A Parents’ Guide to the Disability Service 2012

http://www.tcd.ie/disability/

Guide for Parents and GuardiansWelcome

Dear Parents (or Guardians)

All parents/guardians have concerns when their son or daughter begins a new life in college. As a parent of a student with a disability, you are more likely to have questions and anxieties about the support your son or daughter can expect in college.

The transition to university is a big step for all students, but particularly for those with additional support requirements. It can be difficult to find out what needs to be done and the appropriate times to do so. We want to ensure that every student is adequately supported.

This guide was written to address some of those concerns, to answer questions, to describe the kind of tasks and roles your son or daughter will undertake as part of engaging with campus life, and to explain the difference in services and supports between second level and third level.

Please feel free to contact us if you have further questions or need more detailed explanations.

Best wishes

Declan Treanor

Director of the College Disability Service

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Table of Contents

The Student Journey.....................................................................4

Registering with the Disability Service..........................................5

Communicating with parents or guardians....................................6

Managing College life...................................................................7

Code of Practice for Students with Disabilities.............................7

Preparing for College life..............................................................8

Independence and responsibilty...................................................8

Assessment of student needs.......................................................9

Communicating student needs and supports to College staff.. . .10

Supports available to students....................................................11

Parents and Guardians Checklist...............................................16

Disability Service Contacts.........................................................19

Other Useful Addresses in College.............................................20

This booklet is available in other accessible formats upon request and on our website athttp://www.tcd.ie/disability/

Keep in touch with what is going on the Disability Service by follow us on:

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Guide for Parents and Guardians

The Student Journey

In 2011, 113 applicants with a disability accepted a Trinity place on merit,

having achieved the required points for their course of choice; 77 students

accepted a place under the DARE scheme. The Disability Service had

911 students with a disability registered during 2011/12. The completion

rate of the students who entered in 2007 was 87%. Of the graduates in

2012 with a disability, 72% achieved a first class or upper second class

degree.

The Disability Service Outreach, Transition, Retention and Progression

Plan 2011 – 2014 aims to develop clear and effective support systems at

all stages in the student journey from college entrance to graduation to

employment. The Disability Service works with students at three stages

of their Higher Education journey: Phase 1 Pre-entry - Admission and the

first year experience, Phase 2 - Building and maintaining a college career,

and Phase 3 - Progressing through College to employment.

Each phase of the student journey is aligned to the Strategic Objectives of

Trinity College and to national targets for students with disabilities set by

the Higher Education Authority (HEA).

http://www.tcd.ie/disability/projects/index.php

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Registering with the Disability Service

Our staff are experienced and highly qualified professionals with

knowledge and expertise in disability, access and equity issues. We work

closely with academic staff, tutors, administrators, and other support

services to ensure College is as accessible as possible to all students.

The best thing you can do is to encourage your son or daughter to make

contact with the Disability Service as soon as possible. It can often be

helpful to discuss any issues or concerns before applying to study at

Trinity College. If that was not possible then he or she should be

encouraged to speak to someone in the Disability Service as near to the

start of the beginning of the college year as possible. We would suggest

that students:

1. Visit Pathways to Trinity www.tcd.ie/pathways-to-trinity a

dedicated transition website which provides guidance about the

process of making course choices and preparing for University,

and also outlines the supports available within College.

2. Contact the Disability Service before the final CAO change of

mind date (1st July) to discuss options.

http://www.tcd.ie/disability/students/index.php

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Guide for Parents and Guardians

Communicating with parents or guardians

We realise that sometimes families have had to struggle to have the

needs of their child recognised and adequately supported. However,

once they have left school, most students are regarded as being in charge

of their own support. This means that we cannot respond directly to

family or guardians, and can only work with the student.

We are happy to provide general information and guidance, but we are

bound by the Data Protection Act and our Code of Practice to maintain

confidentiality. This means that we cannot discuss your son or daughter’s

progress with you unless we have written permission from them to do so.

