Managing Graduate Study with a Disability

Graduate students with a disability or significant ongoing illness can receive relevant reasonable accommodations or supports by attending a short meeting called a Needs Assessment with UCD Access and Lifelong Learning.

Follow these three steps to arrange supports:

1. Ensure you have the correct supporting documentation that confirms your disability or diagnosis. Required documents are listed on our UCD Evidence of Disability Form 2023. If you have multiple disabilities, please gather appropriate documentation for each disability.
2. Make an appointment by emailing (opens in a new window)disability@ucd.ie. You will then be asked to complete a short form on SISWeb and securely upload your documents there. 
3. Attend your Needs Assessment appointment to discuss and confirm your supports.

Each year you are registered as a UCD Student your disability supports will roll over; there is no need to have another Needs Assessment meeting each year. However, if you are returning from a Leave of Absence or a break in your studies between degrees, please contact (opens in a new window)disability@ucd.ie to check your supports have rolled over to the new academic year.

If you have had a Needs Assessment and wish to review your supports, you can do so at any time by meeting with a member of the UCD Access and Lifelong Learning team.

For further information, please review UCD Access and Lifelong Learning’s Disability Support webpage.

As a research student at UCD, you will have a Principal Supervisor, and a co-supervisor if appropriate, assigned to you. They will provide quality supervision, mentoring, guidance, and advice throughout your programme of study. They will also endeavour to make you aware of all regulations, policies, and codes of practice relevant to you.

While you don’t have to disclose your disability or illness to your supervisor, doing so will help them to provide you with the best possible support and allow you to discuss any concerns you may have in relation to your research programme and your disability or illness.

Having an early discussion about your disability or illness with your supervisor can help to establish a working relationship that takes account of any extra challenges you may face during your programme. You know best how your condition affects your work. However, your supervisor will have greater experience of what is involved in the research process. Together, you can identify any problems that might arise due to your disability or illness and develop strategies to overcome them. Discussing the likely impact of your condition on your research will help you and your supervisor to come up with a practical plan for your project. Your supervisor will then be able to monitor your progress more effectively and help your research stay on track.

Early in your working relationship, you may wish to discuss:

• flexible supervision options – for instance, you might prefer virtual meeting options if your illness or disability makes it difficult to attend face-to-face meetings
• how to get the most out of meetings – for instance, you might find it helpful to agree on an agenda before or at the beginning of each meeting, or for meetings to be recorded so you can refer back to them later
• provision of feedback – for instance, you may require feedback to be delivered via audio recording if dyslexia or visual problems make it hard for you to read written feedback.

As your supervisor becomes familiar with the challenges posed by your disability or illness, they will be able to offer encouragement when you need it and support you in interactions with other students and academics who are less familiar with your circumstances.

_{Adapted from 'PhD Study with a Disability, Chronic Illness or Learning Difficulty', Mark Bennett, (opens in a new window)findaphd.com}

All students are required to undergo a formal assessment step in order to progress from Stage 1 to Stage 2 of the PhD programme or to transfer from a Research Master’s programme to a PhD programme. Likewise, all PhD and Professional Doctorate theses are examined by a viva voce (oral examination).

Your Needs Assessment with UCD Access and Lifelong Learning will determine whether you are eligible to receive reasonable accommodations during your examination. Depending on your individual circumstances, these accommodations might include scheduled breaks, access to food and drink, and so on.

Additionally, you might find it useful to discuss with your supervisor any potential issues that may arise for you in this setting. Your supervisor can provide you with a clear outline of what to expect in your examination, and can book a suitable room that is accessible and comfortable for you and which suits any other needs you may have, such as proximity to other facilities. Your supervisor may also be able to arrange for you to see or practice in the room ahead of your examination to help you feel more comfortable.