I've accepted a place at LIT and I have a Disability. Now what do I do?
When you applied through the CAO, you probably gave supplementary
information about your disability or specific learning difficulty (SLD).
Depending on your needs, this could have included:
- A
psycho-educational assessment from an educational psychologist
- Reports from consultants
- Supporting documentation from your secondary school
- Documentation from the State Examination Board
- A statement from yourself about how your disability has affected your
learning over the years
Once you accept a position at LIT, the Access Service then receives the
supplementary information from the CAO. You will then be contacted for a
Needs Assessment with the Disability Officer or Dyslexia Support Tutor as
soon as possible. At this meeting we will look at your supplementary
information with you and work together to decide what you will need at LIT.
Once you have met with us, we then write
Course Director Notes
explaining your needs for exams, assignments and daily learning. With your
signed consent, these notes are then sent to your department and used to
help support you. If any changes occur, please let us know and will we send
new Course Director Notes. If there are no changes, the notes are used for
each year you are at LIT.
PLEASE ALSO NOTE: All first year
students are assigned a Mentor in their own school/department. The mentor is
a local contact for students, who will be happy to help you with any
academic difficulties you may be experiencing. All students are strongly
advised to make contact with your assigned Mentor at the beginning of each
academic year.
What do I do if I didn't disclose my disability to the CAO?
If you did not disclose your disability to the CAO or are transferring from
another institution, we will not know about your needs unless you let us
know. It is best to contact the Access Service as soon as you can. When we
hear from you we will arrange an appointment for your Needs Assessment. At
your Needs Assessment, we will need proof of your needs from a consultant's
report or a psycho-educational assessment by an educational psychologist.
I have a physical or sensory disability and am concerned about accessing the
campus – what should I do?
Please schedule a meeting with the Disability Officer before September. At
this meeting we will discuss all your concerns and needs and will put a plan
in place to ensure that the campus is accessible to you. The Access Service
works with the Estates Manager and the Health and Safety Officer to make
sure our campuses are fully accessible for students with disabilities.
I am deaf/hearing impaired and will need a Sign-Language Interpreter while
studying at LIT – what should I do?
After we receive your documentation, we will make an application on your
behalf to the Fund for Students with Disabilities (part funded by the
Irish Government and the European Social Fund) to cover the cost of a Sign
Language Interpreter.
In some cases, deaf/hearing impaired students
already have a sign language interpreter that they would like to continue
with while at LIT, while in other cases this is not possible. Please make an
appointment with the Access Service as soon as you have accepted a place at
LIT so that we can make arrangements for your Sign Language Interpreter.
I will need a personal assistant while studying at LIT – what should I do?
In some cases, students with physical disabilities or who are blind/vision
impaired are eligible for a personal assistant. If you are eligible, the
Access Service will make an application on your behalf to the Fund for
Students with Disabilities (part funded by the Irish Government and the
European Social Fund) to cover the cost of your personal assistant. Please
make an appointment with the Access Service as soon as you have accepted a
place at LIT so that we can make arrangements for your personal assistant.
I have a mental health condition – what should I do?
If you have a documented mental health condition that you disclosed through
the CAO, the Access Service will receive your details after you accept a
place at LIT and will contact you to arrange a Needs Assessment. If you did
not disclose to the CAO, you are welcome to talk to us about your needs at
registration, or at any point throughout your studies.
Unfortunately,
many students with mental health conditions choose not to disclose because
they are worried that they might be "labelled" or treated differently by
staff and other students. It is important to remember that if you do have a
mental health condition, it is a medical concern and will be treated
confidentially at all times - even if you do register with the Access
Service, the outcome of your Needs Assessment will not be sent on to your
department without your signed consent.
It is also important to make
contact with LIT's Counselling Service as soon as possible. This way, there
will be support in place should you need it at potentially stressful times
throughout the academic year, such as during exams.
I have a Specific Learning Difficulty - why should my psycho-educational
assessment not be more than three years old?
The more recent your assessment is, the more it will help us understand your
current needs. The areas of cognition (how you learn and understand) tested
in the psycho-educational assessment can change over the years, so the
assessment needs to be recent.
Assessments also tell us about your
strengths. It is important that you understand what these are, as awareness
can help you determine the best way to approach your studies. If you are
looking to have an assessment done and aren't sure where to start, the
Access Service can help point you in the right direction.
There is
a second reason why your assessment needs to be recent. If you are deemed by
the Access Service to be eligible for funding from the HEA's Fund for
Students With Disabilities, only assessments that are less than three
years old can be submitted with your application.
What accommodations can I avail of once I have registered with the Access
Service?
Depending on what your documentation says, the following accommodations can
be put in place for exams:
- Extra Time
- Spelling & Grammar Waiver
- Own Room
- Quiet Room
- Reader
- Scribe
- Answers On Tape
- Voice Activated Software
- Rest Periods
- Printer
- Instructions Required
- Fan required
- Access to toilet
- Access to food
Other services and supports available include:
- Lecture notes in
advance
- Dyslexia Screening
- Extra Tuition (Subject Specific)
- Dyslexia Tuition (1:1) for any of the following areas: memory and
concentration, study skills, scheduling and time management, learning styles,
reading for 3rd level, spelling for 3rd level, mind mapping, creating study
notes, revising and exam skills
- Guidance on options in Assistive Technology (AT) including laptop computers,
specialised software, recording devices, and other practical solutions
- Availability of loan Assistive Technology, where evidence of severe literacy
difficulty is provided and A.T. training where warranted.
Am I eligible for the Fund for Students with Disabilities?
For information regarding funding for students with disabilities please visit the
Funding for Students with Disabilities page .