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1. Study
2. Adult Continuing Education
3. Study At ACE
4. Higher Diploma and Postgraduate Cert/Dip
5. Facilitating Inclusion - Disability Studies

Course Fact File

Code	HDFIDS
Duration	2 years
Teaching Mode	Part-Time
Qualifications	HDip
NFQ Level	Level 8
NFQ Award Title	Major
Fees	€2,500 per academic year See Fees and Costs for full details.
Closing Date	Round One: 26 June 2026
Venue	Blended Approach - Online lectures with in person workshops.
Start Date	September 2026

Course Outline

The Higher Diploma in Facilitating Inclusion & Disability Studies (HDFIDS) is a two-year part-time Programme. It incorporates the twin aims of lifelong learning – active citizenship and employability. It offers participants a strong foundation in disability-related issues and facilitates the development of skills, understanding, awareness, and knowledge to better support the fuller participation of people with disabilities in education, training, employability, and leisure. The course includes an introduction to sign language, inclusive media, and the skills required to successfully design a course that maximises the inclusion of people with disabilities. It also looks at the social context of mental health and autism. Accessibility to sport and leisure, the creative arts, and culture also form part of this course and you will be encouraged to contribute constructively to the ongoing debate around disability and inclusion locally, nationally, and internationally.

The Modules for the Higher Diploma are as follows:

Year 1

• AD5832 Interdisciplinary Perspective on Inclusion (Disability Studies)
• AD5835 The Social Context of Mental Health
• AD5836 Autism: The Social Context 
• AD5847 Disability, the Arts and Creative Expression
• AD5848 Accessibility and Universal Design

Year 2

• AD5833 Introduction to Deaf, Deaf Blind, Vision Impaired Awareness and Communication
• AD5834 Introduction to Assistive Technologies
• AD5837 Design, Training and Inclusion
• AD5838 Dis/ability and Development: A focus on the Global South
• AD5839 Disability, Sport and Leisure

Candidates who successfully complete Year 1 may opt not to proceed to Year 2 and may exit the programme with a Certificate in Facilitating Inclusion (Disability Studies)

Course Queries

For Academic Queries and Course Content Queries please contact the Programme Coordinator Brenda Healy at b.healy@ucc.ie.

For Online Application Support please click here. 

Important Notice: Course Registration Deadlines

Once the course has reached full capacity we will no longer be accepting applications.

We strongly recommend early application to secure your place on the course.

Course Practicalities

Assessment

The course is evaluated by continuous assessment through a combination of essays, reflective logs, a journal of learning, case study, oral presentation, in-class practice elements – sign language, and course design.

Who Teaches this Course

The teaching team together combines extensive academic expertise, practice experience, and lived expertise on disability and inclusion-related topics and contexts. Diversity in the classroom enhances learning by offering multiple perspectives and experiences on topics.    

Lecture Schedule:

The course will be delivered online on either Monday/Friday evenings with occasional in-person workshops on Saturdays. 

A provisional schedule can be found here:HDFIDS Provisional Schedule 2026

Why Choose This Course

HDFIDS is unique: there are no similar programmes currently available in Ireland. The Higher Diploma offers a natural progression route for graduates of the QQ1 Level 7 Diploma in Disability Studies, Diploma in Autism Studies (and other courses) as well as an opportunity for anyone working in disability in either a paid, voluntary, or caring capacity, to enhance their knowledge and skills. Furthermore, graduates can progress into the QQ1 Level 9 Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Awareness for Health, Social Care and Education Professionals or the M Soc in Social Policy and Social Justice.   

One of our students recently secured a post in UCC’s Disability Support Service and is now working as an Employability Project Advisor. Prior to returning to college, she worked for twenty years in Supply Chain in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. She says “The course gave me a strong foundation in disability-related issues and opened my mind to different career paths. It gave me practical knowledge that I can now apply to the various strands of the project I work on. I now look forward to continuing with my studies, possibly at the postgraduate level, and developing my knowledge in the areas of Neurodiversity and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the workplace. "

Placement or Study Abroad Information

While students come from different parts of Ireland to attend the HDFIDS, it also attracts students from the international community. One student is from Spain. She has commented that embarking on HDFIDS: “has deeply affected the way I carry out my job. I am an EFL (English Foreign Language) teacher here in Madrid, and I primarily teach people from the organisation ONCE (National Council for the Blind). It has proved hugely challenging adapting textbooks and my own professional training as a teacher to this post”. She believes that her experience on the course has played a huge part in her professional development.

Skills and Careers Information

The aim of this programme is to provide participants with the skills, understanding, awareness and knowledge to be able to support the fuller participation of people with disabilities in education, training, work and leisure, and to be able to contribute constructively to the ongoing debates around disability and inclusion, locally, nationally and internationally.

