How to apply to Dublin Institute of Technology if you have a disability, long term medical condition or specific learning difficulty.
The Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) is aimed at all school leavers with disabilities; this supplementary admissions scheme recognises the impact of disability on educational attainment and on progression to higher education.
A dedicated website, www.accesscollege.ie, has been developed which contains full details of the scheme and will assist students in making their applications.
DIT offers an alternative entry scheme for applicants with disabilities through the Supplementary Admissions Route for Applicants with Disabilities. The Supplementary Admissions Route facilitates access to a number of higher education colleges for applicants with disabilities, who because of the impact of their disability, may not meet the competitive CAO points for the course of their choice.
Applicants with a disability applying for full time undergraduate degrees in DIT must apply via the Central Applications Office (CAO) by 1 February,2009 indicating on the application form that they have a disability or specific learning difficulty. This is the basis for seeking reasonable accommodations of support in either the application process or in pursuing their College career. Mature students (i.e. at least 23 years of age on the 1st January of the proposed year of entry) with disabilities should apply via the supplementary admissions procedure for mature students as well as via CAO.
Applicants wishing to be considered for the Supplementary Admissions Route for Applicants with Disabilities should complete/supply the following documentation to the CAO by the closing dates set-out for this scheme in the CAO 2009 Handbook:
Online Supplementary Information Form (SIF), including personal statement
Second Level Academic Reference
Evidence of Disability Form completed by a relevant specialist or consultant, *no older than 3 years* (or a psycho-educational assessment completed by a qualified Psychologist for applicants with a specific learning difficulty).
All of the above documentation is assessed to determine if there is a significant level of educational disadvantage experienced by the applicant
Guidelines for completing the CAO Supplemental Information Form
A summary brochure can be downloaded here
A copy of the form can be found here
The specific eligibility criterion for all disabilities is available in the Disability Criteria Document.
Further information is available on the CAO website at: http://www.cao.ie/index.php?page=downloads.
