Events, Professional Development & Employment Programme for Students & Graduates with Disabilities.
AHEAD is an independent non-profit organisation working to create inclusive environments in education and employment for people with disabilities. The main focus of our work is to support access to and full participation in further education and training, higher education and graduate employment.
Accessing College – Better Options
Better Options is a free 1 day online event for students with disabilities and specific learning difficulties, and adults with disabilities, exploring post-secondary school options in education. Better Options is an annual event which will next take place on November 26th 2022.
Attendees will learn about college support services, making the most of their time in college and access routes open to those with disabilities and specific learning difficulties, including how to make an application to DARE – Disability Access Route to Education. There will be information on Further Education and Training, Apprenticeships and Higher Education options.
Keep an eye on ahead.ie/betteroptions2022 for updates and encourage students to register.
In College – Power of Disability and Regular Job Skills Workshops
Power of Disability is a collaboration between AHEAD and the Union of Students Ireland. Power of Disability is an annual event which will next take place from 25th-26th January 2023.
This event is for undergraduate, postgraduate, FET students and student union officers. Power of Disability’s aims are to raise awareness of the issues facing students with disabilities and to empower students with disabilities to become leaders on their campuses and beyond.
GetAHEAD runs a series of workshops called ‘Think Twice!’ which aim to get students and jobseekers with disabilities twice as prepared for the world of work. The workshops focus on CV best practice, interview skills, presentation skills and other practical skills for success.
Sign up to the AHEAD weekly mailout to keep updated on Power of Disability and the skills workshops at eepurl.com/pACT5.
Seeking Employment – WAM Programme
The WAM Employment Programme collaborates with leading Irish employers to offer ring-fenced, full-time, mentored work placements for graduates with disabilities, paid at the appropriate level.
Since 2005, The WAM Programme has placed over 550 graduates with disabilities into a range of multi-national and public sector employers in Ireland. 80 per cent of our WAM graduates secure employment as a direct result of WAM. 94 per cent of WAM graduates gain confidence in their ability to work in a mainstream environment.
Encourage any students or graduates you work with who are seeking employment to sign up to the WAM database so they can hear about our opportunities as they arise at ahead.ie/wamworks.
For Staff – AHEAD Conference, Webinars, Resources, Training Courses
For educational staff, AHEAD runs an annual conference in March which explores inclusive education around a particular theme.
We run several webinars across the year in response to topics the sector requires information on, and major training programmes such as the national AHEAD/UCD Universal Design for Learning (UDL) digital badge course.
Our website houses extensive resources such as annual research projects and reports, the AHEAD Journal, and ARK which is the accessibility resources and know-how hub of short self-directed courses teaching digital accessibility skills.
Sign up to the AHEAD weekly mailout to keep updated on our events and resources for educational staff at eepurl.com/pACT5.