On successful completion of the Diploma in Facilitating Inclusion (Disability Studies), students should be able to: 

• Demonstrate and critically appraise the social construction of disability and exclusion in a historical and contemporary context. 
• Apply theories of disability to critically examine inclusive policies and practices. 
• Explore the concept of the 'autistic spectrum' and experiences of autism in a historical and contemporary context. 
• Identify potential approaches to positively impact accessibility and universal design in educational, labour market and public service settings. 
• Appraise the role and significance of creative arts in promoting social inclusion. 
• Critically assess the impact of social and environmental factors on mental health in a historical and contemporary context. 
• Identify effective, holistic approaches to dealing with mental health issues. 

On successful completion of the Certificate in Facilitating Inclusion (Disability Studies), students should be able to: 

• Conduct needs assessments, design training materials and enact instructional methodologies cognisant of the diverse learning needs of people with disabilities. 
• Critically assess the implications of policies and practices on the ability of people with disabilities to fully participate in society. 
• Demonstrate competence in Irish Sign Language and apply a range of skills and techniques for effective communication with people who are deaf, deaf blind. 
• Critically assess the impact that social and environmental factors can have on people who are blind or vision impaired.
• Identify and evaluate key developments in assistive technology. 
• Evaluate the role of sport and leisure activities in enhancing the lives of people with disabilities. 
• Identify and evaluate measures to promote inclusion in sports and leisure activities. 
• Analyse the relationship between dis/ability and poverty in the Global South. 

Requirements

Programme Entry Requirements:

Applications will be considered based on the following combined elements: academic performance; motivation, commitment, and suitability; certified work-related experience and initiative.

• Candidates must hold a minimum Level 7 qualification with at least a second-class honours grade 1 in a relevant discipline in the areas of Humanities, Social Sciences, or Health Care and
• Candidates must have completed at least 420 hours of certified work-related experience in the areas of Disability/ Inclusion (whether in a professional or voluntary, community or advocate capacity)
• Candidates must submit an application statement outlining the following:
  • Motivation and readiness for this programme.
  • Disability/Inclusion/ related experience, paid or voluntary, including (total hours) and relevant student placements, if applicable (total hours).
    
    • Please list newest to oldest and specify the duties and responsibilities for each position whether it is: Voluntary/Paid. Part-time/Full-time.
  • You may include a statement about your own lived experience where applicable.
  • In addition to your previously declared qualifications, please outline any additional academic courses, self-learning, and professional training relevant to this programme.
  • ‘Statement of Interest’ must be signed by your manager or supervisor.

Interview:

Candidates may be required to attend for interview. Shortlisting may apply.

 

English Language Requirements: 

All applicants whose first language is not English must provide evidence of English language proficiency. See the UCC English language proficiency requirements. 

 

Recognition of Prior Learning:

Applicants who do not hold the above listed qualifications may be eligible to apply through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). See information on RPL here. 

To be considered, applicants should have professional experience in a related field.

• If you wish to apply via RPL, you must select “Yes” to the RPL question when completing your application in UCC Apply.
• As part of the application, you will be required to submit:
  • A Personal Statement outlining your motivation for applying and detailing relevant work or life experience.
  • Any other relevant supporting documentation evidencing your prior learning - please refer to the RPL Learner Guide for details on appropriate evidence.

Fees and Costs

The programme fee is €2,500 per academic year.

• Applicants pay 50% of the year one fee on application (€1,250)
• This fee is fully refundable if the programme does not run or you are not offered a place on the programme
• The remaining 50% year one programme fee (€1,250) is due by 31 Jan. 

For further information on fees and financial supports please click here.

How To Apply

• Proof of Identity (Birth Cert, Passport or Driver's Licence)
• Passport-style Photograph
• Application statement (Details listed above)
• English Language Test Report [if applicable]
• 50% of the year one fees will also be required to complete your application. 

Start Your Application

Create an account or login to UCC Apply (click the 'Apply' button below).

1. Start a new application
   • WHEN ASKED FOR APPLICATION TYPE - YOU MUST CHOOSE: ADULT & CONTINUING EDUCATION
2. During the application on the tab titled Academic Level, under Level Selection, select the following options:
   • Academic Level: Adult Continuing Education (ACE at UCC)
   • Course Type: ACE Part-time Courses
   • Academic Programme: Facilitating Inclusion (Disability Studies) - HDip 

A step-by-step visual application guide for this specific programme is available – please email the Programme Coordinator. You can view a general application guide for all part-time programmes here: https://www.ucc.ie/en/ace/helphub/

Apply Now