Disability Supports

The WRSS provides on campus specialist support for students with Dyslexia and specific learning difficulties throughout the academic year.

• How specific learning difficulties affect student learning
  
• Professional support and advice
  
• Needs Assessment
  
• Funding applications 
  
• Exam accommodations
  
• Access to assistive technology and training
  

If you are affected by Dyslexia this Service offers practical support on a number of levels to suit you  throughout your time at IADT

Location:  Student Services Suite, Carriglea Building

Contact:  Gillian Boland / Karen Cryan, Tel: 01 214 4790, Email:  wrss@iadt. ie

• How specific learning difficulties affect student learning
  
• Specific Learning Difficulties and other conditions affecting students at third level
  

It is now recognized that students at third level may present with a range of difficulties, some of which are less well known and may not be apparent but nevertheless require appropriate support.

Below is brief overview of some of these specific learning difficulties and other conditions.

• Dyslexia is a combination of abilities and difficulties; the difficulties affect the learning process in aspects of literacy and sometimes numeracy.
  
• Developmental Co-ordination Disorder  means an impairment or immaturity of the organisation of movement, often appearing un-cordinated. Gross and fine motor skills (related to balance and co-ordination) and fine motor skills (relating to manipulation of objects) are hard to learn and difficult to retain and generalise.
  
• Dyscalculia is a learning difficulty involving the most basic aspect of arithmetical skills. The difficulty lies in the reception, comprehension, or production of quantitative and spatial information.
  
• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) exists with or without hyperactivity. In most cases students with this disorder are often off task, have particular difficulty commencing and switching tasks together with a very short attention span and high levels of distractibility.  

How  SpLDs affect learning?

• Lack of confidence.
  
• Difficulty in becoming fluent in a new skill to the point where it becomes automatic, for example reading, writing and driving a car.
  
• Taking longer to complete tasks than other students.
  
• Difficulties in organising work and other aspects of their lives.
  
• A poor sense of passage of time, mixing up dates, times and appointments.
  
• Poor short-term memory leading to difficulties in carrying out instructions or copying from the board and remembering what has just been read and/or said.
  
• Difficulties retrieving words when speaking and mispronunciations caused by difficulties in discriminating sounds or motor problems.
  
• Directional confusions, getting easily lost and having problems using maps or finding their way to a new place.
  
• Poor motor control resulting in a range of difficulties including controlling a pen leading to untidy handwriting with many crossings out.
  
• Errors when reading and spelling such as confusion or omission of sounds and/or muddling words.
  
• Difficulties in retaining the visual image of words, signs, symbols and formulae.
  
• Difficulties in reading text caused by visual distortions such as blurring or moving letters.
  
• Difficulties in comprehension despite appearing to read fluently.
  
• Difficulties in sequencing letters in spelling, or numbers and signs in maths, difficulties taking messages, remembering phone numbers and dialling them accurately.
  
• Problems with sequencing such as instructions and mathematical procedures, sequencing of numbers or letters and difficulties using dictionaries, encyclopaedias and directories.
  
• A short attention span and poor concentration.
  
• Particular susceptibility to stress which may be associated with deadlines or examinations.
  
• Noticeable inconsistency between what can be achieved on a “good” and “bad” day.

Professional support and advice

The tutors and staff at IADT’s Writing & Research Support Service  provide specialist support and advice to students on learning strategies and supports throughout their programme of study.   The approach is practical, flexible and student focused, recognising the individuality of the student’s learning profile and their learning needs.   With the student’s consent, WRSS liaise with academic staff and provide them with a Student Profile of learning support needs to facilitate wider recognition of their support needs throughout the Institute.  

Students registered with the Access Service and WRSS who have evidence of their Specific learning difficulty in  the form of a Educational Psychologist Report  will benefit  from a Needs Asssessment Report.  This process involves consideration of the impact of the student’s specific learning difficulty on the requirements of their programme of study.  The report identifies the potential challenges for the student and recommends a range of support s to help meet those challenges.  The supports may take the form of assistive technology such as screen reading software, small group or individual tutorial support and examination accommodations. 

The WRSS support students’ applications to the National Access Office for support funding by providing Needs Assessment Reports and related services.  This funding is used to provide assistive technology and other supports.

Students with evidence of a Specific Learning Difficulty are entitled to ‘reasonable accommodations’ in examinations and formal assessments. These include: extra time; waivers for spelling & grammar; use of readers and scribes; use of a computer;  separate examination room and other arrangements as appropriate.  Eligibility for these accommodations is based on the nature and degree of the student’s specific learning difficulty.  In certain circumstances application may be made for alternative assessment arrangements.

As part of the Needs Assessment process the student’s requirement and eligibility for assistive technology will be considered.  Reccommendations for provision of assistive technology are then made and the student receives support and training from the Assistive Technology Officer throughout their programme