Disability resources in Medicine

The School of Medicine seeks to ensure that research and education are accessible to all staff and students of diverse abilities. An array of supports are in place to accommodate additional needs of staff and students with disabilities across our campuses, including during hospital placements and while performing research and clinical work. More detailed resources about the University’s policies and supports can be found at the disAbility service website here.

Below we outline some of these resources for staff and students of the School of Medicine, both for those seeking support and those who may need to provide support.

Support and Resources for Staff with Disabilities

The Code of Practice Applying to the Employment of People with Disabilities is the core document which outlines the University's commitment to supporting staff with disabilities. The code of practice describes entitlements and duties regarding staff with disabilities. It also describes manager's obligations to implement the code. The Code of Practice can be accessed here.

The Disability Service is responsible for carrying out an needs assessment for staff with disabilities in Trinity. Disability needs assessments determine the level of support that staff require. Based on appropriate evidence of disability and information obtained from the staff on the impact of their disability and their work, the Disability Staff member will identify supports designed to meet the staff members disability support needs. More information about how to access a needs assessment for supports can be found here.

Support and Resources for Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities in the School of Medicine are encouraged to register with the disAbility service where the disability could affect their ability to participate fully in all aspects of the course, to access guidance and support during their time as a student. Information for prospective and current students, including how to register with the disAbility service, undergo a needs assessment or access other support can be found at here.

The School of Medicine’s Student Welfare & Support Officer, Simone Cameron-Coen (simone.cameron-coen@tcd.ie) can also be contacted by any students of the School of Medicine seeking further guidance, or staff seeking to support students in the School of Medicine.

Reasonable Accommodation Policy for Students with Disabilities

Reasonable Accommodations will be put in place only after a student has registered with the Disability Service. The Reasonable Accommodation Policy for Students with Disabilities Policy defines standard and non-standard Reasonable Accommodations available to students with disabilities. The policy explains how Reasonable Accommodations are granted and communicated. This policy applies to all undergraduate and postgraduate students with disabilities studying at Trinity who are registered with the Disability Service, only for the duration of their registration with the Disability Service. More information on this policy can be found here.

Reasonable Accommodations for Students on Placement

Many of the courses provided by the School of Medicine include placement work, such as in hospital settings. Reasonable accommodations that can be provided during these placements to improve accessibility to those with disabilities. These recommended reasonable accommodations are generally agreed in consultation/agreement with the Placement Co-ordinator and the Placement Educator. Coordination of such agreements is arranged by the University disAbility service. More information for both students and placement educators, including access to the Professional Placement Reasonable Accommodations for Students with Disabilities booklet, can be found here.

Resources for Teaching and Professional Staff

An array of resources to improve accessibility of teaching material and provide reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities, can be found on the College disAbility service webpage here.

Accessible Teaching Materials

It is important that all teaching staff ensure that their teaching material (such as lecture notes) are designed to be accessible for those with disabilities such as visual impairments or other disabilities which may make teaching materials difficult to read or engage with. Guidelines for creating accessible teaching materials are provided here.

All students also have access to Blackboard Ally, which performs a series of steps to enable students to interact with teaching material in formats that are more accessible to them (such as audio format, electronic braille, on-screen reading, translations or more accessible viewing). In order to upload your teaching material so that these additional formats can be provided, teaching content requires some minor adjustments prior to upload. More information on adjusting your teaching materials for Blackboard Ally, and student information on using Blackboard Ally, can be found here.

Inclusive Design and Delivery of Courses and Modules

Tips and guidelines for inclusive design of courses and modules, including the outline of learning outcomes, delivery of teaching material and design of assessments, can be found here. Teaching staff can reflect and evaluate on the level of inclusivity in your teaching, take ~30 minutes to complete a self-review using the TIC self-evaluation tool, which can be found here.

Trinity College Dublin Inclusive Internship Programme

The Inclusive Internship Programme encourages the disabled community here in TCD to immerse themselves in activities associated with student life and graduate attribute formation both within and outside of the Trinity College community. It is the programme’s aim to provide TCD students a positive employment experience across one summer (June to August) through a paid internship within the Trinity College Dublin environment. All interns who agree to take part in the internship will receive training around communicating in the workplace, self and conflict management and self-advocacy. Employers receive disability awareness training, inclusive language training and the environment will be assessed for physical and sensory accessibility.  More information on the Programme for students and those interested in employing an intern can be found here.

Physical Accessibility across School of Medicine campus venues

If you identify any physical barriers across our campuses, please report this to estatesandfacilities@tcd.ie explaining the issue and giving the location of the barrier. Please copy askds@tcd.ie on the email. More information on physical access across the University can be found here.

As part of the implementation of the User-Led Accessibility Audit Tool (ULAA-Tool), developed at Trinity College Dublin by Declan Treanor and Faolán Doecke-Launders, audits have been performed at some of the School of Medicine’s venues (e.g. Trinity Biomedical Science Institute) and are planned for others. Beyond compliance, these audits aim to enhance usability and comfort, making the campus welcoming for everyone. Outcomes of these audits will be used to inform improved accessibility in collaboration with Estates and Facilities. More information on the ULAA-Tool can be found here.