It’s that time of year again! Students up and down the country are preparing to sit the Leaving Cert Exams in June. CAO applications will be ongoing in school at present, so we here at AsIAm.ie thought that it would be useful to do a little informative piece about DARE (Disability Access Route to Education) which is a scheme that provides a reduced points entrance system to every single CAO course in the country to those with recognised disabilities below the age of 23. Students with Aspergers Syndrome are eligible for the scheme, but how does it all work?
What are the advantages of applying for a CAO Course through DARE?:
Successful applicants will receive a points reduction for the course somewhere between 12-15% in addition applicants can state when applying the various support services (counselling, SNA, resource, exam accommodations use of technology etc) which they received in Secondary School and wish to receive in college and it provides the initial contact with support services in college from your first day in the course you receive a place in.
Where do I apply?:
When filling out your CAO Application there will be a specific section referring to “Disability / Specific Learning Difficulty”. You will need to fill this out in full and the application will also require some additional paperwork, namely your diagnosis of Aspergers Syndrome. In filling out that section of the application you will also be asked to write a short personal statement on why you feel you need and would benefit from DARE, its important not to worry too much about this being perfect, instead let your personality and the challenges you experience come through to the person reading it.
For further information on the application process see:
What should I do if no one has mentioned this scheme to me in school?:
If you have not been identified as a candidate for the scheme in your school, be sure to have a word with your guidance counsellor as soon as possible especially if your CAO process if ongoing, in addition be sure that if you wish to take a course which requires a language in its matriculation requirements and you are not taking a language to apply for a language exemption from NUI (Language Exemption Form).
I am stuck with my application – who should I talk to?:
Don’t panic! Its a complicated process and your better off to make sure its done right especially if you are unsure whether you have the appropriate documentation etc. So if you get stuck, all the major colleges and universities have a DARE Officer assigned who will only be too happy to help, here are the main institutions listed below however if you want to speak to a different college simply go to their website and look for the number or if you can’t find it ring the main switchboard – they will be only too happy to help!
| Higher Education Institution | Website | Contact | Telephone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athlone Institute of Technology |  |
Patricia Kearney dare@ait.ie |
090 646 8141 |
| Cork Institute of Technology |  |
Laura O’Rourke dare@cit.ie |
021 433 5107 |
| Dublin City University |  |
Disability & Learning Support Service dare@dcu.ie |
01 700 5927 |
| Dublin Institute of Technology |  |
Bob O’Mhurchu dare@dit.ie |
01 402 7656 |
| Mater Dei Institute of Education |  |
Carmel Carroll dare@materdei.dcu.ie |
01 808 6584 |
| National College of Ireland |  |
Karen Mooney dare@ncirl.ie |
01 659 9269 |
| NUI Galway |  |
Catherine Dufficy dare@nuigalway.ie |
091 492 875 |
| NUI Maynooth |  |
Catherine Doherty dare@nuim.ie |
01 708 6025 |
| Pontifical University Maynooth |  |
Sandra Norgrove dare@may.ie |
01 708 4772 |
| Trinity College Dublin |  |
Alison Doyle dare@tcd.ie |
01 896 3111 |
| University College Cork |  |
Mary O’Grady dare@ucc.ie |
021 490 2985 |
| University College Dublin |  |
Fiona Sweeney dare@ucd.ie |
01 716 1658 |
| University of Limerick |  |
Brenda Shinners Kennedy dare@ul.ie |
061 202 346 |
