IEFE Forum 2014

Education, Training and Rehabilitation

for People with Disabilities

Dr Angela Kerins

Chief Executive, The Rehab Group

Overview of This Presentation

- Introduction to the Rehab Group

- Overview of Rehab Group’s Education and Training

Services to People with Disabilities

- Some Key Issues in education and training of PWD:

– Mainstream or specialist? Focus on educational outcomes is key to success

– What Steps can Stakeholders take to deliver positive outcomes?

– Person-centred delivery- Individual education plans

– Bridging supports – ensuring that transitions go smoothly

– Choice – for individuals and parents

Investing in People Changing Perspectives

Rehab Group – Overview

- 65 years’ experience in providing services to people with disabilities and others

who are marginalised.

- Training, education, health and social care, employment services

- Operates in Ireland, the UK, Netherlands, Poland and now KSA

- Recognised as international experts in the provision of training,

education and rehabilitation services to people with disabilities

- Unique model, based on individual planning and support for

people with disabilities

- Supports people with all types of disabilities

- A continuum of education services from pre-school , primary, secondary, after

school respite services, to pre-employment training, support in accessing

further or higher education, support to return to education.

- Support to re-train after acquired disability- e.g. Mental health difficulties,

acquired brain injury, illness, spinal injury etc.

Rehab Group – Key Statistics

Established - 1949

Turnover - c€200m

Locations - Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Poland,

the Netherlands & the Middle East

Staff - 3,800 (14% people with declared disabilities)

Over 84,500 people supported in 2013 -

69,000 people in education and training

11,500 people placed into employment

3,000 people receiving health and social care services

1,000 jobs supported in Nepal, Mauritius, Taiwan, Panama and India

- Changing economic & social conditions make education increasingly important

- Many people with disabilities are trained for jobs that are now gone

- Positive discrimination requires pwd to have requisite skills. For such

affirmative action to work, individuals must have the opportunity to develop

those skills.

- Education is now lifelong

Education stats among people with disabilities

– France: >50% have no basic education

– Ireland: 46% leave education after primary level

– UK: 25% have no qualifications

– USA; 50% leave high school early

Role of Education

Rehab Group’s Education and Training Services

Red Hill School:

- School for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder

in Limerick, Ireland. Opened in 2008

- Primary school with approved secondary status

- Pre-school facility.

- 68 pupils, 12 teachers and 25 Special Needs Assistants

- Specialist assistance to children with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome.

- Key Success Factors:

- Individual learning plan for each child

- Mix of teaching methods, tailored to the needs of each child

- Early intervention with pre-school services

- Small classes

Rehab Group’s Education and Training Services CASE STUDY

- Isabella, attends Red Hill School’s pre-

school

- She is non-verbal, she has no words only

sounds

- Before she came to the school her family

were struggling with her outbursts.

- Then: she would go from calm to

hysterical very quickly, had meltdowns,

biting and chewing everything and

sometimes her family.

- Now: With two weeks she had calmed

down and had started smiling. She has

gone from daily to rare outbursts. Schools

is a safe environment for her.

National Learning Network’s Training Courses

- Pioneered individualised learning plans for people with disabilities internationally –

Specialist provision

- 50 Centres around Ireland, and distance learning

- Employment-focussed training -Wide range of courses

relevant to the local labour market

- Students individually assessed and learning goals set

- Fully accredited – National Qualifications Framework,

and other relevant awarding bodies

- Continuous entry – no waiting time once student is ready to start

- Employer-based training model- learn in the workplace- partnerships with employers

are essential to success.

Successful: 90% of those who complete courses go on to employment or further

education and training.

Rehab Group’s Education and Training Services (cont.)

CASE STUDY

- Walter developed mental health difficulties while working in finance and

he needed to take some time out.

- He had always been a talented artist, even teaching art in his spare time

- He started attending NLN’s Artlink Course for people with disabilities and mental

health difficulties to help them to build careers in the art world.

- It provides a high level of training and support and is very highly regarded as the

course acts as a feeder course for many of Ireland’s most renowned art colleges.

“ like many other students here at the college, I’ve had a varied career. I guest that’s

what gives NLN such a vibrant atmosphere. We all have different life experiences

and have travelled our own path to get here.

Rehab Group’s Education and Training Services (cont.)

Student Central: partnership with the National University of Ireland Maynooth

- Aim: To improve academic outcomes, supporting

students with a mental health difficulty, ADHD and Aspergers

to meet the learning and study demands of the course.

- NLN and University collaborate to identify students in need, providing individually-

tailored study support on a regular basis.

- Individualised supports develop key academic skills needed to succeed:

– e.g. academic reading and writing and note-taking, referencing,

– exam revision and strategy, presentations,

– goal setting, time management and organisation.

– focus on wellness and developing positive mental health

- Innovative partnership. Unique in Irish Universities. 140 students have benefitted so far.

Rehab Group’s Education and Training Services (cont.)

- Disability Support Service:

- National Learning Network provides a disability support service to 8

Mainstream Further Education Colleges in Dublin, Ireland.

- Courses range from music, computers, business, accounting, beauty

therapy, sports, health and social care, art, technology.

- Support service to staff – how to adapt teaching methods to

support students with particular disabilities

- Support service to students – confidential, free service

available to all students- including assistive technology,

study skills, learning styles, application for financial support etc

- Promotion of disability issues among the student body

- Encouragement of students with disabilities to attend the colleges

Rehab Group’s Education and Training Services (cont.)

