about enabling students to overcome barriers. Karen started out as an actor-teacher in Theatre in Education, then qualified as a Secondary School Drama and English teacher. She was a lecturer in further and higher education, including delivery of courses in adult literacy, numeracy and teacher training. Karen ran her own theatre company developing new writing through performance with disabled and non-disabled actors. She has also spent time as a Specialist Mentor and Study Skills tutor for students with autism. Karen is excited to be part of the team at Access2Learn helping to provide a great service to students.

Philip Burgin

Philip Burgin

DSA Needs Assessor

Phil started working in the DSA sector as a build engineer around 1999, building PCs, installing software, and delivering systems to students before moving into training. For over 13 years, he trained students on the DSA equipment provided, seeing a lot of positive change. More recently, he worked as a software specialist, demonstrating some of the leading text2speech and supportive software.As someone with dyslexia, Phil has always had a passion for helping others and has seen many aspects of DSA and how it can support many students.

Bryony Gillespie

Bryony Gillespie

DSA Needs Assessor

Bryony has recently joined the Access2Learn team as a DSA Assessor. Bryony is a registered counsellor and has several years in the education sector in both teaching and coaching roles. Bryony has worked in a range of education settings including alternative provisions, as well as Further and Higher Education. Bryony’s passion is empowering students to succeed and she is an advocate of inclusive learning practice. She has seen the DSA recommendations in action and has been part of implementing these in University to ensure each students individual learning plan meets their needs. Now as an assessor Bryony is keen to ensure that everyone has access to the appropriate support to help them flourish in their academic journey.

Clarissa Bown

Clarissa Bown

DSA Needs Assessor

 Clarissa has recently joined the Access2Learn team as a DSA Assessor. She has spent the last three years working in the Higher Education sector, supporting students through the DSA process and the recommendations, developing Individual Learning Plans implementing recommendations to the University ensuring the students needs are met. Clarissas’ passion is in helping and supporting students to reach their full potential, believing that through education change can happen. This passion encouraged her to return to education in 2017 to complete her Undergraduate in Education Studies & English and then a Masters in Education. Previous to this Clarissa spent 10 years working in the retail sector as a Customer Service consultant mentoring staff and customers in technology. Clarissa is keen to ensure that each student to get the support they are entitled to and allow students to flourish. 

David Oddie

David Oddie

DSA Needs Assessor

David completed his studies with a technical discipline and naturally started a support role progressing through to technical lead responsible for many sites within the UK and Australia.  Various aspects of David’s work has always included training and supporting users of all abilities.  David has always had a passion for education and working with the students to achieve their full potential.  This led David to working within the DSA sector as a trainer, gaining valuable experience.  David believes education should be accessible and available to all and is excited to be working as a DSA Assessor to help achieve this.

Adam Calcraft

Adam Calcraft

DSA Needs Assessor

Education has become the key focus of Adam’s career. After spending time in the military he returned to education in his mid-twenties. Gaining his first degree then moving onto post graduate study, Adam eventually qualified and began working as a primary school teacher. Adam worked in both public and private sectors (designing EU funded training programs and coaching), he’s taught ESOL, personal development and early years but more recently Adam specialised in pastoral support for over 14 years at a 6th form college. Here he liaised with a range of professionals to ensure that students of all abilities got the support that was appropriate for them. Coaching and teaching has given Adam a great sense of what support is needed and how to embrace educational change.  He has a lot of experience of helping students through courses to completion and the realisation of their educational ambitions. Adam’s central motivation is to help people and he looks forward to meeting and working with new students to continue this.  

Eleni Crockard

Eleni Crockard

DSA Needs Assessor

Eleni has worked as a DSA assessor since 2019.  With a background in Educational Psychology, she has always been interested in supporting equity within education and would contribute DSA as being a vital part of in a student’s university journey. Eleni has found that by her previous roles such as a Teaching Assistant, Academic Achievement Coach and Disability Advisor has been intrinsic in recognising some of the challenges that disabled university students face.