Even with the student's permission this will be at the discretion of the

Director of the Disability Service.

For this reason we believe it is extremely important for parents, guardians

and students to engage with Disability Service staff prior to the student

entering college. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, the

Disability Service does not communicate directly with families or

guardians.

Managing College life

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If you are concerned that coursework, studying or the college environment

is becoming unmanageable, or you are worried that your son or daughter

is seriously unwell, please advise them to contact their Disability Officer.

Other useful contacts are:

Assigned College Tutor

Student Counselling Service

The College Health Centre

Code of Practice for Students with Disabilities

The Code of Practice is intended to provide a model for a high standard of

service to students with disabilities. The College will take reasonable

steps to ensure that it does not place a student with a disability at a

substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled student.

The Code of Practice has two main purposes

- to outline for students with disabilities their rights and

responsibilities in receiving reasonable accommodations while

studying at Trinity;

- to define Trinity’s rights and responsibilities to students with

disabilities and the College community.

All students registering with DS will receive a copy of this code of practice

to read and sign. A web version is available on our website: Code of

Practice 2012

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Guide for Parents and Guardians

Preparing for College life

Preparation for the move to college should begin long before attending

college open days or applying to the CAO. Your son or daughter should

begin preparing for life after secondary school by understanding their

disability and how it may affect academic performance (self-awareness

and self-determination), recognise strengths, weaknesses and successful

coping strategies and communicate these to other adults (self-advocacy).

These skills are a vital aspect of the third level experience, and young

adults will need time to develop, practice and fine-tune their self-advocacy

abilities.

Independence and responsibilty

Often first year students are unprepared for the amount of responsibility

that is expected in the college environment. These skills and abilities can

be developed by encouraging your son or daughter to take responsibility

for educational and personal goals while they are still in secondary

school.

You can help by encouraging your son or daughter to problem-solve and

address the situations independently, while you offer support and

additional help, only if needed.

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In college, students are expected to meet deadlines, be prepared for class

and tests, and to make wise use of their time. Good time management,

organizational, and study skills will be important to the preparation for

college learning.

Assessment of student needs

Once an offer has been accepted, a Disability Officer will contact each

student with a needs assessment appointment. This is an opportunity to

discuss support requirements and concerns. It is absolutely vital that

each student attends an appointment before the academic year begins. It

has been our experience over the last decade that students who engage

with the service prior to the start of the academic year, find the transition

to university easier.

A detailed needs-assessment will be carried out by a Disability Officer,

who will discuss previous educational support during secondary school,

and the type of supports that might be required in third level. The level of

support required will differ between students, and even students with

similar disabilities, as each student brings with them their own experience.

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Guide for Parents and Guardians

Communicating student needs and supports to College staff

The needs assessment report is called the Learning Educational Needs

Summary (LENS). This report outlines the supports required - for

example, it will tell academics about additional exam supports.

If necessary, a meeting will then be organised between the student, their

College Tutor and/or department and their Disability Officer to discuss the

LENS.

The LENS is then sent to students to confirm their agreement with the

arrangements. Unless students confirm acceptance of this document in a

timely fashion, supports are not activated and this information is not

forwarded to academic staff. In our experience the most frequent reason

for delayed or absence of supports and/or accommodations is a failure on

the part of the student to respond to communications from the Disability

Service.

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Supports available to students

Students with a disability or specific learning difficulty (including dyslexia)

may require support whilst studying at Trinity. This can take various forms

depending on individual requirements.

