AHEAD Release Report on Students with Disabilities Engaged with Support Services in Higher Education in Ireland 2022/23
AHEAD are excited to release our figures on numbers of students with disabilities participating in Higher Education in Ireland in the period 2022/3. This research has taken place annually since 2008/9, with historical data going back to 1993.
The report includes general statistics on numbers of students with disabilities as well as breakdown by disability profile, fields of study, exam accommodations, a postgraduate/undergraduate breakdown and much more.
There are now 20,351 students with disabilities registered for disability support services in higher education in Ireland, representing 7.4% of the total student population. Other Key findings at a glance include:
- 319% rise in number of students with disabilities registering for support in the last 14 years.
- Almost 1 in 8 students registered with services not eligible for the Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD).
- Students with disabilities significantly more likely to be enrolled on a course in the field of Arts and Humanities (21.4% compared to 13.5% of the general student body).
- The ratios of students to DSS staff members continues to rise. In 2012/13 there were 97 students per support staff member. In 2022/3 there were 139 students per support staff member.
- The vast majority of responding DSS believe that self-disclosure should not be an accepted form of evidence to access disability support.
- Specific Learning Difficulties remains the most common category of disability at 38.8%.
- Number of students with sensory disabilities continues to grow at a significantly slower rate than other disability categories.
