The Disability Access Route to Education (Dare) and Higher Education Access Route (Hear) are third-level admissions schemes, one for students with disabilities and the other for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Students who meet specific criteria are eligible to be considered for a reduced points place and extra college support.
Since their establishment, applications to these schemes have risen from just over 6,000 in 2009 to almost 15,000 in 2016.
According to the Association for Higher Education Access & Disability, about 5 per cent of students attending higher education in Ireland are registered with disability support services.
Most colleges participate in Dare and Hear schemes, but even the ones that don’t offer a range of supports, including disability support services.
Whether you receive a place through Dare or not, you are still entitled to avail of disability-related supports once you have a verified disability (a list of participating colleges are available on accesscollege.ie).
Applicants to Hear must meet a combination of financial and social/cultural indicators to be eligible. The income of applicants’ parents must be below €45,790 (there are higher income thresholds for families with more than four dependants).
Applicants must also meet a combination of at least two of five other indicators. These include the applicant or their parent guardian being in receipt of a medical card/GP visit card; the family in receipt of a means-tested welfare payment; membership of a socioeconomic group that is under-represented at higher education; and attendance at a disadvantaged school.
(Note: maintenance grants are there to assist applicants from low-income backgrounds, many of whom may not necessarily meet the full Hear criteria. However, Hear applicants should also apply to Susi, the national grant awarding authority).
Two criteria
Students with disabilities applying to the Dare scheme need to meet two criteri relating to evidence of disability and educational impact. Dare offers reduced points places to school leavers who as a result of having a disability have experienced additional educational challenges at second level.
The Dare criteria involves both the applicant and their school completing an educational impact checklist and the school providing information on how the applicant may have been educationally impacted as a result of their disability.
Applicants with a specific learning difficulty must provide up-to-date literacy and/or numeracy attainment scores from either tests in school or tests carried out by a suitably qualified psychologist.
If you are interested in applying to the Dare or Hear schemes, you must apply to the CAO by February 1st and complete the online application in the “my application section” of your CAO application by March 1st.
Remember: you need to post the required supporting documentation by registered post to the CAO by April 1st.
Advice clinics are being held nationwide on Saturday, January 21st. For further information, venues and details of additional clinics, visit accesscollege.ie
More information is available from colleges, while students with disabilities can also contact the Association for Higher Education Access & Disability (www.ahead.ie) by phone (01-7164396) or email lorraine.gallagher@ahead.ie. Wednesday: Am I entitled to a grant to part-fund my studies?
