Moving from the transactional to the
transformational student:
Lessons learnt from the Trinity College Disability Service three phased
transitional student journey strategy
Declan Treanor
Director, Disability Service
Trinity College Dublin
Pathways to Trinity
The Disabled Student Journey
The Disability Service
Strategic Outreach, Transition, Retention
and Progression Plan
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Student Journey…
Engages students across 3 phases of their Higher Education
journey:
•
Pre-entry, admission and the first year experience
•
Building and maintaining a college career
•
Progressing through college to employment
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Philosophy…
• Proactive strategy as opposed to traditionally reactive models
• Each phase is supported using a model that facilitates the acquisition
of skills such as self-awareness, self-determination and self-advocacy,
which are transferable across the entire student lifecycle
• Aims to move from a transactional service delivery model, to a
transformational resource
• Support a dialogue with the disabled individual in the acquisition of
transferable skills that can be developed across all three phases of
the student journey
• Student at the center
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Evidence Research based…
• Potential to help bridge the research-to-practice gap and improve
student outcomes
• Methodological inferences based on the framework of a
transformational ethos reveal the potential strength of combining
qualitative and quantitative methods
• A qualitative dimension is needed to gather community perspectives
at each stage of the research process
• Quantitative dimension provides the opportunity to demonstrate
outcomes that have credibility for community members and scholars
• Transformative mixed methodologies provide a mechanism for
addressing the complexities of research in culturally complex settings
that can provide a basis for social change
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Phased approach
Disability Service defined and based on which phase activity is within
Staff assigned to deliver within each phase and set KPIs reporting on set
and measurable objectives
Funding targeted to achieving phased objectives
Students understand the ‘student journey approach’
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Phase 1: Pre-entry and first year
experience
Tell students what Trinity and courses are really like…
Get students connected well before they come to Trinity
Prioritise those identified with greatest needs
Transition planning
Entry schemes clear and accessible
Communicate with students and parents
Keep connected in the first year
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Pathways Transition Planning Tool
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Orientation programmes
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Ambassador Programme
• A programme to develop disability leaders who will act as role
models for potential entrants to Trinity
• Visits to secondary schools, to encourage pupils with disabilities from
socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds to study in TCD
working in conjuciton with Trinity Access Programme and target
schools
• Represent Trinity at revelant events
• Develop skills that can assist students as the progress to employment
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Phase 2: Retention & progression
Rationale for all reasonable accommodations set out
Engage students in needs assessment process
Involve parents in understanding the role of the Disability Service
Redesign of Disability supports services
Retention issues for students with disabilities
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Phase 2
And the Pareto principle:
DS Quality Review 2014-2015
– Redesign of DS
– General ‘A’ and specialist ‘B’
supports
– Communication of changes
– Mainstreaming
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Defining A’s and B’s
Considerations that might make an ‘A’ a ‘B’ or a ‘B’ and ‘A’
A and B defined by:
A = Low level of need
B = High level of need
Entry Route
CAO merit, PG,
Mature
DARE (big pts reduction),
TAP, Mature
Course
Non-professional courses Professional courses
Personal circumstances
Good supports with little
or no difficulties
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Difficulties with
accommodation,
finances, family etc.
Ahead participation report 2013/14
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Assumptions (to be challenged) about students
with disabilities:
Students with disabilities:
•
Are educationally disadvantaged
•
Are under-represented in Higher Education
•
Have increased participation rates in HE mainly due to Access
programmes such as DARE
•
Seek and receive support from Disability Services
•
With supports, do as well or better than their peers
•
Progress at the same rate as other students
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HEA Facts and Figures 2013/14 page 27:
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
National trends – Ahead and HEA:
• The participation rate of SWD in HE is increasing annually
• 8.9% responded to the HEA Equal Access Disability Survey
• 6.6% of all New Entrants declared a disability in 2013/14
• 4.2% of all HE students were registered with a disability service in 2013/14
• 3.3% of all New Entrants required support in 2013/14
• 15% to 30% of SWD register ‘later’ and are often continuing students
• This leads to questions about how SWD are counted in HE and how they
progress in HE and what their outcomes are in comparison to peers
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Retention: Withdrawn by disability type 2003 to
2013
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
91
6
8
4
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
3
20
102
17
26
Withdrawn students (%) by disability type
2003 to 2013
Disability
Type
ADD ASD
277
%
6
8
2.1% 2.9%
Blind/VI DCD
Deaf/HI MH
4
3
20
1.4%
1.1%
7.2%
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
91
Phys SOI
17
32.8% 6.1%
Spld
26
102
9.4%
36.8%
Outcome (%) by entry route 07, 08 & 09 students (%)
50
45
44
46
42
40
35
35
30
28
29
25
Merit 416
20
Supp 114
15
14
15
10
15
12
9
10
No Result or
Current
Withdrawn /
Fail
5
0
1 & 2.1
2.2 & 3
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Mature 99
Students with disabilities in Trinity:
• Are not all disadvantaged and those that are - are not equally
disadvantaged
• Do not always enter with a disability or support need but these can
emerge at any time prior to graduation (a drop in grade outcome is
more likely for this cohort)
• Are choosing to disclose more often than students did 5 to 10 years
ago (especially those with Mental Health difficulties)
• Do better academically when they register for support early (use or
uptake of support varies considerably)
• Often take longer to progress through HE compared to students
without disabilities (medical repeats or time off)
• Sometimes have no need to be represented in Higher Education (as
having a disability or needing support)
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Phase 3: Transition to employment - context
Leonardo Project-'Univers’ Emploi’- need to support transition to
employment for graduates with disabilities
AHEAD- 70% of graduate sample were employed. 59% in full-time
employment whilst 18% were part-time
80% of those ‘seeking employment’ do not always disclose their
disability when applying for jobs
Most common reason for working part-time was that graduates wanted
to but were unable to find a full-time job
Only 23% of the respondents had participated in any form of specific
job-preparation training
Work experiences essential in influencing the employment prospects of
graduates with disabilities
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Increase in the number of students
with disabilities entering college
Support at 3rd Level provided =
greater progression & retention
Educated Graduates seeking
employment
Difficulties making the transition to
employment
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Career Pathways…
Phase 3
1. Developing a clearly delineated individual process comprising three
stages https://www.tcd.ie/disability/career/Pathways/3stages.php
2. Development of an ePortfolio system containing both Careers and
Disability Specific resources
3. Development of peer-workshops for students to discuss topics such
as disclosure and reasonable accommodations
4. Providing workshops to Careers and Disability Service staff with the
HEIs involved
5. Establishing connections with employers to ensure timely provision
of information on equality application routes and policies
6. Development of an ambassador programme, for graduates with
disabilities to act as mentors to current students
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Process
Exploring
a Career
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Building a
Career
Launching
a Career
Lessons learnt…
Three phased approach works
Strategic and focused
Specialist and evidenced based
Transactional approach is reactive and not good for student
development
Transformational student is complex and not straight forward
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Thank You