disability
access route
to education
(dare)
for entry autumn 2010
Disability Access Route to Education
How Do I Apply to DARE?
More Information
If you have any questions on completing the Supplementary Information Form, please contact the CAO Helpline on (091) 509 800.
Contact details for all the Higher Education Institutions participating in DARE are available on the back of this Application Guide.
Further information on DARE is available at accesscollege.ie
1. Indicate that you have a Disability/Specifi c Learning Diffi culty on the CAO application form at www.cao.ie
2. Complete Section A of the Supplementary Information Form and indicate your wish to be considered for DARE by 1st February 2010.
2. Return the Second Level Academic Reference (Section B) and Evidence of Disability (Section C) to CAO, Tower House, Eglinton Street, Galway by 1st April 2010.
Remember to put your name and CAO number on all documents you submit to the CAO.
Remember to keep photocopies and proof of postage.
Please note that closing dates will be strictly adhered to and late applications will not be accepted. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the DARE application is completed fully and accurately.
For information on the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) for school leavers from socio-economically disadvantaged
What is DARE?
Who should apply to DARE?
What Disabilities are eligible?
The Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) is a supplementary admissions scheme for school leavers with disabilities which operates on a reduced points basis. DARE has been established by a number of Higher Education Institutions as clear evidence shows that disability can have a negative impact on educational attainment at school and progression to higher education. See accesscollege.ie for further information on DARE.
School leavers (under 23 years as at 1st January 2010) who have the ability to benefi t from and succeed in higher education but who may not be able to meet the points for their preferred course due to the impact of a disability. Mature students have different admission routes and you can get further information on these routes from HEI websites. z Asperger’s Syndrome/Autism z ADD/ADHD z Blind/Vision Impaired z Deaf/Hearing Impaired z Dyspraxia
z Mental Health Condition
z Neurological Conditions (incl. Brain Injury, Speech and Language Disabilities)
Why should I apply to DARE?
What Higher Education
Institutions are participating
in DARE 2010?
You should complete a DARE application if you wish to compete for one of the reduced points places on offer in the participating Higher Education Institutions.
Each participating Higher Education Institution has a reserved number of places to offer eligible DARE students at lower Leaving Certifi cate points. This is what we mean by reduced points places.
You must meet the minimum course entry requirements to be considered for one of the reduced points places. Details of places available and the minimum course entry requirements can be found at accesscollege.ie
z Athlone Institute of Technology
z Dublin City University
z Dublin Institute of Technology
z Mater Dei Institute of Education
z National College of Ireland
z NUI Galway
z NUI Maynooth
z Trinity College Dublin
z University College Cork
z University College Dublin
z University of Limerick
All students with a disability, irrespective of whether they come through DARE or not, can avail of a variety of academic, personal and social supports while studying at third level. Further information on the support available in college can
Guidelines for
Completing the
Online Application
Eye provides essential instructions/information.
Screenshot shows you what the DARE / Supplementary Information Form Online Application looks like.
Section A Applicant Information ... Page 4 Section B Second Level Academic Reference ... Page 7 Section C Evidence of Disability... Page 8 Supplementary Admissions Routes ...Page 10 Next Steps in the Application Process ...Page 11 DARE Timeline ...Page 12 DARE Checklist ...Page 13
Content
Question 1
(Q1.)
Section A is fi lled out by you, the applicant, and asks for information
on your disability, the supports you received in second level and
how your disability impacted on your education. Section A must be
completed by 1st February 2010.
Asks you to indicate your primary disability/specifi c learning diffi culty. If you have more than one disability, your primary disability is the one which has had the greatest impact on your educational performance. You can only tick one primary disability.
Section A Applicant Information
Question 2
(Q2.)
Asks you to indicate if you have any other disabilities/specifi c learning diffi culties. This is important as all of your disabilities can be assessed for eligibility under DARE. For this question, you can tick more than one disability.
Question 3
(Q3.)
Asks you to list the supports you received in second level and those you may require in third level.
Please only tick the supports you actually received in second level and those you feel are necessary in third level.
Sample Personal Statement
Sample Personal Statement
Ever since I was fourteen I’ve been struggling with depression. I’ve missed a lot of days here and there as a result. It got really bad in fi fth year and I was hospitalised for four weeks (October 2008). Settling back into school was diffi cult because I had missed a lot of work and found it really hard to catch up.
Sixth year has been a real challenge for me. I’m on heavy medication and it’s hard to concentrate in class. Sometimes when I go home, I’ve no idea what happened that day. My Psychiatrist changed my medication to help improve my concentration but the new medication made me very sick. I’ve already missed a couple of weeks this year because my depression has been getting worse.
