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Centre For Disability Law And Policy Seminar Series Archive

2010/2011 Seminar Series - Podcasts & Media

22 September 2010 at 12.30pm

Feliza Ali (Disability Programme Co-coordinator with the Bolivian field team of development agency International Service): “Disability Rights in Bolivia ”. Full information here.

24 November 2010 at 12.30pm

Sandra Corr (Service User and Researcher): “Attitudes Towards People with Disabilities – A Research Project by Sandra Corr”

3 December 2010 at 12.30pm

Mary Kealy (CEO, Brothers of Charity Clare): “Transformation of Support Delivery for People with Disabilities”- Event Flyer

KeyRing Living Support Network Seminar - Event Flyer

28 January 2011 at 12.30pm

Professor Margaret Barry (Professor of Health Promotion and Public Health and Director of he Health Promotion Research Centre, NUIG): "Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing: Concepts, Practice and Policy". Presentation available here.

9 March 2011 at 12.30pm

Dr. Suzanne Guerin (Acting Director, Centre for Disability Studies, UCD): “Research on ageing and intellectual disability”

14 April at 12.30pm

Michael Browne (Doctoral Fellow, Child and Family Research Centre, NUIG): “Support networks for children with disabilities”

2009/2010 Seminar Series - Podcasts & Media

2nd October 2009

Below is a video podcast of the first seminar in the CDLP Seminar Series 2009-2010, delivered by Eilionóir Flynn, on on “Advocacy for People with Disabilities – An Innovative Enforcement Mechanism for Human Rights”. Due to a technical error in recording, this video clip does not contain the last four slides of the presentation. However, the full version of the Powerpoint Presentation used for the seminar can be accessed online.

Advocacy can help people with disabilities to understand their rights, as advocates provide people with relevant, accessible information about their entitlements and can take further action to help people to enforce these rights. In this seminar, Eilionóir proposes that since advocacy aims to enforce rights, it should be regulated in accordance with human rights principles, such as: access to justice, autonomy, dignity, inclusion and participation. The Irish advocacy system is examined (Personal Advocacy Service and community and voluntary advocacy organisations funded by the Citizens Information Board) and recommendations for reform in light of human rights principles are proposed.

30th October 2009

Dr. Gemma Donnelly-Cox,Academic Director, Centre for Nonprofit Management, TCD on “Civil Society Organisation Governance: Issues in the current context”

Dr Donnelly-Cox’s seminar examined what has been happening within the Irish voluntary sector in the wake of the current Post-Celtic Tiger economic climate. There is now significant pressure on the sector, in particular because of the historical reliance on the state for support. However, she makes the point that it is very easy when there’s a dramatic change to look at the financial crisis as a marking point.  The reality is the whole landscape has been changing for some time, including the Charities Act 2009, increasing heterogeneity, greater demand for more professionalized services, role tensions between advocate and service provider, and the ’Value for Money’ review.  She concludes by advocating more transparent relationships with organisations’ beneficiaries, and identified ways that organisations have innovatively found new ways of operating.

The full version of the Powerpoint Presentation used for the seminar can be accessed online.

20th November 2009

Dr. Joanne McCarthy, Senior Executive Officer – Policy and Research, Disability Federation of Ireland on “Ensuring that Research can Impact on Public Policy: Challenges and Achievements”

In this seminar, Joanne summarised the main policy and fiscal challenges facing the disability sector in Ireland. Of particular concern was the financial mismanagement of funds, in particular the traceability of the ’multi-annual funding’ which was made available to the disability sector. Throughout each of the policy challenges, she identified ways in which research can impact on public policy. Regrettably, the podcast is not available for viewing.

18th December 2009

Professor Gearóid Ó Laighin, Head of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, NUIG on “A possible role for NUI Galway in facilitating the development of assistive technology products for persons with disabilities?”

This seminar discussed how accessible technology can improve the lives of people with disabilities and Gearóid talked about how the National University of Ireland, Galway, can contribute to developing affordable accessible technology. Many types of accessible technology devices are relatively simple to make but are very expensive to buy. Gearóid described the various stages of product design, testing, manufacture and distribution and demonstrated how the National University of Ireland, Galway, could carry out many aspects of this work. He also showed how producing these products could be a valuable source of income for the university as well as a resource for the local community.

29th January 2010

Dr. James Cunningham, Director of Centre for Innovation and Structural Change, NUIG on “Academic Entrepreneurship: The Role and Activities of Principal Investigators of Publicly Funded Research”

Dr Cunningham presented a seminar on his recent research examining academic entrepreneurship within Ireland and best-practice internationally. In particular, his presentation focused on the Role and Activities of Principal Investigators (PI’s) of Publicly Funded Research. In other jurisdictions, PI’s have support mechanisms to foster best practice. However, in Ireland, PI’s have been defined primarily on their previous publication track record, with little tangible support provision built into place. As a result, PI’s can become more susceptible to pressure and often do not have the skills to manage large-scale projects.

26th February 2010

Edel Tierney, Director of Research and Policy Development, National Federation of Voluntary Bodies on “The Implementation of a National Intellectual Disability Research Strategy -opportunities and challenges”. The full version of the Powerpoint Presentation used for the seminar can be accessed online.

The National Federation of Voluntary Bodies published its Intellectual Disability Research Strategy in 2008. In this seminar, Edel explains how the strategy was developed, what the main priorities are, and what progress has been made to date in the various research areas. A particular focus was placed on research into living options and relationships for people with intellectual disabilities. Edel also discussed the work of the Inclusive Research Network – an organisation of people with intellectual disabilities who have come together to decide their own research agenda and to do research on topics which affect their lives.

30th April 2010

Dr. Aisling Parkes, Lecturer in Law, Faculty of Law, UCC on “Not Seen or Heard: Children with Disabilities, Special Needs Schools and the Ryan Report”.

Dr. Parkes presented a seminar on the rights of children, as advocated by the international UN treaty and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and critically examined Ireland’s own track record of ensuring the rights of children. Her presentation focused on the Irish government’s implementation plan of protecting children’s rights in the wake of the Ryan Report – in particular their focus on an increased role for social workers, a Guardian ad Litum, HSE ’exit interviews’, and a ’consultation exercise’ for those in care. There was also a proposal for a rewording of Constitution, which makes reference to equality and rights of child’s voice to be heard. However, she notes that this was published in July, only 2 months after the Ryan Report, suggesting that there was not much time for consultation and planning.