Examples include:

• Exam Accommodations

• Access to Assistive Technology

• Extended Borrowing in the Library

• Specialist tuition for students with dyslexia

• Tuition for students with disabilities

• Academic/ Library assistant

http://www.tcd.ie/disability/T-Services/index.php

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Guide for Parents and Guardians

Assistive Technology

Assistive Technology is essentially support in having a computer or

other technology equipment assist one to work effectively in areas that

cause some difficulty. Once registered with the service for assistive

technology support a number of resources are available:

- A college-wide software package called Texthelp Read & Write is

available in all college public computer rooms. This software has a

range of tools and techniques to ensure essays or projects are

planned & completed. For information on this software see:

http://www.texthelp.com/page.asp?pg_id=1261

- Full access to use of the Assistive technology resource rooms

(ATIC areas) in the Libraries. These areas have computers,

scanners, printing facilities, and many different software packages,

including:

Software that allows ideas, projects and essays to be

planned visually and dictionaries, thesaurus, word

prediction and homophone support.

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Software that allows documents to be scanned and read

aloud by a computer.

- Access to 1:1 training & advice from the Assistive Technology

officer Andrew Costello – located in the ATIC area of the BLU

complex.

- Access to support on a range of free-to-use software from the

Disability Service website at:

http://www.tcd.ie/disability/T-Services/AT/index.php

- we would highly recommend that the My Study Bar from the free

software area of this site is downloaded.

Unilink Occupational Therapy Service

Trinity College is unique in that we offer a confidential occupational

therapy service for students who may be experiencing mental health

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Guide for Parents and Guardians

difficulties, physical, sensory or chronic health disabilities. Unilink is run by

the Discipline of Occupational Therapy in collaboration with the College

Disability Service. All staff members in the service are qualified

occupational therapists and are bound by the Code of Practice of the

Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland.

The aim of the Unilink Service is to enable the student, to develop

practical skills and strategies to help them in their role as a student both

academically and socially.

Unilink is a student-centered service, this means that the sessions are

guided by what the student needs and wants to do. Additionally it is up to

the student whether they wish to avail of the service or not. Unilink is

available on a one-to-one basis throughout the students’ college career.

http://www.tcd.ie/disability/services/Unilink/index.php

Academic and study skills support

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DS provides an online study skills resource to all students: Skills4Study

Campus. This is an online programme providing e-learning modules and

is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Instructions for accessing this

programme can be downloaded from

http://www.tcd.ie/disability/docs/General%20Word%20docs/How-to-

access-Skills4Study-Campus.doc

Academic support is also available as leaflets, podcasts and in mp3

format from http://www.tcd.ie/disability/services/AST/index.php and can

also be downloaded from TCD iTunes or YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/user/DSServiceTCD#p/u and

One-to-one Academic Support is available to students with significant

needs registered with the Service. Every reasonable effort will be made to

support students but this service is subject to the availability of tutors in

specialist areas. Academic support is not an editing, proofreading or

'quick fix' solution, but aims to identify the strengths and weaknesses of in

writing and improving skills.

Additionally, learning support is available for students with specific

learning difficulties through the College Counselling Service. The learning

support team offers one-to-one appointments and workshops that cover

study and organisational strategies, academic writing skills, managing

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Guide for Parents and Guardians

examinations, presentation skills, and other topics related to academic

study. Further information is available at:

http://www.tcd.ie/Student_Counselling/student-learning/undergraduate/

Parents and Guardians Checklist

The assessment of needs process must be initiated by the student

themselves. Students will receive an invitation to meet their

Disability Officer and they should make sure they attend this

appointment.

As a parent or guardian you may feel quite strongly that you want

to advocate on behalf of your son or daughter within the needs

assessment process. The Code of Practice and the Data

Protection Act means that Disability Service staff are not able to

discuss your son or daughter’s individual needs with anyone,

including parents or guardians, without written consent from the

student.

Specific supports that the Disability Service provides require that

the student takes responsibility for following procedures, and

attending meetings and appointments. If these procedures are not

followed, your son or daughter could risk losing these supports.

If your son or daughter experiences any difficulties in college or if

the nature of his/ her disability changes, they should contact the

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Disability Services immediately. If we do not hear from your son or

daughter, we assume that all is well.

