Building the Future 2023 - Just 2 Weeks Left! May 31st In-Person & Online

GetAHEAD are delighted to open registration for our annual careers event for students and graduates with disabilities, Building the Future! Building the Future will be a hybrid event, which means it's available to attend the event in person or online. 

Who is this event for?

When and where will this event take place?

The event will take place from 10am-3pm on Wednesday 31st May, with online elements taking place on Zoom and in-person elements taking place in Citi, North Wall Quay in Dublin 1.

What's on?

• Mock Interviews with leading Irish employers who can give genuine insights into the hiring process.
• CV Clinics with professionals who can help you polish your CV and make it more attractive to recruitment staff and hiring managers.
• Workshops on important topics related to employment to set disabled graduates up for success.
• In-Person Only - Visit our Employers Exhibition where grads can chat to leading Irish employers directly and ask them questions.

Use code BTF23 for free in-person registration.

*Please share with any students or graduates you think may be interested.

Universal Design: All Things to All People? Creating Collective Agency through Stakeholder Dialogue

Dara Ryder, CEO Ahead, Dr. Loren Duffy, UCD

AHEAD Ireland has been engaging in Dialogues with the HE sector as a preliminary to drawing up a National Charter for Universal Design in Tertiary Education under the auspices of the HEA Path 4 Universal Design Fund. This article reviews the insight gained through the 2023 Unity AHEAD conference and the development of four pillars relating to Learning and Teaching, Supports, Services and Social Engagement, Digital Environment, Physical Environment. The article explains the steps towards producing a first draft document for consultation.

Explore our other articles:

• Not another ‘thing’: Practical application of Universal Design for Learning to higher education
• Blended Learning: Lessons learned from lockdown - we can never go back...but we have
• Inclusion by Design: Key steps of creating the CHARM-EU Inclusion Conference
• The Pendulum Swing in Inclusive Tertiary Education - Identifying the Centrifugal Forces and Factors
• ‘We Make the Path by Travelling': A Personal Reflection on UDL Implementation
• Meet Ulreeka, the Community Dog at Dunboyne College of Further Education
• Operation Preparation: Insights on Accessible, Hybrid Event Management
• Disability in Higher Education: Investigating Identity, Stigma and Disclosure amongst Academics

GATHER - Discovering Assistive Technology Together - Full Programme is Out Now

AHEAD, in partnership with AONTAS, the National Adult Learning Organisation, and the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA), are delighted to bring you GATHER, a free 3 day online assistive technology (AT) event.  

When is this event? May 22-24th from 9am to 1pm.

Who is this event for? Further and higher education educators and support professionals including adult and community education.

Day 1 - 9AM to 1PM

• AT Usage Trends over Time - Dr Richard Healy AHEAD 
• Practical demonstrations of Lightkey and Mindmeister tools - James Wright & Ryan Peacock Aventido
• Introduction to the AT Hive and Discover AT tools - Erica Meslin AHEAD
• The transformative impact of AT on adult literacy learners - Elaine Cohalan, Ailis Mardon-Egan and Pauline Hensey NALA
• Social Inclusion and AT - Dr Aoife McNicholl DCU and Dr James Casey ILMI

Day 2 - 9AM to 1PM

• Artificial Intelligence as AT? - Dara Ryder AHEAD, Dr Zeta Dooly, Majella McCarthy, Janet O'Neill SETU, Mary Walsh O'Shea WWETB
• Practical demonstration of Glean from William Nolan UL and DigiAcademy from Dr Esther Murphy Trinity College
• Embedding AT into Everyday Practice - Apps and a Framework - Trevor Boland DCU and Laocin Brennan AHEAD
• Sustaining AT in the Future - Rohan Slaughter University of Dundee and Sarah Boland, Patrick Fitzgerald, Doris Delaney and Lisa McEvoy St John of God's

Day 3 - 9AM to 1PM

• Building Capacity - AT and UDL in FET - Treasa McGinley and Angela McElhinney Donegal ETB
• AT in the Classroom - Angela Costelloe SETU, Brendan Ryan and Cian O'Tiarnaigh LCETB
• AT Service Programmes - Marie Cox and Sharon Leahy National Rehabilitation Hospital, Aoife Keaney and Anne Marie McDonnell NLN
• Using your Virtual Learning Environment to promote inclusion - Emily Smith UCD

Hybrid Job Opportunities for Graduates with Disabilities

Allianz Ireland are working with The WAM Programme to recruit graduates with disabilities for 6 paid and mentored graduate positions.  

All of the roles are 12 month contracts commencing in August 2023 and offering a hybrid work model of remote working and on-site at Allianz Offices in Elm Park, Dublin 4. 

One role is available in each of the following business functions:

• Insurance Liability - Minimum NFQ Level 7 degree required.
• Insurance Underwriter - Minimum NFQ Level 7 degree required.
• Insurance Retail -  Minimum NFQ Level 7 degree required.
• Human Resources - Minimum NFQ Level 7 degree required, ideally a HR qualification.
• Finance - Minimum NFQ Level 9 Masters Degree in Business, Accounting, Actuarial or related discipline is required. Current students who are working towards completion of a Masters Degree this academic year are also invited to apply. 
• Market Management - Minimum NFQ Level 7 degree required, ideally a Marketing or Business qualification

Closing Date: 12pm, Wednesday 24th May 2023.