Over a third (32%) of students at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) disclose extra educational requirements.
In the thick of a heated dispute, Ellie Dunne, a 25-year-old artist with Down Syndrome, is taking on the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) in Dublin, accusing them of failing to offer reasonable accommodations and discriminating against her under the Equal Status Act 2000.
The college has pulled out all the stops to support Ellie, butafter she bombed a crucial first-year module, they couldn't just wipe the slate clean. Things got heated during a meeting with Ellie's parents, especially when Ellie's mom, a journalist, threatened to tarnish NCAD's reputation.
The college's head of academic affairs, Dr Siún Hanrahan, testified that a staggering 32% of NCAD's approximately 1,400 students have self-declared additional needs. Art, being a flexible discipline, can accommodate various learning styles, Dr Hanrahan noted. Tailored support packages are offered to students with evidence of disabilities, while broader support like counseling, time management, grammar, and language assistance is available to those who simply self-declare.
The case is complicated by a perceived communication breakdown between Ellie and college officials. Rosemary Mallon, representing the college, grilled Dr Hanrahan about an offer to let Ellie re-sit the assessment with access to workshops and without academic penalty, which Ellie reportedly wasn't told about despite her not knowing of it.
Professor Sarah Glennie, the college's director, shared her concerns about the January 2024 meeting with Ellie's parents, who repeatedly pressed for a clean slate while college officials tried to explain the academic regulations made this impossible. The situation escalated, with Professor Glennie claiming that Ellie's mother threatened to harm her reputation.
The case took a bizarre twist with accusations of forged signatures on disability support documents, though the adjudicator noted that this wasn't a "classic forgery." The college acknowledges the presence of students with additional needs but may have fallen short in practice, as Ellie's complaint alleges.
As of late June 2025, the proceedings at the Workplace Relations Commission are still ongoing, with no immediate resolution in sight. This case illuminates the challenges faced in providing adequate support for students with disabilities in higher education settings.
Ellie's mother, a journalist, underlined the importance of education-and-self-development and personal-growth for her daughter by addressing NCAD's perceived shortcomings in offering reasonable accommodations, stating that these issues impede Ellie's learning and her potential for personal growth. Despite the college's attempts to provide support, Dr Siún Hanrahan highlighted the significance of a learning environment that caters to various learning styles, emphasizing the role of personal-growth and learning in fostering an inclusive education-and-self-development environment for students with disabilities.
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