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Disability

The OVPED, along with the Disability Support Service, will help promote inclusive practices throughout the campus community for both the staff and student body.

Access Officers

Under the Disability Act 2005, all Public Bodies are required to nominate one or more persons as Access Officers, whose responsibility it is to provide assistance and guidance to people with disabilities in accessing the services of the Public Body and to act as a point of contact for people with disabilities who wish to access the service.

Who to Contact?

Access Officer for staff and prospective staff:

Aoife Cooke, email aoife.cooke@nuigalway.ie, phone 091 495408 

Access Officer for students and prospective students:

Bernie McGee, email bernie.mcgee@nuigalway.ie, phone 091 493541

Members of the public who have an enquiry under the Act should contact Aoife Cooke in the first instance. 

Student Support

The Disability Support Service at NUI Galway supports students with disabilities and provides important information to staff on supporting and providing appropriate accommodations to their students. Students and Staff are encouraged to contact the DSS to avail of the services provided.

Staff Support

The Disability Act 2005 places statutory obligation on public service providers to support access to services and facilities for those with disabilities. The Act sets out a 3% target for public sector bodies for the employment of staff with disabilities and requires the University to report each year on the number and percentage of staff with disabilities to ensure the target is met. NUI Galway reported meeting the target of 3% for 2016: 509 staff responded to the annual disability monitoring survey, 48 of whom disclosed a disability. A further 22 staff members are currently absent on leave or working reduced hours as an accomodation related to a disability disclosure.

For information relating to disclosing a disability, please contact Aoife Cooke.

Reasonable Accommodation

Coming Soon

EDICC Working Group on Disability

The Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Campus Committee was established in 2016 with the specific aim to eliminate discrimination, advance equal opportunity, and foster relationships by tackling prejudice and promoting understanding.  The EDICC have established a Working Group with particular focus on Disability.

The Working Group on Disability first met in April 2017 and proposed that the first step in articulating needs should include an information gathering exercise to identify key issues and therefore make informed decisions about an appropriate programme of work. This is currently in development, and will involve a consultation with key stakeholders (both staff and students) and an analysis of available data, including access audits for all campus buildings.  The consultation exercise will conclude early in academic year 17/18, with the hope of building upon the findings.