The Disability Support Service welcomes and encourages all students with disabilities to register with us to avail of support throughout their time in college.

The Disability Support Service team in TUS Athlone are your main point of contact for any disability related queries throughout your studies on the Athlone Campus. Students are encouraged to make contact with the service as early as possible to discuss in confidence any facilities and supports they may require. Each student’s needs are assessed individually, taking into account their particular requirements. The team is responsible for recommending and coordinating your supports.

Under the Equal Status Act third level institutions have a duty to make reasonable accommodations where disabled students may be placed at a disadvantage in comparison with non-disabled students. Reasonable accommodations enable you to access and participate in learning, assessment, university facilities and services.

Some examples of reasonable accommodations are:

• Exam supports (e.g. extra time, use of a computer, etc).
• Support with reading, writing and research (e.g. one to one Learning Support).
• Access to specialist equipment and assistive technology software  (e.g. text to speech to assist with research and proofreading, mind mapping to assist with planning and organising your work; recording software to assist with note taking, and an Assistive Technology Centre.
• Access to handouts and notes in advance of lectures.
• Additional support from your Tutors in Business, Maths and Science.

If you have not done so already we would encourage you to contact our Disability Officer to discuss in confidence any facilities and supports you may require during your course of study, and to ensure that these supports are made in time for your arrival at our university. You can also click on the link below to register, we will contact you once the form has been submitted.

Click here to register with the Disability Support Service in TUS Athlone

(Note: you will need to log in using your student email. Please make sure you have the documents relating to your disability available to upload onto your application)

Types of Disability supported:

• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
• Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
• Blind/Vision Impaired.
• Deaf/Hard of Hearing.
• Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) – Dyspraxia /Dysgraphia.
• Mental Health Difficulty.
• Neurological Conditions (including Epilepsy & Brain Injury)
• Physical Disability.
• Significant Ongoing Illness.
• Specific Learning Difficulty (including Dyslexia & Dyscalculia).
• Speech and Language Communication Disorder.

Meet the Disability Support Service Team

Lisa Hanlon – TUS Athlone Disability Officer

Lisa has been working in TUS Athlone (formerly AIT) since 2014. Lisa holds a BA degree in Social Care Practice and a Masters in Advanced Social Care Practice. Her career spans over 15 years working in the area of higher education, disability, mental health and health promotion. As Disability Officer Lisa is part of a multidisciplinary team of student support staff within the Student Resource Centre and is responsible for the overall coordination of the Disability Support Service in TUS Athlone, providing individual/group support and guidance to undergraduate and postgraduate students on educational, social and career related matters.

Róisín Kelly – Learning Support and Assistive Technology Tutor

Róisín is a Learning Support Tutor with the Disability Support Service. She been working in TUS Athlone since 2006 and in her current role since 2012. Róisín completed her BA Degree in Applied Languages in 2005 and became a Certified Educational Tester with the British Psychological Society in 2010. In 2014, she went on to complete a Postgraduate Diploma in Specific Learning Difficulties and in 2016 she completed a Masters in Professional Studies in Special Education Needs.  As a Learning Support Tutor, Róisín supports students with Specific Learning Difficulties in their transition to third level and guides them in developing academic skills required to access and progress through their studies. She also provides Assistive Technology training to students who require support with  notetaking.

Elaine Kelly – Assistive Technology Tutor

Elaine has been working in TUS Athlone (previously AIT) since 2008, and is in her current role as an Assistive Technology Tutor with the Disability Support Service since 2011. Her primary role is to provide Assistive Technology training to students with Specific Learning Difficulties in the use of literacy support software’s. Elaine completed a Bachelor of Business in 2013, before going on to completed a BA (Honours) in Disability Equality Studies in 2020. In 2022, she completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Studies in Special Education Needs through St. Angela’s and NUI Galway, and a Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing (CCET) verified by the British Psychological Society.

• The Disability Support Service team is responsible for recommending and coordinating your support. These supports 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.

“Register as soon as possible for your supports, it can make a big difference“

The Disability Officer, Lisa Hanlon located on the main campus along the Student Resource Centre corridor (D corridor).

Disability Officer: Lisa Hanlon

Room number: D22

Email: lisa.hanlon@tus.ie or disability.midlands@tus.ie

Contact Hours: Monday to Friday from 9:00am – 4.30pm

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 college
• 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

If you decide that you are going to attend a different college we would recommend that you contact their Disability Support Service.