I’m not getting extra support in school and I’m fi nding it hard to revise on my own. I feel like I’m falling behind and won’t do as well in the Leaving Cert as a result.
Having dyslexia has had a big impact on my time in school. I study every night but don’t get results that refl ect the amount of work I put in. This is really frustrating for me, especially when I see my classmates doing better than me.
I work a lot slower than my classmates. I often spend four hours doing my homework which leaves me little time to study. I am a slow reader and I usually have to re-read the same page three or four times before I understand what I’m reading.
Class tests are diffi cult because it takes me longer to read a question and
understand it. Also, when I’m under pressure my writing becomes very untidy and diffi cult to read. I spell lots of words wrong and so lose marks.
Question 4
(Q4.)
Asks you to complete a Personal Statement, which outlines from your perspective, the impact of your disability on your education. This is an opportunity for you to tell us about your experience of being in school and some of the challenges you encountered. These may include; access to texts/materials, memory/concentration diffi culties, diffi culty in meeting deadlines, attendance, ability to fully participate in class and examination performance. You may enter up to 1,500 characters (approximately 300 words).
The Second Level Academic Reference provides background
information on your educational experience and helps to determine
appropriate supports at third level. The Second Level Academic
Reference must be returned to the CAO before
1st April 2010.
Section B Second Level Academic
Reference
You must print this form and ask your school teacher/Guidance Counsellor to fi ll it out. As the Second Level Academic Reference asks for background information on your educational experience, it’s important that the person completing the form is familiar with the impact of your disability on your academic performance and participation at second level.
The form must be signed by your school teacher/Guidance Counsellor and school principal. It must also be stamped by your school.
The Evidence of Disability provides verifi cation of your disability and
helps to determine appropriate supports at third level. The Evidence
of Disability must be returned to the CAO before 1st April 2010.
You must print this form and ask the accepted Medical Consultant/Specialist for your disability to fi ll it out (please see the table of accepted Medical Consultants/Specialists on page 9).All applicants must complete the Evidence of Disability form with the exception of the following:
z Applicants with specifi c learning diffi culties (Dyslexia and Dyscalculia), who must provide a full psycho-educational assessment completed by an appropriately qualifi ed Psychologist. You should go to accesscollege.ie for guidelines on the information required in the psycho-educational assessment.
z Applicants who have an existing report completed by the accepted Medical Consultant/Specialist. The report must contain the same detail as the Evidence of Disability form and must have been completed within the required timeframe.
Section C Evidence of Disability
The Evidence of Disability must be stamped by the accepted Medical Consultant/Specialist or accompanied by the accepted Medical Consultant/ Specialist’s business card or headed paper. If the form is not verifi ed as outlined above then the evidence of disability will not be considered.
As all your disabilities can be assessed for eligibility under DARE, it is important to provide verifi cation for all disabilities you disclose.
Very often it can take a number of months to get verifi cation of your disability. It is essential that you start gathering your supporting documentation as soon as possible.
Type of Disability Accepted Medical Consultant/Specialist Age of Report
Asperger’s Syndrome/ Autism
Attention Defi cit Disorder/Attention Defi cit Hyperactivity Disorder Deaf/Hearing Impaired Dyspraxia Mental Health Condition Physical Disability Neurological
Conditions (incl. Brain Injury, Speech & Language Disabilities) Signifi cant Ongoing Illness
Blind/Vision Impaired
Appropriately qualifi ed psychiatrist/ psychologist who is a member of their respective professional or regulatory body Appropriately qualifi ed psychiatrist/ psychologist who is a member of their respective professional or regulatory body Professionally qualifi ed Audiologist and/or ENT Consultant
Appropriately qualifi ed psychologist and Occupational Therapist/Physiotherapist who is a member of their respective professional or regulatory body Psychiatrist
Orthopaedic Consultant or other relevant Consultant such a Rheumatologist or Paediatrician.
Neurological Conditions: Neurologist or
other relevant Consultant.
Speech & Language Disabilities: Speech
and Language Therapist
Epilepsy: Neurologist
Diabetes Type 1: Endocrinologist
Cystic Fibrosis (CF): Consultant respiratory
physician or paediatrician
Gastroenterology Conditions:
Gastroenterologist
Others: Relevant consultant in area of
condition or Consultant Registrar/Registrar Ophthalmologist/Ophthalmic Surgeon
No age limit No age limit
No age limit No age limit Must be less than three years old i.e. must be dated after
1st February 2007
No age limit No age limit
Must be less than three years old i.e. must be dated after
1st February 2007
No age limit
Supplementary Admissions Routes
Question 5
(Q5.)
The fi nal part of the online application is a section on ‘Supplementary Admissions Routes’. It is in this section that you must indicate your wish to be considered for DARE. You must do this by 1st February 2010.
