disability-awareness-week

This project aims at increasing staff, student and public awareness about people with disabilities, with a view to combating stereotypes and promoting the contributions of people with disabilities through a campus-wide awareness week.

Project Team & Links

[tab][tab_item title=”Contact”]

Students: David Bohan, Josephine McLoughlin

Staff:  Shivaun Quinlivan, Charlotte May Simera

[/tab_item] [tab_item title=”Team”]

Students: David Bohan, Josephine McLoughlin, Sinead Keane, Oyaro Louis, Colm Lennon, Meenraj Panthee, Dev Datta Joshi, Peter Ngomwa, Prem Singh Tharu, Michael Coleman, Lila Carey, Elizabeth Kamundia, Aly MacGrath

Staff: Shivaun Quinlivan, Charlotte May Simera

[/tab_item] [tab_item title=”Links”]

The project team produced the following video regarding Disability Awareness Week 2014.

[/tab_item][/tab]

Disability Awareness Week- Access All Areas

24th– 27th March 2014, NUI Galway

Programme of Events

For more information about the week and all events please visit us at our stand on the Concourse next to Smokey’s café.

 —————————————–

24th March- Monday 

Opening- LLM students introduce themselves, the theme and idea and the week of events.

Coffee and Tea will be served

When? 11.00-11.30

Where? The Cube, Áras na Mac Léinn

*******************************

Inclusive Education- the Going to College Project-‘Going to College’ is a pioneering higher education initiative, supporting the full inclusion of students with intellectual disabilities at NUI Galway. Students are registered full-time students and are fully included in all class activities. Students also have opportunities to undertake meaningful work placement and volunteering opportunities that will enrich their lives into the future. At this event we will hear first hand from those involved and enrolled in the project.

Please register at: info.cdlp@nuigalway.ie

When? 11.30-1pm

Where? The Cube, Áras na Mac Léinn

*******************************

Movie Night ‘Inside I’m Dancing’- also released under the title Rory O’Shea Was Here, this film is a 2004 comedy-drama directed by Damien O’Donnell and starrs James McAvoy, Steven Robertson, Romola Garai, and Brenda Fricker. The film revolves around two disabled young men who pursue physical and emotional independence in direct defiance of “protective” institutional living and their society’s prevailing standards and attitudes, especially pity.

 

Free Pizza and Drinks!

When? 8pm

Where? Centre for Disability Law and Policy, Boardroom

————————————————————–

25th March- Tuesday

Employability Seminar:  Recruitment and Disability- The Employability seminar will focus on the recruitment and employment of people with disabilities. It will specifically focus on inclusion in the work place and changing the attitudes and behaviours that surround disability.   

Speakers will include representatives from local and national organisations working in the area of employment and education including:

  • Employability Galway
  • AHEAD, the Association of Higher Education, Access and Disability in Ireland
  • Kanchi
  • NUI Galway Career Development Office
  • NUI Galway Disability Support Services

Please register at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MKWHZLP

When? 10.30am –1.00pm 

Where?  The Cube, Áras na Mac Léinn

*******************************

Mental Illness or Psychosocial Disability: What’s the difference?- Mental Health Seminar, Research Associate Piers Gooding and LLM student David Bohan .  This seminar explores changing ideas about mental health in the light of human rights. What is ‘psychosocial disability’ and why is it different from mental illness?

Please register at: info.cdlp@nuigalway.ie

When? 13.00-13.45pm

Where? Centre for Disability Law and Policy, Boardroom

———————————————————-

26th March- Wednesday

Introduction to Irish Sign Language- this will be a basic introduction to Irish Sign Language. You will learn the alphabet, basic hand, face and head movements, as well as basic words. This session also introduces some selected parts of Deaf Culture. Placed limited! Please register at: info.cdlp@nuigalway.ie

When? 10.00-11.00

Where? Áras Moyola, MY 126- Classroom 3

*******************************

Blue Teapot Theater Company talk to NUIG- The famous Blue Teapot Theater Company who recently bought to stage the successful production “Sanctuary” and that have gained national recognition particularly since their involvement in the RTE documentary “Somebody to Love” will be giving a talk on the play and documentary on the right to love and have relationships. Please register at: info.cdlp@nuigalway.ie

When? 12.30-1.30pm

Where? The View, Áras na Mac Léinn

*******************************

 

Disability Awareness Workshop- For Staff and Students, Trainer Anne O’Brien, Disability Support Service, NUIG- An introduction to the work of the Disability Support Service and the supports available to students. The training will also cover insight into the difficulties students with disability may experience and advice on responding to this and facilitating support.