Support services for Students with Disabilities

- Student Assessment Service

- National Learning Network service offered in Institute of Technology

based in Dublin

- Integral part of the support services offered in the college

- Works with individual students to promote their independence and

encourage them to develop the skills they need to progress in college

- Every first year student undergoes a learning assessment so that each person can

understand their personal approach to learning

- A plan is put in place to help the person to develop strategies to fulfil their

potential

- Support is provided with educational, emotional and physical issues

- Is significantly improving outcomes within the college and reducing drop-outs

- This is an example of a specialist service which has been fully mainstreamed.

Some important lessons we have learned

- Specialist v mainstream education and training: Integration for its own sake does

not work. The most important thing is to ensure the child/ learner can progress at their

own pace and be supported to learn. Focus on educational outcomes and removal of

barriers to achieving these.

- Individual education plans are essential

- Choice is essential- choice for students and for parents of children

- Teachers and courses must have flexibility to suit individual needs. Teaching styles

can and should be adapted to learning styles

- In a mainstream environment, it is important that all staff ‘buy in’ to the concept of

supporting students with disabilities and making the

necessary changes to support them to learn.

Experience of Mainstream College

- No proper assessment of individual learning

needs

- No insufficient additional supports for learning

or social needs

- Little understanding of needs by academic staff-

no or little accommodation

- Lack of study/academic skills

- Failure to integrate socially- lack of

understanding support among student body

- Lack of confidence following personal

challenges

- Non-completion of course and economic

inactivity. Return to social welfare support.

Experience of Specialist Supports

- Assessment of individual learning needs

- Tailored supports for learning or social

needs

- Academic course materials adapted for

accessibility, exam accommodations made

- Study skills and research skills support

regularly

- Accepting environment, supportive staff

and awareness of additional needs

- Great surge in personal confidence and

ambition

- Completion of course and support for

transition to next stage – employment/

further education

Some student experiences of mainstream v. specialist

learning environments at Further Education/Third level:

Mainstream versus Specialist at primary level

CASE STUDY

- Louis, aged 9 is in Red Hill School.

- He had tried mainstream education but it

hadn’t worked out for him

- His parents decided he needed specialist

support. His mother described the school as

a welcome ‘find’ in a long search for

supports for her son

- Then: Louis used to bottle up his thoughts

and then have an outburst.

- Now: Louis has advanced so much in one

year – he now reads to an age appropriate

level, he has improved his maths, he is

smiling and laughing again, his

concentration and balance have improved,

he makes eye contact.

Individual Education Planning

Assessment of need of individual.

- Documenting with the individual (child/adult) the current level of learning and the

goal. Identify the steps needed to reach the goal and formulate a plan for the

achievement of each of those steps.

Plan the learning journey

- Supporting individuals to make goals and review regularly- imagining the future.

- Encouraging ambition – achievable targets develop confidence and support longer-

term planning.

Managing and reviewing the journey

- Regular review with the individual, input from family where appropriate

- Learner at the centre, and in control – software: goals input of own learning

achievements and updating of goals etc

- Allows for ongoing review to make sure goals are reached and quality controls are

in place

Bridging Supports

- People with disabilities often fall through the gap at points of transition. The risk is

high at the point of completion of formal school education

- This is particularly the case where a person has not received enough support in

mainstream education

- National Learning Network provides a range of centre-based and outreach bridging

supports which help people to overcome any obstacles they face to making an

effective transition.

- Provide support with vocational skills, literacy, numeracy as well as softer skills

such as confidence

- Help people to build the confidence to enter the workforce or go on to further

education. Supports may need to continue.

CASE STUDY

- Robert sat his final school exams twice and failed both times.

- He dropped out of school and spent three years at home doing nothing.

- He found it hard to communicate with others

- National Learning Network’s Outreach service started working with him.

- It taught him about body language and facial expressions, helped with his self-

awareness and mental health. It helped him to overcome things more easily and to

manage his temper

- With support he applied to go to college to study journalism and the support

continued while he was in college helping him with course work, supporting him to

make presentations

Bridging Supports

Choice

- Children and adults with disabilities must be able to make the best choice for them

in relation to education.

- There is no-one-fits all approach

- The emphasis is on mainstreaming but it doesn’t always work

- Choices must therefore be available

- The role of family in supporting the right decision is key

- Some will need specialist support – the ideal is providing specialist support in

mainstream environments

- Ultimately, a person should be on achieving mainstream outcomes and should get

all the help they need to achieve this.

- If you had a heart complaint, you wouldn’t only see a general practitioner

All stakeholders must be willing to adapt in order to maximise the potential of people

with disabilities to achieve in education

State

- Implement non-discrimination legislation and legislation to underpin a statutory

assessment of need

- Invest in a system based on personalised supports

Teachers

Adapt teaching styles to meet the learning needs of the class

Families

- Encourage children to aspire in education, to think about their future careers

- Help them to make the right choices

- Advocate for the best possible provision

Students

- Be ambitious, think big

The role of all stakeholders

- There no such thing as one right way to support someone in education

- The education and training system must be flexible to meet individual need

- Design the education supports around the person, in consultation with them

- Focus on outcomes rather than inputs

- Specialist services are increasingly recognised as essential to achieving mainstream

outcomes

- Teacher training is key to accommodating different learning styles

- Choice is essential and parents must be fully consulted in the case of children

- All stakeholders must be committed to supporting people in education

In conclusion

Thank you For further information:

Angela Kerins, Chief Executive Rehab Group

Tel: 00 353 1 205 7356

Email: angela.kerins@rehab.ie

www.rehab.ie