Daniel McFarlane is the Access Manager at the Irish Universities Association. In this role, he oversees the outreach, delivery, membership and governance structures of the HEAR and DARE schemes, driving policy initiatives in to improve these schemes for the next generation of access and disability students.

Daniel plays a key role in leading various accessed-based IUA groups such as the Access Leader Network, Access Steering Group, DARE HEAR Practitioner, Communications and Operations such group. He also sits on various national groups including the MySUSI project and the National Access Plan Steering Group.

Daniel holds both undergraduate and post-graduate qualifications from Trinity College Dublin. His Master of Education (M.Ed.) focused on access policy in the contemporary Irish context. He has an extensive background in access policy and practice, teaching both Leadership and Change Management in Education and Social Inclusion in Higher Education master’s programmes. Prior to his current role, he worked with at the Trinity Access Programmes leading access initiatives for Senior Cycle Students ahead of their transition to higher education.

Ciara is a youth advocate with experience in gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights and disability advocacy. They study Philosophy, Political Science, Economics and Sociology and are in their second year. They are the Liaison Officer for the Ability Co-Op, a student-led disability-advocacy group on Trinity campus.