National Institute for Intellectual Disability (NIID)

In February of 2008, nineteen Trinity College students made Irish history as the first graduates of the first and only full time third level course for adults with intellectual disability.

Georgina is a participant in this unique programme supported by The Ireland Funds. Trinity College in Dublin has established the Certificate in Contemporary Living (CCL) Programme offered by their National Institute for Intellectual Disability (NIID). The Certificate Programme has received the All Ireland Star Award an award 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.

People with learning difficulties are one of the most marginalised groups in Irish society. Basic human rights and requirements such as access to appropriate education, health services, employment, housing and social amenities are either inadequate or not available to considerable numbers. In addition, lifelong learning, an area of critical concern within Ireland and internationally, is often not addressed in a serious manner for those with learning difficulties.

The National Institute for Intellectual Disability (NIID) at Trinity College Dublin was established in 1998 by Council and Board and the institute is committed to promoting the full inclusion for
people with learning difficulties through:

• Influencing policy in all aspects of their lives
• Developing lifelong education and learning programmes
• Undertaking high quality multi-disciplinary research and creating a network of researchers

A core aim of the Institute is to promote life long learning. To fulfill this aim, The Certificate in Contemporary Living was developed, it is the only full time third level programme available to people with intellectual disabilities within Ireland to date.

Independence, Classwork, Friendship The nineteen graduates are like any other college class, diverse in age, background and life experience. The group consisted of seventeen students who attended college with the support of their service providers through key-staff. The NIID students identified three areas in their life that had changed for the better from being a student at college

• Independence
• Class work
• Friendship

Here is what some of the students had to say about their experience.

Independence
“When I first started college as a student, I didn’t know how to take the train on my own… I got the courage to get on the train and travel on my own to Trinity College… a big step up as an achievement.”
— CCL Student

Class work
“Coming to this course has made me realise that there are lots of people out there with disabilities… I’m not the only one.”
— CCL Student

Friendships
“ I know my friends, I hope to keep them after college, I’m happy I made them. The (mentors) are not treating us like we have a disability. They are treating us more like ordinary people.”
— CCL Student

How the Programme Works
The students have class contact on three and a half days per week. The core values of the Certificate Programme include: a belief in their contributions, a respect for the contributions of individuals with intellectual disabilities and a belief in equality of opportunity for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

There are 8 mandatory modules on this course and two optional modules in the expressive arts. There are two aspects to this certificate, academic development and personal growth.
The mandatory modules focus on developing skills essential in contemporary living, the modules range from money management to literacy, personal effectiveness, ICT skills and spoken communication.

The students also take part in the Inclusive Studies module. For this they identify a study area of interest and investigate this subject through attending main stream lectures. International Awareness enables the students to focus on Irish society and its developing culture. This is then compared to another country which the students visit in the second year of their course. The expressive modules allow the students to access their artistic side, to explore the world of the arts and personal development. Many of the CCL modules were supported by other departments within Trinity which enabled the students to engage with students from different disciplines. In addition, each student is mentored and matched with a Trinity student who shares the same interests and goals, furthering their integration into mainstream college life.

Career Development
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 was achieved through delivery of the Career Development module which involves theoretical and practical elements. The theoretical aspect covered topics such as exploration of various careers, interpersonal skills for the workplace, preparation of the CV and 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 that they choose 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. Both students and employers shared positive learning experiences.

“I believe both the staff and Fiona (student) benefited from interacting with each other and learning about each other. I feel our staff now have a better understanding of customers or staff who may have an intellectual disability.”
— Markievicz Leisure Centre, Placement Provider

“One of our guiding principles is diversity in the workplace and the team really enjoyed this element of the work placement. It really was a privilege to embrace the principle.”
— Starbucks Manager, Placement Provider

“The experience helped staff to become a better team as they worked together to help him (CCL student) fit in”.
— Jury’s Hotel, Placement Provider

Each student was matched with a Job Mentor for both placements and this person’s role was to support the student in all aspects of the placement, particularly in terms of socialising and organising a work routine.

“I liked the way she stepped back and let me do the jobs on my own when she knew I could do it.”
— Georgina Farrell, CCL Student

Life After College
Over the past two years, all the graduates have made enormous strides in their personal, social and learning development and made a wonderful contribution to campus life. As part of their transition from college the graduates undertook an individual PATH (Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope). This is a person-centred planning tool to graphically map out a desirable future for an individual with or without a disability. The end result of this process is a colourful visual record of the individual’s future goals and dreams. PATH explores and identifies the following:

• The current situation
• Short and long term goals
• Where support comes from
• Possible obstacles
• First steps for action

Georgina’s PATH took place at the NIID. Family members, friends, fellow students, NIID staff and staff from the service provider attended it. The PATH normally takes 2 hours to complete. Georgina’s PATH was a great success, where she identified short and long term goals for all aspects of her life after college. This included her work life, social network, future study and staying healthy.

Following the success of the work placements, over half of the 19 graduates have proceeded to part time employment in places like Starbucks Coffee Company, office work in the local Parish Centre, Down Syndrome Ireland, professional drama productions and childcare. A small group of students have been casually employed by different departments within Trinity College to carry out administrative duties such as mail shots, filing etc. The NIID has set up vital links with each of the agencies’ employment branches so that job support is continued despite the students having completed the Certificate Programme. Four students have decided that they would rather pursue further education to increase their skills before seeking employment in the areas of media production, hair and beauty, personal development and computer skills.

Journey
As one door closes after me
I open a door to the future
Full of challenges and experience,
Bravery, determination

The next door I open
Is a bumpy road ahead
And it becomes steeper and harder to walk.

Until I reach the top
Then I come down followed
By a smooth path along the way.
— By Helen Donnelly, CCL Graduate

The Impact of Your Investment
The Ireland Funds have granted $179,000 to the National Institute for Intellectual Disability.

The Institute and its programmes are supported in particular by the Corcoran Family of Boston.