“Five Irish third-level institutions are to join with Michigan State University and the disability body, Respect, to create a new research institute. Its role is to develop advanced technology for the betterment of those with physical and mental disabilities …” (more)
[Dick Ahlstrom, Irish Times, 15 October]
“Mary Immaculate teacher training College in Limerick is breaking new ground in helping open up third-level education to people with intellectual disabilities …” (more)
[Jimmy Woulfe, Irish Examiner, 4 February]
“… My request can be simply stated and that is that funding be provided for sign language interpreters for five deaf people who want to participate in a course at Waterford Institute of Technology. The Unite Trade Union has been working with Waterford Institute of Technology on the development of education courses for workers that lost their jobs when Waterford Crystal closed …” (more)
[Brian O’Shea TD, Labour Party, 28 January]
“The National Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind have settled a lawsuit against Arizona State University over its plan to deploy the Kindle DX among students. The settlement involves no monetary damages, but the university agreed to use devices that are more accessible to the blind if it chooses to deploy e-book readers …” (more)
[Jacqui Cheng, University World News, 17 January]
“There are now many more adults with disabilities under the age of 35 (comprehensive special education was created through P.L. 94-142 in 1975) who are better prepared for inclusion into higher education, postsecondary, and employment settings. They also have higher expectations of themselves and their chances for success as a result of being the recipients of support they received for their various conditions …” (more)
[Life Development Institute’s Blog, 12 January]
“All third-level colleges have been told they are at risk of losing funding from 2011 if they do not reach targets on participation by students from under-represented groups …” (more)
[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 9 December]
“The number of students with disabilities going on to third-level education has risen by more than 55 per cent in the past three years, according to the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability (AHEAD) …” (more)
[Irish Times, 7 December]
“The Government has been urged not to cut supports for disabled students as new figures show a 55pc increase in the number of disabled people entering third level education. Almost 1,600 disabled students entered third level this year, up from just over 1,000 in 2006 …” (more)
[Breda Heffernan, Independent, 7 December]
“Twenty-four students with an intellectual disability last night celebrated graduating from an innovative certificate programme at Trinity College Dublin. The second graduate class in the Certificate in Contemporary Living programme toasted their success last night on the famous campus …” (more)
[Noel Baker, Irish Examiner, 18 November]
“Jack Shanahan is a renaissance man. An artist, football fan and French speaker, last night he added another string to his bow by graduating as one of 24 students who completed a university course for people with intellectual disability …” (more)
[Noel Baker, Irish Examiner, 18 November]
“The National Federation of the Blind will announce today that Syracuse University and the University of Wisconsin at Madison are holding off on expansions of Kindle offerings for students until the reading device is more accessible to the visually impaired …” (more)
[Inside Higher Ed, 11 November]
“College staff need to change their methods and their attitudes to teaching students with disabilities, it was claimed. The number of third-level students with disabilities has risen significantly and applications for third-level places from people with disabilities or specific learning difficulties rose by a quarter this year, but the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability (AHEAD) believes much more can be done to facilitate these students …” (more)
[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 4 November]
“The Union of Students in Ireland has welcomed the release of the Charter on Inclusive Teaching and Learning by AHEAD (the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability). Dr. Mary Liz Trant of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) launched the charter today (November 3) in Dublin …” (more)
[Irish Press Releases, 3 November]
“Anne Marie Scarry’s vision impairment failed to act as a barrier to her getting a third-level degree. More than 1,000 college places are now due to be reserved for students with disabilities from next year. The Cork student is completing a masters degree in applied psychology at University College Cork where she already completed a primary degree thanks to the disability support service’s help …” (more)
[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 6 October]
“Teachers at Sinead Kane’s secondary school thought that studying law was too big a challenge for her but that only made the teenager more determined to pursue her career of choice at university. Heading off from her home in Youghal to University College Cork at age 19 she was apprehensive. Like her fellow students, she was facing the big leap into third-level education and living on campus, away from home for the first time. But for Kane, who has only 5 per cent vision in each eye due to a rare congenital eye complaint known as aniridia and is registered blind, that transition was a lot more demanding …” (more)
[Sheila Wayman, Irish Times, 1 September]
“Colleges were swamped with inquiries from unemployed graduates yesterday after plans for 1,000 free postgraduate places were unveiled. But Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe has been accused of ignoring disabled graduates …” (more)
[John Walshe, Independent, August 5]
“Students with disabilities are an afterthought in many Irish universities, a symposium of education experts was told yesterday. The symposium, organised by the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability (Ahead), was meeting to draft a Charter for Inclusive Teaching and Learning for third-level students. Ann Heelan, director of Ahead, said universities needed to take the needs of students with disabilities into account when designing their courses …” (more)
[Aoife Carr, Irish Times, 29 April]
“A new unit at University College Cork aims to improve access to third-level education for students with disabilities by providing them with the most cutting edge technologies and equipment available. The Assistive Technology (AT) unit will help students to maximise their potential and achieve their academic goals, according to Linda Doran, assistive technology officer at UCC. She said assistive technology played a pivotal role in empowering students with disabilities to access the learning environment on parity with their peers …” (more)
[Michelle McDonagh, Irish Times, 16 December]
Ninth Level Ireland 