The DSS staff and our supports are available remotely as well as on the physical campus (when this is open to students).

• Staff are working remotely during 2020/21 due to Covid-19 measures.
• We welcome queries from students and parents/guardians by email – dsscork@mtu.ie But please note that due to GDPR we cannot discuss a student’s details without written consent from their student email address.
• Our emails are checked regularly – Monday to Friday (8.30am to 4.30pm).
• Please note while the campus is open, the Access Service administrator is available at the front desk of the Access Service office (Student centre) to answer any drop in queries on campus or you can ring 021 433 5138 with an urgent query.
• MTU Covid-19 updates are available at: https://covid19.cit.ie/

• Student financial support information: www.mycit.ie/saf

Ruth Murphy –   Disability Support Officer (Acting) MTU DSS Cork campus

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The MTU Disability Support Service (DSS) Cork campus welcomes any student with a learning difference, disability or health condition to apply for supports / reasonable accommodations that they may need for their studies. We can guide and support you to access your courses and we work hard to ensure that the DSS is a place that you can go to in confidence to look for support and help.

The DSS is supported by the Fund for Students with Disabilities which is managed by the Higher Education Authority on behalf of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

Our aim is to encourage the participation and access of students with learning differences, disabilities and health conditions into third level education. We can guide and support you to access your course, achieve your academic goals and become a more independent learner.

CONTACTING THE DSS

• Email us at dsscork@mtu.ie

Email is the quickest way of receiving a response from DSS staff as we may be busy meeting students when you call.

Make sure to include your name, MTU/CIT student number or CAO number and date of birth in any emails.

See our Contact details page for more information.

INFORMATION ABOUT APPLYING FOR DSS SUPPORTS

We would encourage students who may need supports while they are at MTU to apply for supports as early as possible in the academic year, but they can do so any time of the year. Please see : access_disability/disability-support-service/registering

CONFIDENTIALITY

MTU DSS (Cork campus) operates a strict confidentiality policy and we cannot disclose any information about the student to parents, lecturers, etc. unless we have the student’s consent. Information that students share with us is confidential unless some information you disclose to the DSS may be considered to put us on notice of a serious health and safety /child protection risk to you and/or other students/staff, the Institute has a legal duty of care to ensure that you and/or other students/staff are safe. In this case we may need share this information but we would ideally speak to the student first. Personal data will be removed/protected from any such information that needs to be shared in so far as possible.

SUPPORTS AVAILABLE FOR MTU CORK STUDENTS

We support a wide range of students across all Cork campuses. Please click on the pages to the left for more details of some of the support available.

Students need to apply for DSS supports first before they can access any of the supports listed below. See our Applying for Supports page and Student Guide for more information.

• Exam accommodations/supports
• Assistive Technology and equipment
• Learning Support
• Access to the Assistive Technology Service computer lab
• Liaise with Academic staff on behalf of or with students (with consent)
• Alternative Media Formats
• Personal assistants
• Sign language interpreters
• Note takers/use of Assistive Technology in lectures
• Speed text/Stereotype operators
• Access to buildings

FUND FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

There is a fund available to eligible students with disabilities called the Fund for Students with Disabilities which can provide specific academic supports, personal assistants, sign language interpreters etc. 

The Fund for Students with Disabilities is funded by the Government of Ireland and is managed by the Higher Education Authority. From 2014- 2020 it was an objective of the Third Level Access which was co-funded by the Department of Education and Skills and the European Social Fund as part of the European Social Fund Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) 2014-2020.

The Disability Support Officer makes applications to the Fund on behalf of an eligible student after an assessment of need with the student. For more information please see our Financial Support page and www.studentfinance.ie