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Applications and Admissions

Q1 Is there a specific member of staff in third level institutions with specific responsibility for supporting students with disabilities?

Yes both the Universities and the Institutes of Technology have a specific staff member whose responsibility it is to support students with disabilities. Disability Officers work in the Universities and Access Officers work in the Institutes of Technology. The role of the Disability/Access Officer is to work collaboratively with students with disabilities in arranging supports that a student with a disability may need while they are in college. Such supports may include, assistive technology, examination arrangements, organising additional tuition or support during lectures.

Q2 Do colleges offer alternative admissions for students with disabilities?

Every student who wants to apply to college in the Republic of Ireland must complete a CAO form. On the first page of the CAO Form the question Do you have a Disability/ Specific Learning Difficulty appears. If you indicate that you have a disability the Universities and Institutes of Technology to which you are applying will be made aware that you have a disability. This will not in any way mitigate against your application it is merely a way in which the Institutions that provide an alternative entry procedure for students with disabilities can be made aware of your application. You will be sent information by colleges who offer alternative entry procedures in March. If you can prove that you have been educationally disadvantaged as a result of your disability some colleges may be able to accommodate you. Students will need to back up claims of educational disadvantage with medical and educational evidence.

Q3 I'm in my Leaving Cert year and I'm not sure what course to take in college next year. Where can I get advice?

Your first port of call should be your school Career Guidance Counsellor. They should be able to point you in the right direction regarding where your strengths lie. Many of the Universities and IT's have exhibits at Careers Fairs throughout the year. The national press also publish Careers supplements during the year. It is important to play to your strengths and choose a course in which you are genuinely interested and think that you will enjoy.

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