Peter Brown

Peter Brown

DSA Needs Assessor

Peter has been actively involved in the field of Disability Support Assistance (DSA) since 2012. Over the years, Peter has gained experience across all departments within DSA and has been serving as a Needs Assessor since 2020. Peters’ journey has allowed him to develop a comprehensive understanding of the various areas of DSA, enabling him to contribute effectively in assessing and addressing the needs of individuals requiring support.

Mark Roberts

Mark Roberts

DSA Needs Assessor

Mark has recently joined Access2Learn as a DSA Needs Assessor. Mark has been a Study Needs Assessor for over 15 years, previously working as the Assessment Service Manager at Bangor University for 5 years and was on the executive committee of the National Network of Assessment Centres (NNAC). Mark has also been an Assistive Technology trainer and prior to that, worked as an IT and Maths teacher in an FE college. 

Helen Bowers

Helen Bowers

DSA Needs Assessor

Helen recently joined the Access2Learn team as a DSA assessor. Helen has recently been working as a mental health mentor and specialist autism mentor. Helen has been a registered counsellor for the last 18 years. Alongside this, she worked as a special educational needs teacher for a decade and a half, working within a college. After having worked with a variety of students/clients and children, Helen is keen to ensure that everyone has the right support to enable them to achieve their full potential and is very passionate about this.

Chantelle Boyle Hodgson

Chantelle Boyle Hodgson

DSA Needs Assessor

Chantelle recently joined Access2Learn as a needs assessor after working in the DSA sector for 12 years as part of the DSA Team at Student Finance England. Here, she worked in all areas of the DSA department and is therefore very familiar with the DSA process. Chantelle’s time in the DSA Team helped her understand a wide range of disabilities and the additional learning needs students may have in relation to their studies. Chantelle has a great understanding of the student DSA journey and hopes to apply this knowledge to her new role within Access2Learn.

Jasmine Best

Jasmine Best

DSA Needs Assessor

Jasmine is a recent addition to Access2Learn, as a DSA Assessor, with a background in needs assessments since 2022. Prior to her role as a Needs Assessor, Jasmine served as a dedicated support worker, offering assistance to children and young adults with diverse disability needs while also contributing to their educational support. She brings valuable experience to her current position. Her professional journey reflects a keen interest in supporting university students with disabilities, showing her commitment to fostering inclusive and accessible educational environments.

Lauren Callaghan

Lauren Callaghan

DSA Needs Assessor

Lauren has recently joined Access2Learn as a DSA Assessor. She graduated from University with a degree and master’s in psychology with a specialism in neurodivergence. Lauren is a passionate advocate for inclusive education. Her prior roles include working as a Teaching Assistant/SENDCo Assistant and Speech and Language Therapy Assistant. Throughout these roles, she has supported learners with a wide range of disabilities and support needs. Having personally accessed support at University, she understands the profound impact that obtaining the right support can have upon a student’s educational experience. She is dedicated to ensuring that students receive the necessary support to thrive at University.

Paula Miller

Paula Miller

DSA Needs Assessor

Paula has recently joined Access2learn as a DSA Assessor.  After initially training as a primary teacher in 2003, she later transitioned to teaching art and design in further and adult education. Paula’s diverse background includes several years in teaching and support roles across various education settings, such as the National Autistic Society (NAS) and Offender Learning. Beyond education, she has valuable experience in the care sector working in palliative care and mental health, demonstrating a well-rounded skill set that enriches her approach to student support.  Paula is driven by a passion for making learning accessible to all, believing that every student deserves the support they need to reach their full potential.

