AHEAD Newsletter: Summer 2013

Contents

Universal Design: what is it?

Disability Officers: A Day in the Life

Publication Focus- Building an Argument: A Guide to Writing Assignments

EU project investigates use of ICT to support Learning for Adults with Disabilities

AHEAD Summer School for Professionals in Healthcare Disciplines Teaching Students with Disabilities

‘We Can’t Go Back Now’ - An Overview of How Nursing and Midwifery Students with a Disability were Supported in Clinical Practice

AHEAD Start – Online Course on Inclusive Education & Needs Assessment

Enterprise Rent-A-Car Offers Tips for New Graduates: How to Make Yourself More Employable

UCC Developing Accessible Campus Navigation System

Assistive Technology Summer Camp in Athlone IT

AHEAD in the News

Student Perspectives

My Story: Ger Gallagher

Case Study: Niall O’Hanlon, Mature Student, University College Dublin

Universal Design: what is it?

Written by Ann Heelan, Executive Director, AHEAD

In March 2013AHEAD hosted its 25th anniversary conference and dinner in Croke Park. It was a great success with an attendance from across the EU and further afield. The theme of the conference was Universal Design in Education and the most frequent question asked on the day was, ‘what is it?'

To answer the question I will back up a bit. We are all familiar with the ambiguous vase illusion, where you see two faces, but then your perception shifts, and, suddenly you see a vase. When AHEAD started up 25 years ago, students with disabilities were perceived as not really belonging and they relied on favors to get a support such as a tape recorder or notes. But thankfully, perceptions have changed. Higher education is a much more diverse space today and when you walk around any campus you will see many mature students, foreign nationals and students with disabilities and specific learning difficulties (SLDs). While this is very positive, it is also a challenge, particularly for students with disabilities who are often seen solely as the responsibility of the disability support services. According to the OECD report[1] “difficulties arise for students moving to tertiary education because colleges fail to promote an inclusive ethos”. Creating an inclusive ethos in education requires a change in perception about disability from stereotype to person. The perception shift for the lecturer is as unexpected as the ambiguous vase; it is to not see the disability but to see the talent and motivation.

Like the ambiguous vase, Universal Design changes thinking within the higher education community so that from the porter to the president, inclusion is everyone’s job. Borrowed from architecture, the concept of Universal Design means designing education to the greatest extent possible to be used by all[2]. Changing attitudes does not happen by itself and AHEAD works with staff in colleges to support them in engaging with inclusion, after all we know that most of them have open minds, but may not be confident in how to be inclusive. The conference showcased many examples of best practice within Universal Design which can be readily adopted into the design of any course. Examples of these are:

  1. Provide learning materials in an accessible format with regard to formatting font, size, colour etc. so they can be accessed using technology
  2. Provide lecture notes on –line to students before lectures, especially to those who are unable to hear what is being said or those who cannot take notes during a lecture
  3. Ensure there are a range of different teaching and learning methods/media embedded in the course so that students have a choice in how they digest information
  4. Keep up to date with technology that can make learning accessible
  5. Arrange for flexibility in assessing course outcomes with a range of assessment options that are valid.
  6. Ensure that all lecturers/tutors have training in disability awareness and understand the affect of disability or SLDs in a learning environment

Disability Officers: A Day in the Life

Written by Aisling Palmer, Disability Officer, NUI Galway

I have been Disability Officer in NUI Galway since mid August. Three other members of our team in Disability Support Services commenced their roles between August and November of last year also. We are all keen to create greater efficiencies so we can deliver an effective service to the growing numbers of students registering with us. Being my first year in the position, I want us to lay good foundations in our daily practices so we can spend more time on anticipatory work like promoting Universal Design for Education and working with the Access Officer in NUI Galway to develop a joint strategy for widening participation among under-represented groups. A typical day involves reviewing our practices and meeting with colleagues to build working relationships to promote inclusion.

This morning, I will be reviewing our registration forms and processes so we can reduce the time it takes to register incoming students, assess their needs and disclose relevant information to lecturers. Some universities have moved towards on-line registration; with a new database for our service, we are building capacity to achieve this too.

This afternoon, I will be meeting with the Vice-Dean of Student Experience and other Heads of Students Services. Education and the holistic development of our students are at the core of all our work. NUI Galway’s mission is ‘Learning and Leadership for Life and Work’ and it is one that I can easily endorse for students with disabilities. My aim as Disability Officer is to support students in becoming successful learners and highly skilled, employable graduates who can self-advocate and use technology to enhance their independence.

