Frequently Asked Questions

Brain in Hand can be funded via the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). If you have been granted DSA and your assessor has recommended Brain in Hand to you, then you are eligible.

If you do not have DSA but believe you might be eligible, you can apply for DSA by following the instructions here. If your application is successful, you will be offered a session with a needs assessor to discuss what you find difficult and what might help you; Brain in Hand is one tool that can be offered.

Brain in Hand supports thousands of university students in managing their studies and transitioning towards university and adult life.

Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) is a government scheme to cover the cost of support required in higher education due to disability, mental health issues, or long-term illnesses. For more information, please click here.

Please click here to register and upload a copy of your DSA2 letter.

Alternatively, email support@braininhand.co.uk attaching your DSA2 example letter and we can check to see if we have already received communications from your equipment supplier.

Please contact us at support@braininhand.co.uk to discuss your individual circumstances, as this will depend on a range of factors.

We have many partner programmes across health, social care, education, and workplace. You will need to contact your organisation or your dedicated Brain in Hand Client Success Manager to find out about your specific referral process. We can provide these contact details to you if required. Please contact clientsuccess@braininhand.co.uk or support@braininhand.co.uk for individual enquiries.

This is dependent on the funding route. Please contact your organisation or your dedicated Brain in Hand Client Success Manager to see if there is funding available in your area, or support@braininhand.co.uk for help with navigating other sources of funding.

For licenses funded through your organisation, please refer to your referral guide for details of eligibility and the referral process. Alternatively, please visit our funding page to learn about the diverse ways that people can access and fund the system.

Yes. Brain in Hand works by giving people access to their own personal library of strategies and resources on their phone when they need them. If a user doesn’t have a phone, they won’t be able to access this information.

Yes; however, by exception, they can consent to use someone else’s (e.g. parent) if appropriate. We do require verbal consent from the user (typically by a phone call with our Customer Support Team at Brain in Hand).

The system requires a basic level of literacy; all information in a person’s Brain in Hand account can be put in their own words, but it is still a text-based system.

Every Brain in Hand user gets a personal Brain in Hand coach. At the beginning of their journey, their coach works with them to think about their strengths, challenges, and goals, and makes sure that each person knows what they want to use the system for and understands how the technology works. Coaches are also available throughout the duration of a user’s time with Brain in Hand to review how things are going, set new goals and build new strategies to overcome difficulties. See our features page to learn more about what our system is and how it works.

The coach will adjust coaching sessions to ensure these are accessible based on a user's communication preferences. This might include using the chat function in Microsoft Teams, or rescheduling a session. Users can also invite a supporter to any coaching session.

The user would need to feel comfortable using technology. Using Brain in Hand’s digital tools is about the same level of complexity as using any digital calendar. If someone is comfortable using a smartphone, Brain in Hand should be accessible to them. If a potential user is not comfortable using a smartphone, this may mean that Brain in Hand introduces anxiety rather than addresses it, so it may not be suitable for them.

Many educational settings and workplaces make allowances for the use of assistive technology within their settings. If you are considering making a referral for a user who would primarily use BiH within a setting that might have restrictions on mobile devices, please speak to the organisation before making a purchase or referral. If the use of BiH is not permitted in the educational setting or workplace, a user can still benefit from using the system outside of these hours. For example, they can access support with preparing for the day ahead, scheduling revision time, travelling to and from the setting, and socialising outside of these hours.

The app is cloud-based and can be downloaded and logged into using an educational device if required. This would ensure no use of a personal device but still allow the user access to their strategies throughout the day.

We recommend having all the required information to hand before beginning the referral process. This would include users personal email address and phone number; emergency contact details; name, address, and DOB for the user; supporter(s) contact details; highlight any additional information that may affect the suitability for Brain in Hand (e.g. risk, conflict in care). If the user is under 18, then their parent/guardian will also need to be contacted, so please ensure that they are aware. The parent or guardian will be contacted by our Customer Support Team.

