The Disability Access Route to Education (Dare) is a tertiary level admissions programme designed for students whose secondary education has been adversely affected by their disabilities. By complying with this initiative, universities offer the opportunity for qualifying students to enrol in their programmes with lesser CAO points.
Although the percentage of places allocated for Dare students in a typical first-year undergraduate course is usually 5 per cent, the specific number can fluctuate based on the institution and the academic year. The CAO application procedure remains unchanged for Dare applicants, and they are still required to satisfy the minimum admission prerequisites of their chosen programmes.
The Dare programme is beneficial for students diagnosed with conditions such as autism, ADD, ADHD, visual or auditory impairment, dyspraxia, mental health conditions, neurological issues like brain damage or epilepsy, speech and language communication disorders, severe ongoing sickness, physical impairments, and specified learning challenges like dyslexia or dyscalculia.
All Dare applications are filed through the CAO, and it is essential to be aware of the separate deadline for this process. After submitting an application, a list of necessary supporting documents will be generated based on the given data. These are crucial to validate the student’s disability and its educational impact; therefore, they should be gathered beforehand.
These documents, signed by an appropriate medical professional, must be mailed to the CAO. After several months, the result of the application will be communicated via the CAO portal and email.
Dare applicants are advised to seek assistance from Guidance counsellors while filing their applications and to liaise with the respective Dare representative at the institutions they wish to enrol in.
Additional information can be obtained at www.accesscollege.ie. The information was captured in a 2021 video.