FAQs

What is the Disability Access Route to Education (DARE)?

DARE is a third level admissions scheme for school leavers with disabilities. Eligible students compete for a quota of reduced points places in the colleges that run the scheme.

Who is DARE for?

School leavers (Under 23yrs as at 1 January 2010) who have a disability and who due to the impact of that disability may not be able to meet the points for their preferred course.

Why was DARE set up?

DARE was established to tackle educational disadvantage. Disability can negatively impact on educational attainment at school and can affect progression by some second level students to third level.

What does "reduced points" mean?

Applicants eligible for DARE may gain entry to college courses on less than the full CAO points. For example, a course that is 450 points through CAO may be offered to a student eligible for DARE with 410 Leaving Certificate points. All DARE students must however meet college matriculation and specific course entry requirements where they apply.

Which colleges run DARE?

Students can apply through DARE for the quota of places in any of these colleges.

Athlone Institute of Technology

Dublin City University

Dublin Institute of Technology

Mater Dei Institute

National College of Ireland

NUI Galway

NUI Maynooth

Trinity College, Dublin

University College Dublin

University College Cork

University of Limerick

How many places are there for DARE students each year?

The quota of places available through DARE differs from one institution to another.  

What disabilities are eligible for consideration for DARE?

Asperger's Syndrome / Autism

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)/ Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Blind/Vision Impaired

Deaf/Hearing Impaired

Dyspraxia

Mental Health Condition

Neurological Conditions (incl. Brain Injury, Speech and Language Disabilities)

Significant Ongoing Illness

Physical Disability

Specific Learning Difficulty (incl. Dyslexia)

Other Disabilities

How are applications for DARE assessed?

Applications for DARE are assessed by professionals in participating Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) who have expertise and an in-depth knowledge of the impact of disability on educational attainment.

What criteria are used to assess applications for DARE?

To assess an applicant’s eligibility for DARE, specific criteria have been developed to determine the significance of each disability and the impact on educational attainment. The criteria used for assessing the impact of disability were developed by HEI Assessment Boards, which included HEI professionals and representatives from expert external organisations. Each applicant must meet the criteria in order to be eligible for the scheme.

How can I apply to DARE?

School leavers who wish to be considered for DARE must:

Apply online at www.cao.ie as part of the CAO application process by 1st February 2010.

Disclose a disability or specific learning difficulty on the appropriate section of the application form. Applicants will then be directed to the separate online Supplementary Information Form which will ask them to provide additional information about their disability or specific learning difficulty (Sections A-C).

Applicants must indicate their wish to be considered for DARE (final Section on Supplementary Admissions Routes).

Applicants must submit supporting documentation by 1st April 2010.

How do I know what supporting documents to provide?

When completing a DARE application, applicants will receive online prompts requesting that they submit specific documentation.

All applicants must complete the Supplementary Information Form which must be completed by the applicant, the applicant’s school and the Medical Consultant/Specialist verifying the disability.

Section A – applicants must complete a Personal Statement which outlines, from their perspective, the academic impact of the disability or specific learning difficulty.

Section B – applicants must return a Second Level Academic Reference completed by their school. This form provides background information on the applicant’s educational experience and helps to determine appropriate supports at third level.

Section C – applicants must return the Evidence of Disability Form completed by the accepted Medical Consultant/Specialist. This form provides verification of the applicant’s disability and helps to determine appropriate supports at third level. All applicants must complete this form with the exception of the following:

Applicants with specific learning difficulties (incl. Dyslexia), who must provide a full psycho-educational assessment completed by an appropriately qualified psychologist. The report must be less than 3 years old i.e. must be dated after 1st February 2007.

All other applicants, who have an existing report completed by the accepted Medical Consultant/Specialist. This report must be completed within the appropriate timeframe and must contain the same detail as the Evidence of Disability Form.

I have a full psycho-educational assessment completed by an appropriately qualified psychologist but some of the information that is needed for DARE is not in the report. Do I need to get a full report completed again?

