Special Needs

Information for Students with Special Educational Needs

This following information is for students with disabilities, including mental health and specific learning difficulties.
 

 

Learners who require special assistance (e.g., a sign language interpreter, personal assistant etc) when attending an interview or advisory meeting in the College, are requested to provide their own assistance if possible. If this is not possible, then learners should contact the College Disability Advisors, Odette Lawlor and Catherine McKinney, (guidance@scd.ie or phone 01 2800385) to allow the College to make appropriate arrangements for this assistance. It may take a number of weeks to source special arrangements. It is important to note that if the applicant is unable to attend for interview or for the advisory meeting/interview at the time scheduled, that adequate cancellation notice is given to avoid the College incurring unnecessary costs.  

 

If you are offered a place on a course of study in SCD, you may need supports in order to better access your course. The kind of supports needed may vary from person to person but can include the following:
 

1. use of a laptop and/or special assistive technology
2. additional learning support either 1:1 or in small groups
3. a personal assistant to help you in class or around the College
4. transport e.g. a taxi
5. use of a notetaker
6. use of a sign language interpreter
7. a reader for your exams
8. a scribe for your exams

To access these supports you must have a diagnosed condition such as a visual or hearing impairment, a physical or mobility impairment, a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia or a mental health difficulty, If you are unsure about your eligibility, you can contact the College.  

1. Funding for Equipment and Services

The Higher Education Authority Fund (HEA) for Students with Disabilities aims to assist students with disabilities and specific learning difficulties to participate in Further Education. It provides grants towards the provision of services and the purchase of equipment for students with disabilities attending courses in the College. It is funded by the Government under the National Development Plan 2007-2013 with assistance from the European Social Fund.

Details on Application Procedure
In consultation with you, the College will submit an application to the HEA on your behalf. The closing date each academic year is usually early October. Contact the College Disability Advisors, (guidance@scd.ie), immediately on course commencement to find out more about this fund and to fill in the application form. If you are unable to attend your chosen course without supports such as a sign language interpreter or a personal assistant then, it is essential that you contact College as soon as you have been offered a place as these supports take time to put in place. It is advisable for new students to contact the Disability Advisors in the first two weeks in September before classes starts. Unfortunately, there may be a delay in processing applications received during the summer months (June, July and August).

Your application cannot be processed without supporting documentation.

• If you have a specific learning difficulty, you will need to submit an assessment by an educational psychologist with your application. If you haven't been assessed before or if your assessment is more than 5 years old, you will need to be assessed before starting College. Contact the Dyslexia Association (01-6790276) for information about assessment and  for a list of educational psychologists. There is a long waiting list for assessment, however, if your need is urgent, you may be offered a cancellation appointment.  You can also contact the Psychological Society of Ireland for a  list of registered educational psychologists psihq.ie
• If you have a long term/chronic disability or illness, you will need to submit a report from your medical consultant or a letter from an association such as the National Council for the Blind and Visually Impaired or the National Association for Deaf and Hearing Impaired giving details of your disability and outlining the kind of supports you require.
• If you suffer from a mental health condition such as depression, you will need to submit a letter from your pyschiatric consultant outlining the nature of your condition and the supports you would benefit from (eg 1:1 tutorial support).
• Letters from GPs are not accepted by the HEA.
  
  
  Funding is not provided for any costs associated with assessment or diagnosis of a disability. More general information is available on studentfinance.ie
   

2. Exam Considerations
 

You can request special exam considerations based on your special needs. Common exam considerations are:
 

• extra time in exams
• a reader (someone reads the exam paper to you)
• a scribe (you dictate your answers to another person and that person writes down the answers)
• spelling/grammar waiver
• the use of a computer
• the use of special assistive technology
   

If you have a specific learning difficulty, you must provide a psycho-educational assessment OR a letter from your school outlining the exam considerations you were given in your Junior and/or Leaving Certificate exams. Students with medical conditions can submit the letter issued by their medical consultant but the letter will need to have information on the kinds of supports required.  You can request special exam considerations by filling out the ‘Special Requirements for Exams Form’ which is available from the College Disability Advisors and must be signed by one of them. You can leave this at reception for the College Examinations Officer (Eleanor Dineen) together with a copy of your assessment/letter. This must be done no later than the end of October of each academic year. 

Useful Contacts

To contact the College Disability Advisors

email guidance@scd.ie, or phone the College on 01 2800385

The Association for Higher Education Access and Disability (AHEAD)
This Association has some good publications such as 'Assessing Third Level Education In Ireland', a handbook for students with disabilities and learning difficulties. Another useful publication is 'A Guide to Funding for People with Disabilities in Mainstream Vocational Training'. Phone: 01-7164396.Email: ahead@ahead.ie  Website: ahead.ie.

The Dyslexia Association
Association for Adults and Children with specific learning difficulties
Tel: 01 679 0276. Email: info@dyslexia.ie Website: dyslexia.ie

National Association for Deaf and Hearing Impaired
Tel: 01 872 3800. Minicom: 01(817 5777) Email: nad@iol.ie. Text messages: 01(878 3629). Videophone: 01(817 1400). Website: nadi.ie

National Council for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Tel: 1850 334353 Email: info@ncbi.ie Website: ncbi.ie