AHEAD Conference 2023 - Programme Announcements 

The AHEAD annual international conference will run from Wednesday March 22nd to Thursday March 23rd 2023. 

Conference Title: Unity: How Staff and Learner Communities Drive Inclusion in Tertiary Education 

Conference Dates: Wednesday March 22nd to Thursday March 23rd 2023, will be held in-person, online and hybrid. In-person elements will take place in Croke Park Conference Centre.

As Ireland moves towards a more unified tertiary education system, and more unified communities of policy makers, professional staff, educators and learners within these sectors, this conference will explore individual, institutional, national and international views on how we can leverage the power of community to drive equity and inclusion in the tertiary education system.  

What's Coming Up:

• Student panels on the Disabled Postgraduate Voice, and Intellectual Disability  

• Workshops on UD Approaches for Inclusion, Creating a UDL Curriculum Design, and The Social/Emotional Aspects of Learning 

• Keynote presentations on Digital Accessibility, and Bridging the Conflicting Lived Realities of Faculty and Accessibility Personnel within UDL Implementation 

• Whole conference conversations - dynamic world café style sessions will bring together the online and in-person audiences to feed into a national universal design charter for Irish tertiary education. Once the national charter is complete it will be available under creative commons. All levels of UDL-familiarity are welcome! 

• Online-led Lightning Sessions with presentations from contributors working on the ground in tertiary education. 

• Interactive Poster Session featuring contributors working on the ground in tertiary education.

All questions or queries should be directed to [email protected].

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) Graduate Opportunities

Boston Scientific - Galway - WAM Placements
Applications are open to apply for the following paid and mentored WAM placement with Boston Scientific - Galway. 

• Graduate Programme - Manufacturing Engineer - one position available for 11 month contract based onsite at Ballybrit, Galway. 

Candidates interested in applying should have a background in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) related disciplines. The closing date is 12pm, Wednesday 22nd February 2023.

*Please share with your students and relevant networks.

AHEAD Journal - Call for Papers!

If you are a professional or a student interested in the field of Inclusive Education or Employment, then we want to hear from you. The AHEAD Journal is a space to celebrate what has been done and is done by the champions of disability in higher education and employment, be they disability support officers, academics, professional staff, employers or students.

We invite;

• Articles 1500- 2500 words
• Shorter articles of c. 900 words
• Occasionally longer articles up to 3500 words will be considered

Topics can include any area of practice in further and higher education which relates to the support, progression and achievement of students with disabilities; universal design for learning; transition to employment, vocational and professional training and employment; reasonable accommodations and other areas of equality legislation.

The submission date for the next edition of the AHEAD Journal is 22nd March. You can submit your article for consideration anytime up to the 22nd April.