All applicants with a Specific Learning Difficulty must submit a full psycho-educational assessment completed by an appropriately qualified psychologist. This report must be less than 3 years old i.e. must be dated after 1st February 2007. The Psycho-Educational Assessment - Summary Sheet can be completed where relevant information has been omitted from the original psycho-educational assessment and is not available from the completed report. The original assessment report must also be submitted. The Summary Sheet must be completed by an appropriately qualified psychologist and must be less than 3 years old i.e. must be dated after 1st February 2007. The Summary Sheet is available on the Dyslexia and Dyscalculia Screening Criteria and as a download at www.cao.ie

What are the application and closing dates for DARE?

By 1st February 2010 - Complete all elements of the online DARE application as part of CAO application process. Applicants who are unable to complete the online form must submit the paper application form by the same date.

By 1st April 2010 - Submit both Evidence of a Disability and Second Level Academic Reference to the CAO

What happens if I do not meet the above deadlines?You will not be eligible for consideration under this scheme.

What happens after DARE applicants are assessed?

After assessment, applicants will be informed of whether or not they are eligible for the scheme. Eligible applicants will go forward to compete for the quota of reduced points places in the DARE colleges to which they apply. Ineligible applicants compete for places in college in the usual manner.

I’m ineligible but I think there was some mistake in the assessment of my application – what can I do?

Ineligible applicants can apply to have their applications reviewed if they believe there has been an error in the screening of the application.  

What happens if I am offered a place in college through DARE?

All students with a disability, irrespective of whether they come through DARE or not, are offered a variety of educational, technological and personal supports while studying at third level. Such supports include an orientation programme (before courses start), academic guidance and assistance and access to appropriate assistive technology. Individual institutions will determine the nature and delivery of such supports in accordance with their own policies and practices and subject to the availability of resources. 

I have a disability but was ineligible for DARE. What happens if I am offered a place in college?

The majority of students with a disability who enter higher education do so on merit having met the points required for their course. All students with a disability, irrespective of whether they come through DARE or not, are offered a variety of educational, technological and personal supports while studying at third level.

I have a disability but feel that I may also be eligible to apply to the HEAR scheme?

The Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) is a third level admissions scheme for school leavers from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds and a separate process to DARE. You can complete the application process for this scheme submitting all required documentation. You may also apply to DARE following the DARE application process.

I am a mature student. Can I apply to DARE?

This scheme is for school leavers (Under 23yrs as at 1 January 2010) who have a disability and who due to the impact of that disability may not be able to meet the points for their preferred course. Mature students have different admission routes and you can get further information on these routes from HEI websites.

Does Education and Equality in Accessing Education matter?

"Education is valued because of its intrinsic worth for all human beings and because it is indispensable in achieving other human rights including the right to economic well-being and good health. ...Equality in education matters therefore because education is indispensable for the full exercise of people’s capabilities, choices and freedoms in an information driven age".

"Education is highly predictive of individual life-chances in Ireland and a Leaving Certificate qualification has become the "minimum" to secure access to further education/training and high quality employment.."

What barriers do students with disabilities face in accessing higher education?

'People with disabilities have, to date, been significantly under- represented in Irish higher education for reasons to do with historic lack of supports for people with disabilities throughout the education system and low educational expectations'.

Students with disabilities often face complex challenges throughout their educational experience which are directly related to the impact of the student’s disability/specific learning difficulty.

Students with a hearing impairment may have major difficulty accessing texts and material and course content, may have difficulties in communicating orally with peers and teachers with impacted language acquisition, will have problems in lip reading for long periods and may have difficulties with academic English. Students who have a visual impairment may have difficulties reading and accessing print materials and can have orientation and mobility challenges. Students may also have difficulty communicating effectively with peers and teachers and may have difficulty accessing assistive technologies and alternate formats.

Students with other disabilities may have reduced educational attainment due to prolonged absences, hospitalisation, ongoing fatigue and the affects of medication. Some students may have accessibility issues, reading/visual difficulties, writing and spelling difficulties, and may have issues with concentration, organisation and time management and the retention of information.