Asks if you wish to be considered for DARE. Before selecting ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, please download the eligibility criteria for your disability.
If you select ‘No’, your application will not be considered for DARE but you may still avail of supports in college
Finally, you must tick the ‘Declaration’ box to confi rm that all the information you provided is correct and that you undertake to comply with the regulations of the CAO. Press ‘Submit’ to complete your application.
z All applicants will be informed in writing by the end of June of the outcome of their DARE application.
z Applicants who are not eligible for consideration under DARE will be informed of the reasons for their ineligibility.
z An applicant can request that his/her application be reviewed should he/she have reason to believe that an error occurred during the screening process.
Next Steps in the Application Process
If you are not eligible for DARE you can still get into college through the CAO if you meet the entry requirements for the course of your choice.
DARE Timeline
This timeline will take you through all the steps you must follow from
applying to DARE to starting in college.
From November 2009
By 1st February 2010
February & March 2010
Before 1st April 2010
April – June 2010
June 2010 (after Leaving
Certifi cate exams)
July 2010
August 2010
Indicate that you have a disability/ specifi c learning diffi culty on the CAO application form at www.cao.ie Start fi lling out Section A of the Supplementary Information Form (Questions 1-4) and indicate your wish to be considered for DARE (Question 5). Start gathering supporting documentation. Complete your CAO application.
You must complete Section A of the Supplementary Information Form (Questions 1-4) and indicate your wish to be considered for DARE (Question 5). Continue to gather supporting documentation:
• Section B - Second Level Academic Reference • Section C - Evidence of Disability
Submit your Second Level Academic Reference AND Evidence of Disability to the CAO, Tower House, Eglinton Street, Galway.
Keep photocopy & proof of postage of all documentation submitted.
Put your name & CAO number on all documentation. Assessment of DARE applications
Applicants notifi ed of eligibility DARE Application Recheck Leaving Certifi cate Exam Results
DARE Checklist
Use this checklist to ensure that you have fully completed your DARE
application.
Checklist Notes Yes/No
Have you indicated that you have a disability/ specifi c learning diffi culty on the CAO application form Have you completed Section A
(Questions 1-4) of the Supplementary Information Form and indicated your wish to be considered for DARE (Question 5)?
Have you returned the completed Second Level Academic Reference to the CAO? Have you returned the completed Evidence of Disability to the CAO?
You must do this by 1st February 2010.
This must be completed by 1st February 2010.
This must be returned to the CAO by 1st April 2010. The form must be signed by your school teacher/ Guidance Counsellor and school principal. It must also be stamped by your school.
This must be returned to the CAO by 1st April 2010. The Evidence of Disability must be completed by the accepted Medical Consultant/Specialist for your disability.
Applicants with specifi c learning diffi culties (Dyslexia and Dyscalculia) must provide a full psycho-educational assessment completed by a qualifi ed Psychologist.
Higher Education Institutions
CONTACT DETAILS:
Athlone Institute of Technology
Patricia Kearney, Tel: 090 646 8141, e-mail: [email protected],
www.ait.ie/admissions/disability.shtm
Dublin City University
Anne O’Connor, Tel: 01 7005208, e-mail: [email protected],
www.dcu.ie/students/disability/index.shtml
Dublin Institute of Technology
Olive O’Connor, Tel: 01 4027656, e-mail: [email protected],
www.dit.ie/campuslife/disability/admissions/
Mater Dei Institute of Education
Annabella Stover Tel: 01 8086502, e-mail: [email protected]
http://www.materdei.ie/prospective-students/undergraduate/promoting-access.html#disability
National College of Ireland
Stephen Kennedy, Tel: 01 4498556, e-mail: [email protected],
http://www.ncirl.ie/Student_Support/Disability_Support
NUI Galway
Elizabeth Walsh, Tel: 091 493541, e-mail: [email protected],
http://www.nuigalway.ie/disability/admissions.html
NUI Maynooth
Rose Ryan, Tel: 01 7086341, e-mail: [email protected],
http://access.nuim.ie
Trinity College Dublin
Declan Reilly & Alison Doyle, Tel: 01 8963111, e-mail: [email protected], www.tcd.ie/Admissions/undergraduate/apply/eu/disability/
University College Cork
Mary O’Grady, Tel: 021 4902985, e-mail: [email protected],
http://www.ucc.ie/en/dss/ProspectiveStudents/
University College Dublin
Tina Lowe, Tel: 01 7167564, e-mail: [email protected],
www.ucd.ie/access/dss_prospectivestudents.htm
University of Limerick
Brenda Shinners Kennedy, Tel: 061 202346, e-mail: [email protected], www.ul.ie/disabilityservices/admissions.htm