Once we have received the required information and eligibility checks are complete, the license will be activated, and the software issued. A Brain in Hand coach is then assigned to the user; the coach will initiate contact within 2 working days of allocation and will share a link  to book in the coaching session.

The Brain in Hand coach will initially support the user to set up their personalised support system. This includes helping them get to grips with the technology itself, but also includes the chance to think about the user’s strengths, difficulties, and goals to co-produce strategies.

If the user has requested a supporter to accompany them in the session, this is a fantastic opportunity for them to learn the system, alongside assisting the user to think about their goals, strengths, and difficulties. The BiH coach helps the user to create their own events, strategies, and solutions into the system using a solution-focused approach. The user and their supporter will be able to schedule regular coaching sessions to reflect on progress towards goals, set new goals or find new solutions to challenges. This can help maintain motivation and prevent escalations in anxiety.

The supporter's role is not essential and depends on a user's needs and preferences. For some users, it can be a helpful link between them and their Brain in Hand coach. The supporter can be either a professional or personal acquaintance, someone the user trusts and who knows them well. We would recommend the supporter attends the initial coaching sessions to familiarise themselves with the software, whilst also supporting the user in identifying areas of life they seek to improve.

Throughout the user’s Brain in Hand journey, the supporter may provide help to reinforce positive achievements, identify any patterns, trends, or unresolved difficulties, and help create new strategies where needed. Users can give supporters access to their Brain in Hand accounts, making it easy to review how things are going and co-produce new strategies for areas of difficulty.

Brain in Hand is compatible with most new smartphones and tablets running the latest operating systems: version 6.0 and above on Android smartphones and tablets, or iOS version 15.0 and above on iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. You can find the operating system and software version of your phone by looking at your phone’s settings.

 If you are using an Android device, open the Google Play Store and search for “brain in hand”. Then tap “Install”. If you are using an iOS device (iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad), open the App Store and search for “brain in hand”. Then tap “Install”.

The following features are compatible with the Brain in Hand mobile software.

For Android devices:

· Text-to-Speech for screen reading. This allows you to select text and have your phone read it out loud for you. Go to 'Settings', then to 'Accessibility', and tap on 'Select to Speak'.

· Adjustable font size. This will not increase the text size of items in your diary, but does affect the size of headers. Go to 'Settings', 'Accessibility', then 'Font Size'.

For iOS devices, the following features can be found in your 'Settings' menu under 'Accessibility':

· VoiceOver, Apple's built-in screen reader

· Zoom, a feature that magnifies the whole screen

· Invert Colours, to swap between a black background with white text and vice versa

· Dark Mode, which makes the screen darker and may be more comfortable to look at

· Colour Filters, which allow you to change the colour of your background.

Brain in Hand does not currently support the iOS Text Size Magnification feature.

The Brain in Hand app is compatible with Android tablets running version 6.0 or higher, and iPads and iPod Touches on iOS version 15.0 or higher.

Although Brain in Hand isn't designed specifically for smartwatches, most Android and iOS smartwatches will prompt you with event notifications and mood reminders if your main device is set up to allow notifications.

We don't currently support the use of Brain in Hand with smart assistants.

You can use Brain in Hand while overseas. However, you will need to update the time zone on your phone to see the correct time on your timeline and to get diary notifications at the correct time for your time zone. Mobile phones will often automatically update their time zone when you travel, but this can also be done manually.

You can use your UK-based Response Service, but there may be additional data charges. You could temporarily change your preferred contact method to ‘email’ on your profile settings to receive email support instead.

It’s worth remembering that the syncing of Brain in Hand from the mobile app to the web app requires an active internet connection. Roaming data charges for your mobile usually apply when you are abroad and aren’t on a Wi-Fi connection. You may want to consider disabling data on your mobile and only using Wi-Fi.

If you swap your UK SIM card for a local SIM card in order to use a local number, you will still be able to use the mobile and web app for diary events and to keep a record of your mood reminders. However, you won’t receive any text messages or phone calls.

To download Brain in Hand from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store, your Google Play country or your Apple ID Country need to be either the UK or Canada.