Rachel Schultz

Rachel Schultz

DSA Needs Assessor

Rachel has recently joined the Access2Learn team as a DSA Assessor. Rachel completed her Degree in Historical and Cultural Studies as a mature student through a University of Exeter pilot project. Initially working with SCOPE as a Community Enabler, Rachel moved to the Youth Justice System where she spent 16 years mentoring and supporting a diverse group of young people, specialising in Special Educational Needs, facilitating training in working with neurodivergent young people to broaden the understanding of colleagues, parents and the Court System.  More recently Rachel has been a Senior Youth Worker within the Fostering Service. As the Autism Champion, she has worked alongside young people, colleagues and foster carers to support and empower young people and ensure their voice is heard.  Rachel passionately advocates for the people she works with, continually seeking to work to the highest standards ensuring they have the opportunity to meet their full potential.

Jennifer Wilson

Jennifer Wilson

DSA Needs Assessor

Jennifer recently joined Access2Learn after 15 years in the student finance sector. She joined SFE at the start of the centralisation of all student finance and DSA in 2006 and soon became a Learning and Development Trainer, training new and existing staff in every aspect of student support – including the application and provision of DSA. 
She left in 2010 to gain a PGCE in English and Drama and although still passionate about education did not pursue teaching, instead returning to Student Finance as a DSA Officer in the DSA department. Experiencing the student journey from the early days of customer-facing applications through to reviewing needs assessment reports for DSA has given her great empathy for students who have additional needs and invaluable knowledge of how to work with SFE to meet the same goal. 
Starting a new career at a pivotal time for the industry is incredibly exciting and Jennifer hopes to transfer her knowledge and experience and to ensure students that they will feel listened to and supported, throughout their studies and beyond. 
Sarah Langan

Sarah Langan

DSA Needs Assessor

Sarah has recently joined the Access2Learn team as a DSA Assessor. Sarah trained as an Occupational Therapist after first-hand experience of the difference holistic Occupational Therapy interventions can have on a person’s life experience.  Training in all areas of life and a range of health conditions, she feels well placed to highlight the fine details and nuances that can make a huge impact on a student’s wellbeing and facilitate breaking barriers to learning.  She later specialised in mental health and supported her patients to explore further education, helping to apply to DSA for support, accessing formal study and adjusting any environmental challenges that may be involved. During her career she has gained a rich understanding of diverse needs, fuelling her commitment to create an environment where everyone can have access to the support they need to reach their full potential.   She has run her own business more recently, focussing on demystifying social inclusion activities and has been a strong support for volunteer and community groups serving their local communities. Passionate about people, inclusivity and breaking down barriers to champion the right everyone has to the same positive life experiences, Sarah strives to make a positive impact on anyone she encounters. 

Linda Simon-Harding

Linda Simon-Harding

DSA Needs Assessor

Linda has recently joined the Access2Learn team as a DSA Needs Assessor. Having graduated as a primary school teacher in 2006, Linda has taught across Primary, Secondary and Post-16 stages, including internationally for several years, covering both mainstream and special needs settings. Linda has been a dedicated SENDCo since 2011 and has gained valuable experience in helping meet the needs of learners across a wide range of special educational needs. In the last few years, she has achieved a Post Graduate Diploma in Dyslexia Research and Practice and is a qualified Dyslexia Specialist Teacher who also holds a professional Dyslexia Assessor License. Linda is passionate about empowering learners of all ages to advocate for their right to access education, gain confidence in overcoming any barriers to learning and have the knowledge and power to access the support services they are entitled to. Linda is excited to be able to support learners through this part of their educational journey and hopes to ensure their experience of the assessment process is one that they feel is empathetic, supportive and positive.

Sarah Chandra

Sarah Chandra

DSA Needs Assessor

Since graduating from university, Sarah has consistently been involved in community education for adults, where she has taught IT skills and conducted yoga classes. This led to project management and overseeing course provision and management in adult education centres. Since 2014 on moving to Bristol Sarah has been working in the DSA and ATW sectors. Initially providing training in Assistive Technology, she later acquired qualifications to provide specialist study skills support and mentoring for students.  Sarah has undertaken Access to Work evaluations and workplace coaching and training. Her main focus for the past few years has been conducting DSA needs assessments.

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