There can also be difficulties for students always being able to access specific supports including appropriate Assistive Technology even though international research confirms that Assistive Technology is central to the role of enhancing the ability of students with disabilities to access the learning environment. Students can also be impacted by the availability of specialised supports with for e.g. just 34 Visiting Teachers for Blind and Vision Impaired students nationally available to meet the needs of children in primary and second level with sensory disabilities.

There are other less tangible impacts including sometimes low expectations of progression to college with in some cases students with disabilities being perceived as less able for higher education.

Students with disabilities from disadvantaged socio economic backgrounds can face further challenges including access to appropriate and timely assessment and financial constraints which further impacts on persistence/retention at school. There may also be no family cultural capital/knowledge of higher education with no tradition of progression to higher education.

Students with disabilities who do progress to higher education also face further challenges as they experience new and significant changes in their learning environment, teaching approaches and peer and social networks.

These challenges have significant implications for participation and continuity rates for people with disabilities in further education.

How does disability affect students in primary and secondary school?

Disability impacts on a whole range of educational outcomes including:

Early school leaving

Unrealised potential

Academic attainment and results in Junior and Leaving Certificate

Progression to higher education and attainment of higher qualifications

How does disability impact on a student's chances of going to college?

Research shows that it negatively impacts these students' chances of getting to higher education.

In the 07/08 academic year, only 1,389 or 4.2% of all new entrants to higher education indicated that they had one or more disabilities (HEA, 2009) 2. These participation rates are well below the current national entry rates of 60% and lower than the entry rates of any socio-economic group.

People with sensory disabilities, physical disabilities and multiple disabilities are particularly under represented. Based on a comparison of relevant students enrolled in higher education with Census 2006 data on the numbers of people with disabilities (aged 18 to 20) in the population, current participation rates are estimated at 15 to 17% for people with sensory disabilities and 14 to 16% for people with physical disabilities (HEA 2008) 3.

In the case of blind and visually impaired students, AHEAD research 4 indicates that they are four times less likely to progress on to higher education than their peers. The report also highlights the fact that the participation of students who have more traditional disabilities has remained static and that they remain highly under-represented.

This survey also draws attention to the distribution of students with disabilities across the different fields of study. Students with disabilities are more likely to be studying humanities and arts than other students but they are three times less likely to be studying on health related sciences than non disabled students.

The National Access Plan has set a number of targets relating to participation rates for people with disabilities in higher education and plan to double the numbers of people with sensory, physical and multiple disabilities in higher education by 2013.

Is intervention at the point of Leaving Certificate too late for students?

Higher Education Institutions have addressed the fact that students with disabilities are under-represented in Higher Education in several ways.

There has been a huge emphasis in higher education on the provision of equality of educational opportunity for students with disabilities through the provision of dedicated disability support services. These services have focussed on supporting the student’s transition from 2nd to 3rd level as well as the provision of accommodations and supports based on outcomes of individualised needs assessment to enable access and full participation by all students with a disability. These supports have focussed on the educational, technological and personal needs of such students and these have been supported by the Higher Education Authority and the Department of Education and Science through key policy documents and the Fund for Students with a Disability.

There has also been an emphasis on the development of links with local schools, Further Education Colleges, voluntary/representative organisations and the raising of awareness and expectation among target groups and the provision of high quality information about opportunities in the third level sector.

There has also been a focus on increasing the number of students with disabilities entering Higher Education (across all disciplines), in the context of an expanding third level sector. These initiatives have specifically targeted applicants with disabilities through the establishment of either 'alternative' – 'direct' – or 'supplementary' admission procedures. The main thrust of these initiatives is the recognition that for some students, the impact of their disability in second level education is such that they may not reach the required cut-off points for the course of their choice at third level.

All participating colleges have Disability/Access Services whose mission is to widen access to higher education through a broad range of initiatives. The DARE scheme clearly demonstrates to individuals, schools and communities, the commitment by participating colleges to widening access and to supporting students with disabilities as they progress from second level to college and into employment