The new frontier - Universal design & reasonable
accommodations on professional placements
AHEAD Conference 2015
Declan Treanor,
Trinity College Dublin
Presentation aims
• Universal Design and Professional Courses;
• Reasonable Accommodations in practice;
• Audit of 2013-14 programme
• Issues for the future
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Universal Design and placement context
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Disabled population
Known to us
and visible
Known to
student but not
to us
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Known to us
and invisible
Not known
to student
Trinity Inclusive Curriculum
Trinity developed the Trinity Inclusive Curriculum (TIC) Strategy in 2008
to assist academics in making an inclusive curriculum;
Universal Design (UD) is a ‘common sense approach’ (Institute for
Human Centred Design, 2011);
Information is presented in diverse ways, assessment methods allow for
alternative means to express understanding, and teaching is done in
such a way as to stimulate interest and motivate learning.
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
UD and Placement strategy
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Policy and Procedural strand:
Policy development – Trinity’s Fitness to Practice has a clear reasonable
accommodation section;
Inclusive design of professional programmes - The TIC online selfevaluation tool (www.tictool.ie), has been developed to provide staff
seeking to enhance the inclusivity of their teaching practices;
Placement Planning Resource Website - was created as a one-stop-shop
for information and guidelines on supporting good placement
experiences for students with disabilities;
Course design – pre-entry to placement good practice guidelines
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
www.tictool.ie
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Placement planning process
Needs assessment
with DO on
registration
• Meet with Disability Officer on registration with Disability Service
- discuss course demands, disclosure of disability on professional
course and placement supports etc.
• Student signs a Disability Service Code of Practice, referral to
Unilink Occupational Therapist to discuss any course and
placement requirements.
• Placement planning process meeting, organised with consent
from student, with course placement officer, work placement
supervisor and student.
• Agree what reasonable accommodations are required and levels
of disability disclosure, support, feedback required etc.
Placement meeting
• Placement planning report developed identifying the reasonable
accommodations which is then circulated to placement.
Review
• Review reasonable accommodations and adapt if required.
• Student begins to self- manage the workplace accommodations
and completes placement.
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Research Strand:
Research strand: A research project ‘A Model Of Support For Students
On Professional Placement In College’ which resulted in a publication in
the International Journal of Inclusive Education (Nolan, et al 2014);
Professional Educators were found to be concerned with students
reaching the professional standard, and how to support disabled
students.
Students on the other hand identified stigma and disclosure of a
disability as a concern.
Paper published: Nolan, C, Gleeson, G, Treanor,D & Madigan, S, 2014.
Higher education students registered with disability services and
practice educators: issues and concerns for professional
placements, International Journal of Inclusive Education
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Disability Support Service strand:
Management of Disclosure of disability: a Guide for students on
professional courses and it covers in detail the complexity of disclosure
of disability.
Programme explained and level of engagement decided;
Practice Educator Responsibilities defined: level 3 student engagement
makes this clear and the Placement report articulates this clearly;
RAs and resources (booklets) relevant to placement were defined with
clear evidence that they can work in placement (appendix 2).
Placement Planning Report: LENS for placement outline the students’
requirements.
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Types of RAs on placement
• Maintain confidentiality/do not disclose to other students, staff or clients of
the service
• Disclosure of disability
• Allow student to choose placement option
• Provide accessible placement locations
• Pre-placement visit
• Allow an assistant to attend placement with student
• Flexibility of scheduling of attendance as appropriate
• Flexibility on placement deadlines as appropriate
• Allow or provide time and space for the student to take rest breaks, selfadminister medication or monitor blood sugar levels as required
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
RAs continued
• Allow additional time to develop practical placement skills
• Allow student to record notes and alternative administrative management
strategies on placement
• Managing Handovers - Allow extra time to prepare for handover. Receive
verbal patient handover with peers and additional one to one handover to
review patient notes and ask questions
• Provide daily/regular feedback on progress on placement and as requested.
• Provide relevant placement procedures and information in alternative
formats or as enlarged copies if required.
• Adaptation of placement working hours and/or days
• Avoid or reduce manual/patient handling tasks
• Allow student to use assistive technology such as a digital recorder, laptop
etc.
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Review Strand:
• An audit of all students on professional course was carried out at end
2013-14, main findings:
• The majority of students participating in the programme were in
nursing and midwifery courses (67%) with the remainder mostly in
the therapies;
• 43% were first years, the target for the pilot with 4th years make up
the next largest group with 33%;
• Students with Mental health conditions (48%) made up near half of
the participants in this pilot. Students with SOI next with 24%;
• Reasons for participating in this programme included wanting to
prepare for placement, experiencing significant stress and anxiety
issues and failing placement.
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Audit continued
• Disability impact on placement - fatigue and stamina issues, stress
and anxiety relating to placement. Issues relating to report writing
and communication rated highly;
• Reasonable Accommodation while on placement - confidentiality
and disclosure management, requesting feedback on a regular basis,
permission to take rest breaks and pre-placement or early induction
into placement rated highly.
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Issues
• Requires continuing review/revision;
• Tripartite meetings difficult to organise;
• Feedback from students and PE difficult to gather;
• Resource and logistic intensive;
• Disconnect between professional programmes, professional bodies
and the needs of students with disabilities.
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
http://www.tcd.ie/disability/serv
ices/placement-planning.php
Thank You