Supporting Students with Disabilities

The number of students with disabilities in Trinity College increases every year. This means that as a College community, we need to become increasingly aware of the types of disabilities, and how they may impact on students in a university environment. We must recognise that in many instances, the College environment can create ‘disability’ by following practices that are non-inclusive and are barriers to participation. Willingness among staff to accommodate and support students makes a significant difference to a student’s experience of higher education. Please see the most recent Disability Service Annual Report for student statistics, the breakdown of disability types in College and further information about the Disability Service activities. See also the Trinity College Equality Policy.

The College Disability Service has created links on the left menu which offer more information on teaching and supporting students with disabilities. Each link introduces the condition/diagnosis/difficulty, and goes on to explore how these may influence a student’s academic performance and participation in college life. The purpose of this information is to raise awareness of the challenges that can be experienced by students with disabilities. Each section suggests ways in which you, as a member of staff, can support students with disabilities. Bear in mind that these are general guidelines, and that every student is different- the difficulties and strategies identified are not exhaustive. Below, the services offered by the Disability Service and general strategies for staff to use to support students with disabilities are introduced.

Role of the College Disability Service:
Trinity College is a very large establishment with many different physical environments, administrative departments, academic and non-academic support services and IT systems. Students with a disability are encouraged to register with the College Disability Service in Trinity College to seek supports where the disability could affect their ability to participate fully in all aspects of their life in College. All students who register with Disability Service have an individual needs assessment with a Disability Officer to determine the support they require.

Following the Needs Assessment, the Disability Service generates a Learning Educational Needs Summary. This outlines a student’s disability, and how it affects their learning. The LENS report identifies supports and reasonable accommodations to which the student is entitled. The Disability Service may recommend and implement other supports for students such as library special borrowing privileges, exam accommodations, and assistive technology. If required, the Disability Service can also act as an advocate for the student.

Students with disabilities can also avail of the Unilink service. Unilink is a confidential, practical, occupational therapy support service for students who may be experiencing mental health difficulties and/or physical and sensory difficulties. Unilink explores difficulties a student may have with aspects of college life, and supports the student in developing strategies to manage these difficulties. Unilink is staffed by qualified Occupational Therapists.

General strategies staff can use to support students with disabilities

Follow Inclusive Curriculum practices:

The main way to support students with disabilities is to follow inclusive teaching and assessment practices. The Trinity Inclusive Curriculum Website is an extensive resource with good practice guidelines that enable you to support all students. Often, one action (e.g. circulating notes in advance) can benefit many different students for many different reasons. Academic staff can consider accessibility when designing curricula so as to lessen the need for future reasonable accommodations.

Implement reasonable accommodations

It is important for Schools and Departments to access student LENS reports on Sharepoint and to implement any reasonable accommodations recommended with efficiency and discretion. Please note that while these are recommendations, College has a duty to comply with (i) the Equal Status Act, 2000 which provides that an educational establishment cannot discriminate in relation to the access of a student to any course, facility or benefit provided by the establishment and (ii) the Disability Act 2005, which places a statutory obligation on public service providers to support access to services and facilities for people with disabilities. Click here for a full explanation of the reasonable accommodations you will find in LENS reports. If you have any queries, we encourage you to contact the Disability Service.

Encourage disclosure

We encourage students to disclose if they have a disability so that College can work with the student on exploring the impact of their disability on college experience. This allows for any necessary reasonable accommodations to be identified and facilitated in collaboration with the student. A short sentence on the course outline handout at the start of the year to the effect that adjustments can be made for students with documented disabilities may encourage an apprehensive student to disclose. Students register with the Disability Service by providing documentation. When they meet with a Disability Officer, the student can decide how much information they wish to disclose to their department or school. Disclosure is particularly important for students on professional courses to consider, before going on placements.

Be mindful and open!

All students bring a unique set of strengths and experiences to college and students with disabilities are no exception. While many learn in different ways, their differences do not imply inferior abilities. Reducing course requirements for students with disabilities is not required, but instead it may be necessary to modify teaching and assessment practices to be more inclusive.

It is important to note that a lot of disabilities may not be so apparent, for example, mental health difficulties, medical illnesses, or learning difficulties.

Reading this information is a great first step in supporting students with disabilities. An understanding of the difficulties students with disabilities may face in college is very important. Students with disabilities are responsible for disclosing their disabilities and identifying what they need and implementing personal strategies to support them. The co-operation, flexibility, and understanding of academic and administrative staff are vital too. Every student is different. It is often helpful to ask a student that you may come into contact with how you can support them. If you are teaching staff, you can highlight at the beginning of a module that students are welcome to approach you if they have any particular difficulties that affect their learning.