Prospective Disabled Student looking for some info

rachc

Hi everyone,
My name is Rachel and I’m hoping to come to Trinity next September to study either Social Work or Sociology and Psychology. I was the Open Day earlier in the month and had a little look around the college but I didn’t really get answers to the questions I had. You see, I’m a wheelchair user and would like to hear about other disabled students experiences in TCD.
What’s accessibility like? Will I be constantly battling with heavy doors and trawling through buildings looking for lifts? (Not a big fan of the cobblestones, by the way! They do add that old worldly feeling to the place but they’re a killer when you’re in a chair! ).
Are the lecturers and staff nice? I may have issues with keeping up with lecture notes etc. and don’t want to be frightened to ask lecturer for help.
I did visit the Disability Service and they seemed like nice people willing to help out but figure firsthand experience is the best.
If there is a TCD student who is a wheelchair user reading this, I’d love to hear from you!
Equally, if there is a social work student reading this, I also have some questions e.g. what is your weekly schedule like? During the Open Day, I did try to get to the dining hall where the info stands were set up but I ended up in the canteen rather than the dining hall and was a bit too overwhelmed by the college size and the crowds to ask for more help!
Apologies if this is a long winded post but I’ve just got so many questions :eek: I need answered before I fill out my application.

Boston

Accessibility will largely depend on what building in trinity you have most of your lectures. Some buildings have absolutely not access while others have automatic doors and ramps.

With regards to note taking and the like, disability services provide note takers for disabled students, you may be able to request one for your course.

rachc

I've been told I'll be mainly in the Arts building

Jonathan

Social Work
This school is located in the Arts Block. I'm sure you saw what it was like during the open day. From a non disabled point of view, it seems fairly accessible.


Sociology and Psychology
The sociology school is also in the Arts block, and Psychology is in Áras an Phiarsaigh.

evercloserunion

Hi rachc, I haven't much time and I'm not disabled but I think you'll be fine. As a law student I spend most of my time in the arts block. Wherever there is a stairs there is a lift, and sometimes a ramp too. The lifts are rarely in use (they are only for use by disabled people) so you won't have any trouble using them. Obviously different lectures have different attitudes but I have found my lecturers to be very accommodating towards all student needs. I imagine all lecturers would be the same, especially in social work as a large part of social work is probably being able to understand people's situations even if you are not in that situation yourself.

If you live in Dublin maybe you should come in and take a look around the arts block yourself?

The Black Oil

For psychology your lectures may be spread between the Arts block, AAP and TCIN (Lloyd Institute). Lecture notes generally go online at the end of the week, though sometimes they're a bit slow with that. Your statistics labs and seminars will more than likely take place in Áras an Phiarsaigh, lectures were usually in the Arts block. Most psychology textbooks are on the second floor of the Berkeley library, others are in the Lecky, whilst journals are in the basement of the Ussher, but a lot are on electronic databases. Psychology staff are generally OK, they can be very fixated on their own areas and very busy.

You can get specific accommodations around exam time so you may be allowed to sit the exam in a room that's user friendly for you. That's SDS territory like note-taking. There's a room in the library for students registered with the disability service, generally quiet and has assistive software if you need that. You'll be entitled to access a greater range of books (a total of 8 whereas most undergrads can only access 4, plus you can get monthly loans, depends on availability, obviously) and you may also get free photocopying cards. They also have academic support so you can get some help if you find it hard to structure your essays/arguments/need someone to tweak your grammar.

You might be entitled to use Unilink which could give you access to an occupational therapist if you've problems organising your day/timetable...are finding that you're meeting quite a few barriers whilst being a student, social communication, mental health etc. Ask SDS about that. It's linked to the European Social Fund...so I don't know how the recession might affect it.

If you get offered a place try a visit or two before term starts up.