Awards & Press coverage
- Star Award, Nation Wide
- Press Coverage
- CCL programme highlights
- Working with various Trinity departments
- Inclusion at college
- Work Life Programme
- The Arts and the NIID
- Conferences, Seminars and Research
- Student Involvement with Research at the NIID
- Self Advocacy Group
- Certificate Trip
- Transition from College
- 2007-2008 CCL Student Applications
- Involvement of Trinity Staff and Students
Star Award, Nation Wide
The Certificate Programme received the All Ireland Star Award. This award is given as recognition for an adult learning project which has demonstrated the most collaborative and learner-centred approach to creating equal learning opportunities for all throughout Ireland. Following this award, Nation Wide (a television programme on RTE) featured a day in the life of a student attending the CCL.
Press Coverage
A number of papers have reported on the CCL programme over the past two years. These include:
- The Irish Times, the Irish Examiner, Carlow Times, Kildare Times, Wicklow Times and News 4
- Local and national radio stations have interviewed both staff and CCL students at the NIID over the summer 2007
The first cohort of students completed the course on the 15th July 2007. They will graduate with fellow Trinity graduates on 15th February 2008.
Highlights from the CCL programme include:
- Working with various Trinity Departments and Schools
- Experiencing inclusion at college
- Being part of a work life programme
- Visiting places as part of the course work
- Being a researcher and reporting at conference
- Planning and undertaking an overseas trip to Budapest
Working with various Trinity departments
- Employment Module: This programme involved collaboration between the NIID and the School of Nursing. Third year Intellectual Disability Nursing students as part of their own work placement, became job mentors supporting the CCL students in their various work placements. This collaboration proved to be one of the highlights of the programme for both groups of Trinity students.
- Personal Effectiveness Module: Occupational Therapy (OT) students shared this module and work in partnership with CCL students on the module objectives.
- International Awareness Module: Staff and students from the Classics Department are currently working in partnership with NIID on this module and the planned trip to Greece in April 2008.
- English and Spoken Communication Module: This module is delivered by staff and students from the Clinical Speech and Language Department.
- Music Module: This module was delivered and developed by two third year music students under the guidance of the Director of the NIID.
- Drama and Dance Module will involve students from the Drama department working with CCL students
- Art Modules; OT students are also taking part in this module as part of their training in first year.
Inclusion at college
- Peer Mentoring Programme: Aoife Drudy, 4th Year Law student, co-ordinated the implementation of the Mentoring Programme. The Mentoring Programme has supported the inclusion of the students in College life at TCD. Each CCL student is matched up with a fellow Trinity student with similar interests and hobbies.The Mentoring programme has been a huge success over the past two years and the number of participants has grown each year.
- The NIID Ball, The students organized their first College Ball on Friday the 7th April at Blooms Hotel 2006. Eighty people attended the ball, including NIID students, staff, friends, peer mentors and students and staff from different Departments and Schools within Trinity. In 2007 the NIID ball was held in Wynn’s Hotel, Dublin on the 27th of April with over eighty people attending.
Work Life Programme
One of the main aims of the Certificate in Contemporary Living is to assist the students in finding appropriate employment upon completion of the course. This is achieved through delivery of the Career Development module which involves essential theoretical and practical elements. The theoretical aspect covers topics such as exploration of various careers, interpersonal skills for the workplace, preparation of the CV. Interview techniques through class based discussions, interactive role plays and debates.
The practical element requires the student to undertake two work placements in an area chosen according to their interests, skills and qualities. Individual meetings are also conducted by the Career Development Officer to identify student needs and interests and from this information, appropriate work placements are arranged.
Recent graduates of the Certificate programme have participated in two, five week work placements across a wide range of categories such as Hair & Beauty, Office work, Retail, Catering, Hotel work etc. Over half the graduates from the course have successfully gained part-time employment.
The Arts and the NIID
- Artist in Residence- Funding received from the Young Leaders, Ireland Funds enabled the NIID to set up an artist in residence project. This project will culminate in an art exhibition and is enabling past CCL graduates to work with the new students. In October 2007, The National Gallery invited students from the CCL to visit and participate in both practical and art history workshops. The CCL students have also been invited to liaise with gallery staff and tour guides in making the Gallery more accessible for people with intellectual disabilities.
