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Minister Patrick O’Donovan meets with UCC id+ Project graduates and students
- UCC’s id+ Project supports people with intellectual disabilities to participate fully in society.
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Patrick O’Donovan TD met with UCC id+ Project students and graduates who shared their experiences, from studying at UCC to working in diverse settings.
In a roundtable discussion with Minister O’Donovan, Brid Broderick, Brian Cull, Claire McCarthy, William O’Donovan, Kayleigh Twomey and Kevin Walsh explored the importance of supportive transitions and equitable outcomes as students move into, through and out of higher education and into employment.
“Our graduates are powerful ambassadors who advocate for the rights of people with intellectual disabilities to access inclusive education and progress to paid employment,” Dr Nicola Maxwell, id+ Project Academic Development Lead and Lecturer in the School of Applied Social Studies said.
Professor Stephen Byrne, Deputy President and Registrar, Project Sponsor of UCC id+ Project, said: “UCC is proud to support the rights of people with intellectual disabilities to participate fully in society. The id+ project aims to ensure those rights are realised in a sustainable way, across UCC and the wider Irish higher education sector.”
Championing inclusive education for all
Through the UCC id+ Project, UCC offers two inclusive education courses for adults with intellectual disabilities: the Certificate in Social Citizenship and the Certificate in Disability-Inclusive Practice. Each course includes a 3-month paid work experience placement.
The courses are underpinned by a rights-based philosophy, and provide opportunities for co-learning between students with and without disabilities, for mutual benefit.
Recent PATH 4 Phase 2 funding will support the continued development of inclusive education for people with intellectual disabilities under the id+ Futures Project, which is based in the School of Applied Social Studies in UCC College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences.
Learn more about UCC’s id+ Project here.