Brain in Hand supports special character inputs for many different alphabets and diacritics. This means you will be able to write your events, problems, and solutions within the web app in all common alphabets, and you will be able to access these from your Brain in Hand mobile app. However, the built-in headings within both the web app and the mobile app are currently only in English.

There are a few ways of adding emojis to your Brain in Hand diary events, problems, solutions, or activities.

1.    On a Mac, you can press the 'control', 'command', and 'space' buttons (press all three at once) to bring up the emoji menu.

2.    On Windows computers, holding down the 'Windows logo' key (it looks like a slightly skewed square made of four smaller squares) and the 'full stop' key will bring up the emoji keyboard.

3.    If accessing your website through a mobile phone browser, you can add emojis directly from your mobile keyboard.

Alternatively, you can find emoji keyboards online which you can copy and paste into Brain in Hand.

To use and update the Brain in Hand app you will need to access the internet from your device, either through WiFi or 3G/4G (cellular data). We estimate that Brain in Hand uses approximately 2MB of cellular data a month. Please note: All features of the Brain in Hand app can be used when not connected to the internet, however, to send a traffic light alert to your responder you must be connected to the internet (WiFi or 3G/4G cellular data).

The supporter's role is not essential and depends on a user's needs and preferences. For some users, it can be a helpful link between them and their Brain in Hand coach. The supporter can be either a professional or personal acquaintance, someone the user trusts and who knows them well. We would recommend the supporter attends the initial coaching sessions to familiarise themselves with the software, whilst also supporting the user in identifying areas of life they seek to improve.

Throughout the user’s Brain in Hand journey, the supporter may provide help to reinforce positive achievements, identify any patterns, trends, or unresolved difficulties, and help create new strategies where needed. Users can give supporters access to their Brain in Hand accounts, making it easy to review how things are going and co-produce new strategies for areas of difficulty.

Brain in Hand provides a professional response service, although some of our users prefer to have a personal responder instead.

There are two options available for selecting a personal responder:

1. Receiving notifications only: In this setting, your chosen personal responder will receive a notification (via text message and/or email) if you request a response.
2. Receiving notifications and access to your Brain in Hand account: With this setting, your chosen personal responder will receive a notification (via text message and/or email) when you request a response. Additionally, they will have access to your account, enabling them to view your strategies and timeline, as well as edit content or leave comments.

Your personal responder can be someone who knows you personally, such as a family member, or a member of your university support team.

The actions taken by your personal responder upon receiving a notification would be decided by you and your responder. You might prefer them to get in touch with you as soon as possible, or simply be aware that you're facing challenges at that moment. The choice and arrangement would be entirely up to you and your responder.

Your Brain in Hand response service is there to help you get your day back on track when things are difficult. With one tap in your BiH app, you can ask a responder to get in touch with you by text, phone call, or email. 

Our responders won’t tell you what to do; they’re there to help you work out for yourself how to solve a problem. They’ll talk through what you’re finding difficult and help you think about the solutions you might be able to use.

All our Coaching Sessions are delivered by Microsoft Teams and our coaches are trained in making participants feel comfortable, addressing any sensory needs if they have them, and work at the user’s own pace. If users prefer to have their camera off or have shorter sessions, then this can be accommodated. We encourage supporters to attend where this is preferable to the user to ensure that they feel comfortable and can get the most out of their session. A typical user will receive 4 hours of coaching to get started. Regular review sessions are then available throughout the license period, which tends to be every one to two months, based on need.

1. Go to your phone's settings, then select 'Notifications'.
2. To choose when you want notification previews to appear, tap 'Show Previews', then select an option: either 'Always' or 'When Unlocked'. (This will be your default setting, but you can override it for individual apps to suit your preferences.)
3. Go back to the notifications menu and find 'braininhand' in the list. Then turn 'Allow Notifications' on.
4. You can choose how and where you want your Brain in Hand notifications to appear. For example, you could set them to appear on your lock screen, in your Notification Centre, and/or as banners. 