- Oska Bright - Staff and students from the NIID are working in partnership to develop filmmaking by people with intellectual disablities. This partnership has involved bringing the first Oska bright film festival to Ireland in 2007. The CCL students are currently working on various film projects that they hope to submit to the 2009 film festival.
Conferences, Seminars and Research
- Students of the NIID have presented on the Certificate Programme at conferences and seminars both nationally and internationally. The Institute hosted the final stage of the Leargus Learning Partnership funded by the EU. This took place in May 2007 in Dublin and included working with groups from Iceland, Belgium and England. This group is now in the process of publishing a book of resources for people undertaking inclusive education and research, advocacy and life histories.
- The CCL students were involved in organising the first cross-border “Nothing about us, Without Us” advocacy conference in Belfast in 2006, four students presented and one student chaired the second day of the conference in Belfast.
- A group of the CCL students were invited to Dundalk Institute for Technology to give a presentation on the course and the importance of life long learning for people with intellectual disability.
- Staff and students gave a presentation on the CCL at the Nordic Network on Disability Research in Gothenburg, Sweden in Spring 2007. The presentation created great interest from both academics and universities in Norway, Sweden and Iceland. Through the use of Photovoice, the students presented their findings on "A Snap Shot of Life at Trinity College".
- CCL students worked with Dr. Kelley Johnson, Marie Curie Fellow, in the area of inclusive research and gave a presentation at a conference in Stewarts Hospital in summer 2007. Their research involved looking at how people spend their free time in an agency setting.
Student Involvement with Research at the NIID
- The students worked with Dr. Kelley Johnson on different inclusive research projects. “No longer Research about Us Without Us”, enabled students to research what it is like to be a student at Trinity College. The research involved the students interviewing and surveying other students around the TCD campus.
- “Free Time” offered an opportunity for CCL students from Stewarts Hospital to research how people spend their free time in an agency setting.
- Funding from the NDA has enabled a piece of research which is still on going which invited the CCL students to research their own experiences of college through the use of “Photovoice”
Self Advocacy Group
In the spring of 2007, CCL students set up an independent self advocacy group running anti-bullying workshops. The group is currently seeking funding to expand the group.
Certificate Trip
The students travelled to Budapest in April of 2007 to complete their International Awareness module. The trip was a huge success and the 2008 trip will be to Greece.
Transition from College
The staff of the NIID worked with the students, their families and service providers in two main areas, employment, and planning for the future through PATH (Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope), a visual form of personal centred planning. John O’Brien, an international leader in the field of intellectual disability ran a PATHWAY workshop with the students, family members and student advocates to support their transition from university.
2007-2008 CCL Student Applications
There was a huge demand for entrance into the 2007/2008 Certificate Programme. St. John of God, Carmona Services, Stewarts Hospital, Sunbeam House Services and Moore Abbey are currently in partnership with the NIID have been offered 4-5 student places on 2007-2008 intake. The NIID also offered six places to the general public. Interviews took place in late August early September. Family members of potential students will also be invited to meet with NIID staff to discuss the two year programme.
Involvement of Trinity Staff and Students
Trinity students, under the supervision of their lecturers are involved in six of the Certificate courses. Senior staff mentor and supervise their students who work on the programme either in a small group or on a one to one basis to fulfil their own course requirements. The involvement of Departments is currently as follows:
- Dr. Clothra Ni Cholmain has first year Clinical Speech and Language students involved on a weekly basis over two terms with the delivery of two sub modules of the English and Spoken Communication module.
- Dr. Siobhan Mac Cobb, Occupational Therapy Department has first year, second year and fourth year students involved on a weekly basis with the delivery of two sub modules of the Personal Effectiveness module.
- Mr. Michael Taylor, Music Department previously had two final year music students undertaking dissertations associated with the delivery of the music appreciation module.
- Dr. Christine Poulter, Drama Department is involved with her students on a dance and drama module. The NIID students will be attending drama performances given by the Drama Department.
- Mr. Colin Griffith and Mr. Paul Horan, Nursing and Midwifery as well as Ms. Ruth Torode, Social Work and Social Policy are involved with their students in job coaching arising from the Work Experience Module. Job coaching is on a one to one basis with the NIID students within their work placements which is an element of the Trinity student’s professional placement.
- The Trinity College Central Societies Committee and the Students Union also facilitated the establishment of a mentoring scheme for the NIID students.
For further information on the course or the application process, please contact Molly O’Keeffe, Education Officer by email on mookeeff@tcd.ie or by phone 01-8963875.