Lived Experience Consultation – Paid OpportunityAHEAD are developing a new collaborative national framework, the WIDE (Widening Inclusion of Disability in Employment) Framework which commenced in August 2023 and is funded by the Department of Social Protection through AHEAD’s WAM Programme.
As part of the WIDE Framework project, we are opening a series of consultations (a discussion where you will share your views) to help us shape the framework output.This consultation seeks to better understand the experiences of disabled people who are looking for work and disabled people who are currently employed. How to get involved?If you are interested in being a part of the consultation as a person who identifies as having a disability, we invite you to complete the expression of interest form. You will be informed by email on 25th July if you have been selected or not. When are the consultations?Online – Wednesday 28th August at 6.30pmIn-Person in Dublin City Centre – Friday 30th August at 11.30amWho should participate?We are committed to transparency regarding the selection of participants. Our guiding selection criteria is as follows;Disabled people over the age of 18Disabled people who are looking for work or disabled employeesDisabled people who represent a range of disabilitiesDisabled people who represent varied educational attainment levels (school leavers, further education, higher education graduates)Disabled people who represent a range of intersectional identities (ethnicity, LGBTQ+, religion, socio-economic status etc.)Disabled people representing a broad geographical spread
Think Twice Workshop – Exploring the Internship Journey! July 17thHelp spread the word about our next employability workshop, providing expert advice and personal experiences to help students and graduates secure and excel in internships.
The workshop will kick off with an introduction to internships from AHEAD’s own Philip Carroll. Jennifer O’Connor from TCD disAbility Service will then give a talk on the Trinity Internship programme for students with disabilities. We’ll finish the session with a panel discussion featuring Trinity interns sharing their first hand experience of the programme. Workshop Speakers:Jennifer O’Connor | Inclusive Internship Programme Officer with TCD disAbility Service Philip Carroll | WAM Project Officer with AHEAD When is it?Wednesday 17th of July from 12pm – 1pm on Zoom. This workshop is completely free however spaces are limited.
New Research – Reasonable Accommodations in Further Education & TrainingAHEAD, in collaboration with Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI), are delighted to release the results of a SOLAS-funded scoping survey on the provision of Reasonable Accommodations in FET.The report identifies a general culture of inclusion in FET, and notable pockets of good practice in disability support, but also finds significant structural gaps and barriers to the provision of quality, consistent support in the areas of:Reasonable Accommodation PoliciesSystem Funding of SupportsCommunication/Visibility of Available Support ServicesStaffing and Staff Training Concerning Disability SupportsCriteria for Access to SupportsSince the finalising of the report, AHEAD, ETBI and SOLAS have met to discuss the national level recommendations and agreed a series of actions to make progress on a number of the recommendations.Development of practical outputs to support ETBs to implement the ETB level recommendations is already in the planning stage in collaboration with ETBI. It is expected that outputs arising will be released in the first half of 2025.
