Find out how to register with the Disability Service to access support and talk about any adjustments you may require for managing your course and examinations. You can also visit ATU Sligo before your course starts, to gain a feel for where you will be based throughout your studies, and you can contact the Disability Service if you have a questions about supports in college.

If you are thinking of coming to ATU Sligo in the future, you will find lots of great information about university life on the main website, please click on this link. However, if you are a student with a disability, hopefully this webpage will be able to address some of the queries that you may have about coming to ATU Sligo.

ATU Sligo is an inclusive university and encourages students with disabilities to think about coming here. The Disability and Learning Support Service, offers a confidential  service for all students with disabilities and aims to identify and support your learning needs during your time with us. It is student-centred and is committed in as far as is reasonably possible, to empowering students with disabilities achieve their academic and vocational goals, as well as access all aspects of college life

Reasonable accommodations enable you to access and participate in learning, assessment, university facilities and services. Some examples of reasonable accommodations are:

• Exam or Assessment adjustments (e.g. extra time, use of a computer etc.)
• Support with reading and research (access to alternative formats, etc.)
• Access to specialist equipment and assistive software (e.g. text to speech to assist with research and proofreading, mind mapping to assist with planning and organising your work, a recording device to assist with note taking, and an Assistive Technology Suite)
•  Access to lecture notes in advance of taught sessions
• 1:1 Support (e.g. Study Skills tuition etc.)

If you haven’t done so already we would encourage you to contact our Disability Service team in order to talk about the support available to you and ensure any adjustments are made in time for your arrival at our campus.

The Disability Service is responsible for recommending and coordinating your support or reasonable accommodations, which are tailored on an individual basis, so your involvement in this process is essential. If you decide not to contact the team prior to starting your course you are still welcome to contact us at any point throughout your studies. It can take time to arrange and implement any support you may require so we would encourage you to contact us in good time prior to your arrival, so that we can ensure you have everything in place at the earliest possible opportunity.

disability@itsligo.ie

It might be useful to think about:

• how you would like to describe your autism and anything you think would be useful to share with your tutors
• any support you have received in the past, what has worked well and what hasn’t worked for you
• how you plan to travel to university
• your experience of teaching sessions, what helps you to gain an understanding of a new topic or task
• how you have found note taking and researching for assignments
• how you have found assessments in the past, e.g. exams, essays, presentations, etc.
• how you feel about group work, placement and practical tasks

ATU Sligo is committed to the principle of universal access and will actively work towards providing reasonable access to all of its services, information and facilities.

• What is Autism?  AsIAM’s about Autism guide (What Is Autism?| AsIAm.ie | Ireland’s National Autism Charity)
• The Autistic Guide to Starting College (Autism Friendly HEI – The Autistic Guide to Starting College)
• Autism & Uni Best Practice Guide for HE Lecturers and Tutors (autismuni_best_practice_guide_02.pdf (ed.ac.uk))
• Further Advice and Guidance about Autism (Autism Advice and Guidance – from Autism Charity AsIAm.ie)