Mastering the use of assistive technology is an additional challenge for many students with disabilities who have much to cope with making the transition from second to third level. In my view, it is an investment of time that can contribute to their long-term success. In addition to technology, accessibility on campus is a particular issue for students with disabilities. To address this takes the co-operation of various staff in the University with access-related expertise. This semester, with the Vice-Dean of Student Experience and the Equality Officer I have been involved in establishing a Disability Access Team. The offices of Buildings, Marketing Communications, and Health & Safety are among the team working to enhance accessibility on campus.

In fact, whether it is working with academic and administrative staff in the university to promote inclusive practices or working with colleagues in other institutions to widen access and participation, collaboration is central to the work of a Disability Officer. The Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) is a testament to the strength of collaboration among Disability Officers in Irish higher education institutions. As a result of DARE, each year more school leavers with disabilities are securing reduced-points places in participating institutions. The Disability Advisors’ Working Network (DAWN) consists of over twenty Irish Universities and Institutes of Technology who aim to promote good practices and consistency by developing national policies on issues affecting students with disabilities in higher education. We continue to work collectively to address issues facing students with disabilities in higher education.

Publication Focus- Building an Argument: A Guide to Writing Assignments

Written by AHEAD

Last year, AHEAD in association with Helen Carroll produced a student guide to writing academic assignments.If you are a student starting in third level education then you need to learn how to write assignments to academic standards. This Student Guide to Assignment Writing is a step by step guide to ‘building’ the assignment, guaranteed to improve your writing skills.

In college, mastering the skill of good academic writing is essential to gaining good grades. Despite it being a core skill, it is not taught as part of the curriculum so students are often unclear about how to actually go about doing do it! Francis Bacon wrote in the 50’s“neither hands, nor intellect alone will serve you much: tools and aids perfect all”and it is with this in mind that we have produced this book.

This guide gives you the academic tools to improve your writing using the metaphor of ‘building’ an assignment from the foundations up. During the course of your time in college, we envisage you will keep the booklet and use it throughout your studies again and again. It is small (A5 size), will easily fit into your bag, and will act as a great template for every assignment you do.

The words on the booklet cover say: YOU’RE ACTUALLY A GOOD WRITER...IT’S JUST THAT NOBODY TOLD YOU YET. It is time to discover and enjoy your writing skills!

Click here to visit our online shop and purchase Building an Argument: A Guide to Writing Assignments>

EU project investigates use of ICT to support Learning for Adults with Disabilities

Written by Dr. Ian Pitt, University College Cork

An EU project is examining the ways in which information and communication technology (ICT) is used to support lifelong-learning by disabled adults. The aim is to gather information on the tools available and the best ways to use them, and make this information readily available in an effort to overcome barriers and increase opportunities.

The Enable project is funded under the EU's Grundtvig/Lifelong Learning Programme and will run for three years. It has 17 partners representing 13 different countries (three of them outside the EU), giving it a wide perspective.

The project partners are using electronic networking tools to review current practice, noting the ICT resources used in each country and the ways in which they are used. From this they aim to produce a comparative evaluation of the current situation in the countries represented, methodologies for evaluation and categorisation of ICT tool, and principles and recommendations for good practice. The intended outcomes of the project include an accessible website with a range of networking tools, a user-annotated database of ICT solutions with examples of good practice, online training modules for those delivering adult education, and recommendations for future research.

Aconference on the theme 'Using New Technologies for Inclusive Learning' will be held on 28th September 2013 in Glasgow, Scotland. It will form part of the network's annual meeting and workshop, but participation is open to representatives of other Grundtvig projects and other projects working in related areas. For more information contact .

The project partners will organise another conference in 2014, and it is intended that this will be a much larger event, open to all, and that it will be the first in a series of annual conferences that continue beyond the life of the project.

The Enable project partners are keen to hear about experiences of using ICT to support learning, either fromthoseworking with disabled adults or from adult learners themselves. In particular they welcome suggestions regarding ICT learning tools or technologies that could be added to the database, suggestions for training or other support, and examples of good or bad practice. Other comments are also welcome. Suggestions, comments, etc., can be sent toIan Pitt at UCC ().

The Enable project partnersare Arhinet d. o. o. (Slovenia), The Association for Hard of HearingHe People (Germany), The Civil Initiatives Development Centre (Poland), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (Italy), The Estonian Foundation for the Visually Impaired, FTB Research Institute for Technology and Disability (Germany), Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft, Berlin (Germany), Institute for Language and Speech Processing (Greece), JISC TechDis (UK), Macquarie University (Australia), RTVMC (Lithuania), Sogang University (Republic Of Korea), University College Cork (Ireland), University of Belgrade (Serbia), University of Glasgow (UK), University of Primorska (Slovenia), and University of Turku (Finland).

More information about the project can be found on the website:

AHEAD Summer School for Professionals in Healthcare Disciplines Teaching Students with Disabilities

Written by AHEAD

AHEAD in collaboration with University College Dublin Nursing School are organising a Summer School running from 27th – 29th August 2013 for Professionals working in the Health Sciences sector who have responsibility for including students with disabilities in the Health Professions, including clinical placements.

