People with Disabilities in Ireland
4th Floor Jervis House
Jervis Street
Dublin 1
Telephone: 01 87 21 74 4
Fax: 01 87 21 77 1
Email: info@pwdi.ie
Students Battle to Make a Difference
Long after essays and exams are forgotten, the colourful memories of a college social life remain. One of the largest and liveliest campuses in Ireland, UCD, is abuzz with events and clubs for students with disabilities.
This is all due to people like Jean Daly and Mark Rohan who contribute much of their time and energy to organising activities for both able-bodied and students with disabilities.
The two undergraduates, who both use wheelchairs, took a break from studying for their Christmas exams to talk to PwDI about their involvement in clubs and societies and to share their thoughts on accessibility in UCD.
Second year psychology student Jean, 19, is the Disability Officer for the Students Union. As such she has been busy drawing up a plan for the annual disability awareness week in Belfield, which will run from January 29th to February 2nd.
"We're hoping to raise awareness and get everybody involved, both able-bodied and those with disabilities, to make it fun and informative,” she said.
“So far we've organised a quiz, an obstacle wheelchair race and a cross between speed dating and blind dating. We're also hoping to have a technology expo and a careers talk."
Unlike most, if not all other Irish universities, UCD has a society to
promote the integration of students with disabilities into college life. The Inclusion Participation and Awareness (IPA) society has approximately 200 members.
Jean, who fell off a horse two and a half years ago but still goes riding, is IPA's sports officer. This year, together with a handful of other society members and with the help of Mark Barry of the Irish Wheelchair Association, she set up
UCD's first ever basket ball team for people who use wheelchairs. Recently the players, 60% of whom are able-bodied, have joined up with the UCD Ladies Basket ball team for its training sessions.
The team's captain, Mark Rohan, explained: "There's been a big push in recent years to integrate people with disabilities into everyday society.
That's why we've teamed up with the ladies club.”
Matches are held every three weeks in the Irish Wheelchair Association in Clontarf . Of the team's performance in Division 2 of the Irish League, he said, “So far, we’ve won three and lost three. We’re consistent!”
Mark, 25, was almost finished an ESB apprenticeship when a motorbike accident put paid to his plans to become an electrician. In his first year of sports management, he is a strong advocate of integration through sport.
Despite the best efforts of the IPA and others, life in Belfield for students with physical disabilities isn't always easy. Mark is extremely critical of the lack of wheelchair access to many of the old buildings on campus.
"I think that accessibility here is a joke,” said Mark. “They said they'll have access to the engineering building fixed
by Christmas 2007.
“It's a reflection of UCD's attitude to people with disabilities. For example, if there was someone arriving like Clinton or Ahern, they'd get it sorted."
The first day at University is always daunting but it was made worse for the sports officer and the basketball captain by the lack of accessibility.
“The first day I arrived I missed my first class because there was no lift in the building,” said Mark.
Jean had a similar experience. “The first day I arrived to get my keys for my accommodation I had to wait outside till someone came along because there was no ramp. But I’m based in the arts block so it's okay because it’s central.”
Jean is involved in the UCD working group, which is due to publish a report after Christmas on the improvements needed to make the campus more wheelchair friendly. Speaking about the current situation, she said things are being improved, “but it’s just too slow a process.”
For the sake of students like Jean and Mark, who contribute huge amounts of time and energy to enhancing campus life, accessibility improvements should be a priority for those with the power to get things done.
Previous Article >> | Next Article >> | List of Articles | Back To News Page