1. Press and hold on the Brain in Hand app icon until the menu pops up.
2. Press 'App Info', then 'Notifications'.
3. Make sure that notifications are turned on.
4. Go back to 'App Info', then select 'Advanced'.
5. Select 'Battery'.
6. Check the battery saving settings for Brain in Hand (this will not affect any of your other apps):
7. Ensure that under 'Background Restriction', it says 'App can use battery in the background'. If it says 'Restricted', press this and select 'Remove'.
8. Ensure that under 'Battery Optimisation, it says 'Not Optimised'. If it says anything else, press this, then on the next screen press the dropdown saying 'Not Optimised'. Change this setting to 'All Apps', find Brain in Hand in the list and press on it, then select 'Don't Optimise'. Finally, press 'Done'. 

1. Go to 'Settings', then 'Apps and Notifications'.
2. Press 'Apps'.
3. Press the settings cog at the bottom and go to 'Special Access'.
4. Tap on 'Ignore battery optimisation'.
5. At the top, press 'All Apps', then 'Allowed'.
6. On the dropdown menu that appears, select 'Brain in Hand' from the list.
7. Press 'Allow' and then 'OK'. 

1. Go to ‘Settings’, then ‘Battery’, ‘Battery optimization’.
2. Tap on the 3-dots button in the top right.
3. Next go to ‘Advanced optimization’, then toggle-off ‘Deep optimization’ and toggle-off ‘Sleep standby optimization’. 

1. Go to ‘Settings’, then ‘Battery’, then ‘Battery optimization.
2. Select ‘All Apps’ from the top menu bar.
3. Find and tap on the Brain in Hand app icon (BiH), then tap ‘Don’t optimize’. 

1. Go into ‘Settings’, then ‘Battery’.
2. Tap ‘Battery Saver’ and make sure it’s turned off. 

For anyone whose day can be affected by things such as anxiety, unexpected events, or the need to make decisions under pressure. Employees (including self-employed people) don’t need to have a specific condition or diagnosis.

Brain in Hand is often used by people who are neurodivergent (e.g. autistic or ADHD), have a mental health condition (e.g. depression or anxiety), or have a learning condition (e.g. dyslexia). It helps people thrive in work by building self-efficacy and improving wellbeing.

Brain in Hand combines a digital app and ongoing human support, including:

A personal coach. Our coaches work with the person to break down difficulties and focus on what matters. They support them in developing personalised solutions that utilise their strengths, to build coping strategies, recognise stress triggers, and anticipate challenges. Ongoing solution-focused coaching helps motivation and reduces overwhelm.

In-the-moment support. For as long as a customer has Brain in Hand, they can get in-the-moment support at times of need from our Responder Service. Users can be contacted by phone, live text, or email. The choice is theirs. A responder will contact them within 30 minutes at the touch of a button in the app.

Year one license: £1,550 + VAT

Subsequent years' licenses: £1,200 + VAT

Brain in Hand can be funded for the workplace through Access to Work for those eligible, and also privately by employers.

Brain in Hand is unique in that it combines digital tools and a personal coach. 

The app includes features and tools to support planning and organising, structured planning, prompts and more. 

Users will have a personal coach who supports and encourages them to develop personalised solutions for the things they find difficult. Experienced mental health or education coaches deliver coaching with expertise, specifically with neurodiverse people. Scheduled sessions are provided as long as the customer has a Brain in Hand license.

In-the-moment support is available 24/7 with phone, live text, or email support, depending on the individual's preferred communication style.

Simply email support@braininhand.co.uk stating that you require a quote for a workplace referral. Please include the person's full name, email address, and billing address.

Yes. Brain in Hand works by giving people access to their personal library of strategies and resources on their phone when they need them. If someone doesn’t have a phone, they won’t be able to access this information.

Brain in Hand is currently available in the UK. We are planning to bring our system to more people around the world in the future. The best way to keep up to date on all our news, including potential future work outside the UK, is to follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter.