Code of Practice

University of Limerick DSS Code of Practice and Consent to Disclose Information

The Equal Status Acts 2000-2018 and the Universities Act 1997 make provision for service providers, e.g., UL, to prepare and implement a code of practice setting out what it is doing to promote the inclusion of students with disabilities. This Code of Practice is intended to provide a model for a high standard of service to students with disabilities. Students with a disability, learning difficulty or significant / ongoing health condition will engage with Disability Support Services and The Educational Assistive Technology Centre from here on referred to as DSS and EATC respectively to obtain services. This code of practice covers both offices. UL will take reasonable steps to ensure that it does not place a student with a disability, learning difficulty or significant / ongoing health condition at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled student. A substantial disadvantage is one that entails time, inconvenience, effort, or discomfort compared to other people or students and which is more than minor or trivial.

The purpose of the Code of Practice is:

• To outline students’ rights and responsibilities in receiving reasonable accommodations in the University of Limerick.
• To define the University’s rights and responsibilities to registered students and the campus community.

A reasonable accommodation might be any action that helps alleviate a substantial disadvantage like changing procedures or providing additional services (e.g., Examination arrangements, materials in large print or altering the physical environment). This Code of Practice should be read in conjunction with the Student Handbook which outlines all the procedural requirements that you must adhere to for the duration of your studies.

Every student with a disability, learning difficulty and/or significant /ongoing health condition has a right to: 

• Reasonable and appropriate accommodations, adjustments, supports and/or auxiliary aids determined on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the individual’s certified disability, learning difficulty and/or significant/ongoing health condition.
• Confidentiality of their disability, learning difficulty and/or significant/ongoing health condition records in line with the Data Protection Acts 1988 – 2018.
• Information reasonably available in an accessible format
• Be treated with dignity and respect.

Every student with a disability, learning difficulty and/or significant /ongoing health condition has the responsibility to:

• Identify themselves to DSS in a timely manner as an individual with a disability, learning difficulty and/or significant/ongoing health condition by:
• Applying for registration by completing the online application on the student portal or DSS Webpage.
• Providing documentation from an acceptable professional source that verifies the nature of the disability, learning difficulty and/or significant/ongoing health condition.
• Taking part in a Needs Assessment with DSS staff                                                                      
• Reading this Code of Practice document and providing consent to the release of information ensuring appropriate accommodations may be provided in a timely manner by the relevant departments within the University.
• Treating staff of the University with dignity and respect.

The University must:

• Maintain the University’s academic and administrative standards.
• Process students’ personal data in order to fulfil its functions relating to teaching, research and associated administrative duties in strict accordance with the Data Protection Acts 1988 - 2018

The University may:

• Request that an “Evidence of Disability Form” is completed by an appropriately qualified professional be provided to verify the need for reasonable accommodations and/or auxiliary aids.
• Discuss a student’s need for reasonable accommodations and/or auxiliary aids with the professional source of his/her documentation, having obtained the student’s signed consent authorising such discussion.
• Communicate information relevant to a student’s need for reasonable accommodations and/or auxiliary aids with staff responsible for providing or facilitating students in accessing such accommodations, in consultation with the student.
• Select from a range of equally effective and appropriate accommodations and/or auxiliary aids in consultation with students.
• Deny a request for a reasonable accommodation and/or auxiliary aid if the documentation does not identify a specific impact need and/or functional limitation or if it fails to verify the need for the requested services or if it is not provided in a timely manner.
• Refuse to provide an accommodation and/or auxiliary aid that is inappropriate or unreasonable, including any that: pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others, constitute a substantial change or alteration to an essential element of the course or programme, or pose undue financial or administrative hardship on the University.

The University has the responsibility to:

• Ensure that the University’s courses, programmes, services, jobs, activities, and facilities, when viewed in their entirety, are delivered in the most integrated and accessible settings possible.
• Provide to students with disabilities, learning difficulty and/or significant/ongoing health condition information regarding university policies and procedures and ensure that it is available in accessible formats upon request.
• Provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations and/or auxiliary aids for students with disabilities, learning difficulty and/or significant/ongoing health condition upon a timely request by a student.

The University’s Disability Services and The Educational Assistive Technology Centre personnel have the responsibility to:

• Assist students with disabilities, learning difficulty and/or significant/ongoing health condition who self-identify and meet the University’s criteria for eligibility to receive reasonable accommodations and/or auxiliary aids determined on a case-by-case basis by carrying out a Needs Assessment with the student.
• Assign a contact person within the DSS Unit for each student with a disability, learning difficulty and/or significant/ongoing health condition.

Disability-Related Documentation

The University encourages students to disclose information on their disability, learning difficulty and/or significant/ongoing health condition to the DSS before they apply to the University or at any point during their studies. Documentation presented to the DSS/EATC which discloses personal information relating to a disability, learning difficulty and/or significant/ongoing health condition is held electronically by the DSS/EATC and is not disclosed to any other office within the University nor to any external third party.

Where a student requests and is granted any form of reasonable accommodation e.g., “extra time in exams” or “permission to record lectures”, the University will, in consultation with the student at Needs Assessment, only disclose relevant information to the members of staff in those departments responsible for providing or facilitating students in accessing such accommodations. However, in instances where conditions conflict with potential concerns over Health & Safety, the DSS will request permission from the student to disclose the exact nature of the condition and inform relevant parties of the corresponding medical emergency procedure.

DSS and EATC Complaints

If students are unhappy with decisions made by DSS or EATC staff or with service delivery the following mechanisms are in place to deal with complaint(s):

In the first instance discuss the complaint with the DSS/EATC staff member; if it is not satisfactorily dealt with you may follow the University of Limerick student complaints procedure

Dealing with complaints under the Disability Act 2005

Section 38 of the Disability Act 2005 enables any person by his/herself or through any person defined under Section 9 (2) of the Act to make a complaint in writing to the President of University of Limerick in relation to the failure of the University to comply with Sections 25, 26, 27, 28 or 29 of the Act. 

Complaints to the Office of the Ombudsman / Office of the Ombudsman for Children

Where all the University of Limerick's own internal procedures have been exhausted, a complaint may be made to the Office of the Ombudsman/Office of the Ombudsman for Children. The Ombudsman’s’ Office can examine complainants about administrative actions of the University. The matter should be put in writing for the attention of the Ombudsman (where the complainant is 18 or more years of age) or to the Ombudsman for Children Where complainant is under 18 years of age or where the complaint is being made by an adult on a child’s behalf.

Contact details: Office of the Ombudsman, 18 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2; Tel: 1890 22 30 30 (lo-call) / 01 639 5600; Email: ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.ie; Web: www.ombudsman.gov.ie

Office of the Ombudsman for Children, 52-56 Great Strand Street, Dublin 1; Tel: 1800 20 20 40 (freephone); Email: ococomplaint@oco.ie; Web: www.oco.ie

Declaration of understanding of Code of Practice & CONSENT TO RELEASE INFORMATION

• I request additional supports from the University of Limerick Disability Service and from The Educational Assistive Technology Centre and understand my rights and responsibilities in the delivery of any such additional supports.
• I understand that the DSS and EATC will ensure that all personal data contained in this form will only be used to facilitate the required levels of disability services and the provision of reasonable accommodations subject to the provisions of the Data Protection Acts 1988 – 2018. Your personal data may be shared with others as outlined in Table 1. below.
• I consent to information relating to my personal details as outlined in Table 1. below being forwarded from the Disability Service and the Educational Assistive Technology Centre to the following departments/support services as necessary:
• I understand that my personal details will be retained electronically in the University in accordance with the University’s Records Management & Retention Policy and deleted accordingly.
• The FSD is one of the main funding sources supporting participation by students with disabilities in approved further and higher education courses in Ireland. I understand that it may be necessary to disclose personal data relating to me to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for the purposes of administering, coordinating, monitoring, and evaluating the operation of the FSD. This personal data provided to the HEA may include special category data, e.g., sensitive data such as health where necessary and may be shared with the HEA for the purposes of allocating funding and for monitoring. In line with EU/FSD retention guidelines the ESF require retention of this information until 2028.
• In the event of an emergency, I understand that the University reserves the right to release certain personal information to prevent injury or damage to the health of a person.
• I understand that my LENS (Learning Education Needs Summary) report will be reissued at the start of each semester.

Table 1. Disclosure of Information

Recording of Lectures (Audio Only)

If the recording of lectures is deemed to be a reasonable accommodation, this will be stated in the student’s LENS (Learning Education Needs Summary) report as “Permission to record lectures”.

Recordings must only be for personal use and for the purpose of completing the Higher Education course for which you are registered. It is your responsibility to ensure that these recordings are used exclusively for the purposes of your own private study, and they are not shared with any third party under any circumstances. This includes copying, lending or otherwise making available to the public any lecture recordings made. It is your responsibility to take necessary precautions to secure any recordings made against unlawful usage by another person.

A breach of the conditions outlined here will constitute a breach of UL’s disciplinary regulations under section 6 of the Handbook of Academic Regulations and Procedures