The new frontier - Universal design & reasonable accommodations on professional placements AHEAD Conference 2015 Declan Treanor, Trinity College Dublin

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin Presentation aims Universal Design and Professional Courses; Reasonable Accommodations in practice; Audit of 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 student but not to us Known to us and invisible Known to us and visible Not known to student

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin 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;Trinity’s Fitness to Practice Inclusive design of professional programmes - The TIC online self- evaluation tool ( 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 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 meeting 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 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);‘A Model Of Support For Students On Professional Placement In College’ 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, Higher education students registered with disability services and practice educators: issues and concerns for professional placements, International Journal of Inclusive Education Higher education students registered with disability services and practice educators: issues and concerns for professional placements

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.Guide for students on professional courses 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, self- administer 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 , 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.

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