The Summer School aims to open a dialogue about the inclusion of a diverse range of students in Health Sciences, especially students with disability.

The focus of professional health education programs (including nursing, medicine, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy) is toprepare graduates who are able to provide safe,competent care consistent withentry-level competencies and registrationrequirements. As the number of students registered with a disability continues toincrease on these programmes, there is a growing challenge tounderstand what needs to change while addressing more difficult issues like the attitudesand biases that may continue to fuel stigmaagainst students with disabilities. Generally, if a student has a documenteddisability, accommodations are mandated by law.The nature of some students’ accommodationsprompts concern about their ability to meetprogram expectations and registration criteria.

This summer school will explore such issues, andreview good practice both international andnational, shining a spotlight on the continually developing methods of teaching staff working with undergraduatestudents with disabilities and should result in a clearerunderstanding about challenges facing professionals (both in the lecture hall andthe clinical setting) as they seek to maintain standards while including students with disabilities.

It will be a unique occasion for a small group of professionals in healthcare disciplines to share learning, network and forge alliances for the future. The events will take place over 3 days and there is one thing certain – the summer school will give great opportunities to learn, network and have some fun!

Topics covered will include:

The Profession: Change and or Dilemma

  • Leadership – doing the right thing.
  • Fitness to Practice and maintaining standards in an uncertain world
  • The Law: a stick or a carrot?
  • Teaching, Learning – And Understanding more...

The Student: a certain or uncertain future

  • Disclosure: how to create a relationship of trust
  • Assessing the Need for Accommodation – a systematic approach

The Disability: Walking on Water

  • Mental health difficulties and the clinical placement: how to start the conversation
  • Dyslexia – so what are the issues really?

The Accommodations: do they really make a difference?

  • Assistive Technologies – what are they?
  • What does the future look like? Will accommodations shape the future of the clinical setting?

Where: University College Dublin

When: Aug 27th – 29th 2013

Cost: €390

Cost Includes: 3 day summer school, tea/coffee & lunch/refreshments throughout and 2 dinner/networking/entertainment evenings.

Accommodation: not included in the cost but campus accommodation is available at preferential rate to participants

Click here to register for the Summer School>

‘We Can’t Go Back Now’ - An Overview of How Nursing and Midwifery Students with a Disability were Supported in Clinical Practice

Written by Dr. Phil Halligan, UCD School of Nursing

The number of students with disabilities attending third level education in Ireland has risen dramatically in the last decade and nursing and midwifery student numbers are now mirroring this figure. In 2010, four years following the introduction of the degree programmes in Nursing and Midwifery, a number of concerns were voiced from clinical and academic staff that support our students in clinical practice. Concerns included how to facilitate disclosure and provide support for students with a disability.In addition, issues of competence and fitness to practice were also raised and it was clear that staff were not aware of the literature indicating that students with a disability were no less competent or fit to practice than their non-disabled peers. In response, two members of academic staff from the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systemsvoluntarily set up what became known as the Disability Liaison Team (DLT). The aim of the DLT was to expand and integrate the supports already offered to nursing and midwifery students, by UCD Access Centre and the Association for Higher Education Access and Disabilities (AHEAD), into the clinical practice environment.

Over the past three years the DLT has developed a number of initiatives to assist staff to support students in clinical practice. Initially,through a series of consultative forums; (dialogue with key authorities [legal, disability organisations, clinical, human resource management, and occupational health], workshops, symposium anda student focus group, a robust Resource Guide was developed in conjunction with a representative from each clinical site. This guide was successfully launched at the AHEAD International conference in March 2011 and addressed a number of key areas including: legislation, fitness to practice & competency, disclosure, the students’ journey onto clinical placement, student roles and responsibilities,differing disabilities and their reasonable accommodations and additional resources and information on obtaining further supports.

In addition, a number of other structures and processes were developed and implemented as follows: the design, implementation and evaluation of a clinical needs assessment, a review and subsequent modification of the student consent form to support disclosure, disability awareness training days and the implementationof the AHEAD Willing, Able and Mentoring (WAM) programme with nursing students on Internship. The DLT also continuously evaluate all supports provided and disseminate the findings and areas of best practice through national and international committee membership, and presentations atvarious workshops, seminars and conferences that address students with a disability. A workshop on Assisted Technology (AT) was organised for clinical and academic staff to increase their awareness of the various AT supports available forstudents with a disability. To prepare first year students registered with a disability for the real world of clinical practice,aninduction workshop was held to allow students to voice their fears and any concerns they may have and each student was provided with a booklet specifically developed to address the many abbreviations and titles of health professionals thatconfront all students as they enter the new world of clinical practice.