Click here for Staff FAQs regarding supporting students registered with the DSS 

NEW: How is my Extra Time facilitated in the online exams?

Extra time reasonable accommodation will be facilitated as follows:

• The extra time will be provided at the end of your exams in Canvas.

• Extra time for a 90 minutes exam is 15 minutes.

• Extra time for a 180 minute exam is 30 minutes.

• Every UCC student sitting online exams will be allowed an additional 20 minutes so that students can save and upload their work. (This is in addition to any extra time allocated as a reasonable accommodation.)

Example:

If your exam is 90 minutes long and you avail of 10 minutes extra time per hour you will receive an additional 15 minutes as well as the additional 20 minutes all students have been allocated - meaning you will have 125 minutes to complete your 90 minute exam.

• Please note that if you submit your exam within your extra time and it appears as late you will not be penalised as long as the exam was submitted within the allocated time.  

• The lecturers will take account your additional extra time allowances as all submissions are time-stamped.

If you have any additional queries please do not hesitate to email dssinfo@ucc.ie and we will respond to your query.  We can also speak to you via Google Meet if you prefer so please mention this in the email.

Is the Disability Service open?

The Disability Service is open although our physical offices remain closed. We want to assure you that we are working hard behind the scenes on your behalf to ensure that you will have access to appropriate supports remotely.  

We are working from home so the delivery of our service is reconfigured but despite that, we are here to answer your queries and provide direction on issues that may emerge for you.

If you have any queries please do email us at dssinfo@ucc.ie.

Is it possible to speak to a Disability Advisor or a Careers Advisor?

Yes, by arranging an audio call online. 

If you wish to book an appointment for a conversation with a staff member, please send an email to dssinfo@ucc.ie and include the following information:

• Your full name and student number.
• The name of the staff member you are looking to speak with. (It may not always be possible to speak with the requested staff member, but we will try our best to facilitate each request).
• Dates and times that you are available for an audio call using Google Meet (click here for a video on how to use Google Meet)
• A brief outline of what the meeting is for.

You can also watch a video guide on Using Google Meet to speak with an Advisor in the DSS.

I need IT Support.What can I do?

The Student IT Service Desk is working remotely and is now contactable by phone.

If you need IT support please call 021 4902120 and select option 2 and a member of their support team will assist you.

You can also log a call online

More information can be found on the Student IT Support Website.

Will I have access to Exam Accommodations for my Online Exams?

Yes however as you will be taking your exam online the exam accommodations may need to be facilitated differently.  Please refer to the detail below and if you have any queries please contact the Disability Service at dssinfo@ucc.ie.  If you intend to use a device other than a computer running Windows it is critical that you contact us as soon as possible.

Please check back regularly as these FAQs are being updated on a ongoing basis.

Please note: You do not need to contact your lecturer regarding exam accommodations. 

As the Semester 2 exams will be delivered online and students will be sitting them remotely the accommodations outlined below cannot be facilitated.  

 If you have any queries around this please contact dssinfo@ucc.ie .

If I use an electronic reader, will it read equations and diagrams?

Please note that as with previous exams the screen reader WILL NOT read equations or diagrams.

How do I set up an Exam Venue at home?

How can I access books that I need for my assignments and study?

As UCC library is currently closed, unfortunately at this time hard copies of books cannot be accessed or borrowed. However a vast number of Library Services and Collections are available remotely to all UCC Staff and Students during the University closure. For more information, please go to https://libguides.ucc.ie/Remote_Working

I am registered with the Disability Service and I need access to e-book that are not available on the UCC library database. What can I do?

The books you need may be available on NCBI Bookshare Ireland.

NCBI Bookshare Ireland is the largest accessible digital library in the country, available for people with print disabilities. Bookshare.ie provides instantaneous access to over 500,000 international and homegrown titles, in a variety of accessible formats (Audio, Braille Ready Files, PDF and Word).

Please go to https://www.bookshare.ie/en to Sign Up.

I downloaded documents from my lecturer/Canvas/online, however they are not accessible to me. Can I get them converted to an accessible format?

Yes, you can use an online UCC Service called SensusAccess to convert your readings into formats that are more useful for you or easier to work with such as MP3 Files, Word files and E-Books.

You can use SensusAccess to convert:

• slides and lecture notes
• scanned PDF documents from Canvas
• downloaded journal articles
• pictures of text captured with your smartphone
• and more

SensusAccess is a great service:

• if you simply want to make your readings available on the go
• if you are having difficulties with printed text
• if you want to experiment with different learning styles (e.g. audio)
• if you need assistance when reading text in a foreign language

To use the service online, please go to: https://libguides.ucc.ie/sensusaccess/accessibility

I am having trouble managing my study at home - what can I do?

This is a very common challenge, and especially so when you have little time to plan for such a change. This daily schedule developed by UCC staff may be of help.

Organizational skills while studying from home

I am worried about having to type instead of write for my exams. Are there any resources available to help me improve my typing?

Touch-typing is an excellent skill to develop for all students but particularly for those students who have a difficulty with writing or simply large volumes of written work. While it can be tedious to learn it is well worth the effort. Short, frequent practice sessions prove the most beneficial – “little & often” – and this can help with the tedium.

Of course if you have a limited time in which to improve your touchtyping skills the more time you can give your daily touchtyping practice the better.

Here are some resources where games help the student to practice. Good practice when learning to touch-type is to cover the student's hands to ensure that they stay looking at the screen and simply teach their fingers where the keys are without looking at the keyboard. A scarf, tea towel or some kitchen roll can suffice for this.

 This UCC video has some useful Touchtyping Advice & Resources. Please view it and then access the resources referred to from the links below:

https://ucc.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=1e2ada1b-2c47-437b-9558-f69a5507afa3

This free site will monitor your progress  http://www.typing.com/ 

USING DICTATE, SPEECH-TO-TEXT, FOR ONLINE EXAMS

You can also choose to dictate your exams, rather than type, by using a speech-to-text option. Please make sure to practice this before using this option for your exams.

Here is a video guide to using Dictate speech-to-text in Office 365:

https://ucc.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=2f165107-390c-42fb-a892-ab9100e9661c

I need to discuss a career query with an advisor, have you any appointments available?

Remote audio career appointments are available to book on www.ucc.ie/careers.    

Our DSS Careers Advisors are Shay Nolan and Brenda Nestor.

If you have difficulty booking an appointment please email your query to disabilitysupport@ucc.ie and an appointment will be arranged, or your query answered via email by one of our career advisors.

Will the DSS Summer Internship Programme still go ahead due to the college remaining closed until the 19th of April?

At the moment we are waiting from an update from employers and will send an update to all applicants when we receive one.

I am on the DSS Mentoring Programme and would like to know if I can still meet my mentor?

Mentoring meetings can only go ahead online.   You can contact your mentor directly via email and arrange to have a virtual meetings via Zoom, Google Meet or Skype.  

I am worried about completing my required voluntary/work experience hours as I cannot get to my place of work. What should I do?

Shay and Brenda will be in contact shortly with all scholarship recipients directly to discuss the remainder of the programme, including mentor meetings, outstanding workshops and voluntary/work experience.

I am on the DSS Scholarship Programme and I have a query about my bursary?

All querys in relation to the DSS Scholarship Programme bursary should be emailed to dssinfo@uccie.