As young adults, it is the responsibility of the student to confirm or

amend their college supports including examination

accommodations. Accommodations are not put in place until

requested by the student.

Useful information / Weblinks

TCD Orientation website for new students

http://www.tcd.ie/orientation/

Course information packs

http://www.tcd.ie/orientation/pre-arrival/packs/

Fresher’s Week

http://www.tcd.ie/orientation/freshers-week/

Student life in TCD

http://www.tcdlife.ie/

Student’s Union

http://www.tcdsu.org/

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Guide for Parents and Guardians

Senior Tutor’s Office

http://www.tcd.ie/Senior_Tutor/

Disability Service Contacts

Declan TreanorDisability Service Director

E-mail: dtreanor@tcd.ie

Tel: (01) 896 3475

Declan Reilly Disability Officer across all Schools

E-mail: reillyde@tcd.ie

Tel: (01) 896 3776

Alison DoyleDisability Officer across all Schools

E-mail: alison.doyle@tcd.ie

Tel: (01) 896 3014

Jennifer MaxwellESW Administrator

E-mail: eswadmin@tcd.ie

Tel: (01) 896 3971

Andrew CostelloAssistive Technology Officer

Email: atic@tcd.ie

Tel: (01) 896 2903

Carol BarryExecutive Officer

E-mail: disab@tcd.ie

Tel: (01) 896 3111

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Claire GleesonUNILINK Occupational Therapist

E-mail: unilink1@tcd.ie

Tel: 085 7585835

Kieran LewisUNILINK Occupational Therapist

E-mail: unilink1@tcd.ie

Tel: 087 274 3879

Lynn O’Toole UNILINK Occupational Therapist

Tel: 086 3209966

Other Useful Addresses in College Admissions OfficeAddress: Regent House, Trinity College Dublin

Telephone: 00353 1 896 4444

Fax: 00353 1 872 2853

E-mail: admissns@tcd.ieWeb: www.tcd.ie/Admissions

Fees OfficeAddress: 5 College Green, Floor 3,

Trinity College Dublin

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Guide for Parents and Guardians

Telephone: 00353 1 896 1852

Fax: 00353 1 896 2576

Web: www.tcd.ie/Treasurers_Office/fees/

Student Health CentreAddress: House 47, Trinity College, Dublin 2

Telephone: 00353 1 896 1556

Web: www.tcd.ie/College_Health/

Accommodation OfficeAddress: West Chapel, Trinity College Dublin

Telephone: 00353 1 896 1177

Fax: 00353 1 671 1267

E-mail: reservations@tcd.ie Web: www.tcd.ie/accommodation/

Senior Tutor’s OfficeAddress: House 27, Trinity College Dublin

Telephone: 00353 1 896 2551

Fax: 00353 1 672 5089

E-mail: senior.tutor@tcd.ie Web: www.tcd.ie/Senior_Tutor/

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Student Counselling Service Address: Third Floor,

7-9 South Leinster Street, Dublin 2

Telephone: 00353 1 896 1407

Fax: 00353 1 608 3464

Web: www.tcd.ie/Student_Counselling

Examinations OfficeAddress: West Theatre, Trinity College Dublin

Telephone: 00353 1 896 2345 / 3710

Fax: 00353 1 896 9260

E-mail: exams@tcd.ie Web: www.tcd.ie/Senior_Lecturer/teo/

Student Union & Education Officer for Student with DisabilitiesAddress: House 6, Trinity College Dublin

Telephone: 00353 1 896 6545

Fax: 00353 1 6777957

E-mail: osd@tcdsu.org Web: http://www.tcdsu.tcdlife.ie

Careers Advisory Service

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Guide for Parents and Guardians

Address: 7-9 South Leinster Street, Dublin 2

Telephone: 00353 1 896 1721/1705

Fax: 00353 1 6793295

E-mail: careers@tcd.ie Web: www.tcd.ie/Careers

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