Led by Anne O’Brien, Learning Support Tutor with the Disability Support Service. Please register at: info.cdlp@nuigalway.ie

When? 12.30-2pm

Where? New Room in Library

*******************************

National Disability Authority – Disability Equality Training- an e-learning provided by the National Disability Authority. Students are invited to attend and complete the course online over a period of approx. 1 hour. This course is designed to be useful to a wide range of staff in the public sector in Ireland. An important reason for the development of this course is to enable people to explore and rethink their attitude to people with disabilities.  The course gives the learner the opportunity to examine the following:

  1. Types of disability
  2. Legislation
  3. Reasonable accommodation
  4. A case study on accessibility

There are ten self – assessment questions spread throughout the course. The questions are positioned at the end of the relevant sections. The participant is required to get eight out of ten to pass the assessment. Those who wish to participate should bring along their lap top and head phones and all participants can complete the course together.  Each person will also be given an opportunity to provide feedback to the NDA on the course by completing a short online survey.

Attention Law Students: This course is compulsory for first year trainees at The Law Society at Blackhall Place.

Please register at: info.cdlp@nuigalway.ie

When? 14.00- 15.00

Where? Aras Ui Chathail UC 102

*******************************

NUIG Accessibility Survey- How accessible is NUIG?- The Accessibility Audit Survey was conducted as part of the ‘Disability Awareness Week- AccessAall Areas’. The aim of the survey is to assess student user experiences and perceptions on the level of accessibility of campus facilities for persons with disabilities. The results of the Survey will be presented at this event and its recommendations shall be shared with the University Administration. The session is primarily a presentation of the Accessibility Audit Survey findings. The speaker shall also highlight existing services, offices and facilities within the University for persons with disabilities

Please register at: info.cdlp@nuigalway.ie

When? 15.00- 16.00

Where? Áras Ui Chathail UC 102

———————————————————————–

27th March- Thursday

NUI Galway student Paul Kelly will be answering your questions at the disability awareness stand on the concourse.  Paul will talk about support available to students with dyslexia, dyspraxia or other learning disabilities.

Where? Concourse, NUI Galway

*******************************

The Galway Visually Impaired Activity Club organizes activities that visually impaired people and their friends and families can participate in and enjoy. The vision is to provide a social outlet for visually impaired people in Galway City and County, increase the health and fitness of the members and give a positive image of the visually impaired community to the general public.

At lunch time- a group of members will offer tandem bike rides around campus so that you can get to know the type of activities that the Club run.

When? 11.00 – 12.30

Where? Outside the Concourse, by the Disability Awareness Week Stand

*******************************

Performing Disability in Irish Literature- This seminar will explore how disability is represented in the Irish literary tradition, particularly in the works of James Joyce and Samuel Beckett. The presenter, Siobhán Purcell, is a third year PhD candidate at the Moore Institute for Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences. She teaches a second-year English course entitled “Bodies in Irish Literature”. Her presentation will cover themes such as fascism, eugenics, degeneracy and institutionalisation, and will ask how literary studies can contribute to disability studies more generally.

Please register at: info.cdlp@nuigalway.ie   

When? 13.00-14.00pm

Where? Centre for Disability Law and Politics, Board Room

*******************************

 

Talk on Vision Impairment- Marian Maloney, expert by experience, will speak about her life as a visually impaired woman. Marian will explain the barriers the blind community face on a daily basses and go through some hints and tips when guiding a person with a visual impairment. Please come along to meet Marian and her guide dog Yaz and learn the do’s and don’t’s when you see a guide dog at work.

Please register at: info.cdlp@nuigalway.ie   

When? 13.00- 14.00pm

Where? Áras Moyola 123

*******************************

 Closing of the week-This event will close the week and review some of the activities. It will also launch the video taken on Monday at the beginning of the Week.

 When? 14.00-16.00pm

Where? The View, Áras na Mac Léinn

 ——————————————————–

 

Disability Awareness Week - Map

 
Project Updates

[accordion] [accordion_item title=’29 November, 2013′]

  • We explored the idea of a week or day and the pros and cons and the majority of the project team agreed the awareness project should run for the week rather than the day (Monday-Thursday)
  • We started to thrash out ideas of which events shall be ran during the week and what events would have the most impact and which would be of most benefit to students/university/local community. (Fun Run on campus was popular, and Movie screening)
  • We also agreed that before Christmas or early in the New Year we should contact guest speakers, local agencies and ask them to give short presentation or talks in relation to their specific field.
  • We also decided as we have a large project team to be more effective and efficient the group should be divided in three main groups (campus, local community, employment)
  • We discussed and we decided that we should get the views of disabled students and non – disabled students on campus (email survey)
  • Early in the New Year on of the team members will write a short article for a local newspaper on the CRPD. The same article could be printed in the Student newspaper
  • We are also hoping that a team member or staff member can get an interview with a local radio presenter. (To promote week/disability issues)
  • The group also came up with the idea that a disability audit/assessment to be carried out on campus and the findings presented to the university. (Art 8,9,24 CRPD)
  • The group also suggested that sometime in the New Year we should set up a meeting with the disability officer of the university. (She is aware of the OECD Report) and has been working to address some of the issues outlined in the report
  • One more researcher has decided to participate in the project I will forward on her contact details when I get them.

[/accordion_item] [/accordion]