Core Modules (40 ECTS):

Elective Modules (20 ECTS):

Dissertation (30 ECTS) (see below)

* Please note that elective modules are dependent on the number of students and are subject to change.

Disability Placements/Disability Applied Projects

Disability Placements/Disability Applied Projects is a core module that aims to provide students with a unique opportunity to apply their knowledge and gain first-hand experience in the areas of:

• Advocacy
• Policy
• Programme planning and evaluation
• Research

Two options are available for students:
Option 1 Disability Placements for students with availability to take a 6 week full-time placement between May and July (Year 1).

Option 2 Disability Applied Projects for students with no availability to take a 6 week full-time placement between May and July (Year 1).

A range of public, private and voluntary sector disability organisations leading the change in disability policy and research offer placements to students in this M.Sc. in Disability Studies.

The module also provides students with 1) Theoretical knowledge on systems change and 2) Practical skills on programme planning and evaluation.

The dissertation is a requirement of the M.Sc. in Disability Studies award. It is the final piece of work and the culmination of a course of study for students. The dissertation offers an opportunity to further investigate a topic area within the discipline of Disability Studies and to develop and manage research skills in an area of interest to the student.

Students are assigned a supervisor who guides them through the definition of the research goal statement, assists them in implementing best practice in their research methodology and meets regularly with them during the course of the research to assess progress. Furthermore, a series of dissertation seminars is also scheduled as a means to provide a common forum for students to discuss topics and share resources.

The aim of the dissertation is to develop students’ research and writing abilities via a substantial piece of independent work. Further, it aims for learners to demonstrate proficiency in the design of a research paper, application of appropriate research methods or approaches, collection and analysis of data and/or relevant literature, and application of area-specific theories and concepts. Students are expected to formulate their own research question (with the guidance of their supervisors and seminar leader), to gather and select material to answer their question, and set out their findings in an appropriate academic style in a manuscript of 12,000 to 20,000 words.

Dissertation Titles 2012

Bradford, N. An Evaluation of Person Centred Planning using O'Brien's Model of Valued Experiences - Supervisor: Dr Edurne Garcia Iriarte

Carass, S. Exploring the changing needs of the ageing population of adults with intellectual disabilities who attend an Occupational Service Centre - Supervisor: Assistant Professor Paul Keenan

Collins, B. Christy Brown’s Depiction of Disability in My Left Foot and Down All The Days - A Critical Discourse Analysis - Supervisor: Dr Edurne Garcia Iriarte and Dr Paul Delaney

Daniels, E. Maternal experience of education and care for children with intellectual disabilities from birth to six years old in contemporary Leinster - Supervisor: Dr Edurne Garcia Iriarte

Gallahue, M.  The Exploration of Multimedia as a Method of Enhanced Learning for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities - Supervisor: Dr Edurne Garcia Iriarte

Greaney, K. A Qualitative Study of Food and Eating Issues among Young People with an Intellectual Disability - Supervisor: Dr Michelle Share and Dr Edurne Garcia Iriarte

Haslam, G. Person Centred Planning: The Perceptions of Persons with Intellectual Disability of the Planning Process and Its Outcomes - Supervisor: Dr Colin Griffiths

McCracken, K. An Exploratory Study into the role of the special needs assistant and the effect of budgetary cutbacks on their work in primary schools - Supervisor: Dr Edurne Garcia Iriarte

Dissertation Titles 2011

Anderson, A. Assessing the quality of European Policies on Disability and Development Cooperation: A Discussion of Core Concepts and Coherence - Supervisor: Dr Hasheem Mannan

Gaughan, I. Physical Deviance in Wilde's Dorian Gray - Supervisor: Dr Edurne Garcia Iriarte and Dr Paul Delaney

Kraftsofff, S. A View of Quality of Life for a Sample of Irish Adults with Physical Disabilities - Supervisor: Prof Robbie Gilligan

Nic Dhonncha, P. The realities of Inclusive Education: How inclusive is inclusive education? Parental and professional perspectives - Supervisor: Dr Edurne Garcia Iriarte

O’Connor, A.L. Service cutbacks and quality of life: perspectives of people with mild intellectual disability - Supervisor: Dr Fintan Sheerin

Thompson, C. S. Coping Strategies and Mechanisms of Ethnic Minority Parents Living in Ireland who have children with Disabilities - Supervisor: Dr Paula Mayock

 

Subject Area	Staff Name	Webpage
Introduction to Disability Studies	Dr Edurne Garcia Iriarte	Dr Edurne Garcia Iriarte
Disability Placements/Disability Applied Project	Dr Edurne Garcia Iriarte	Dr Edurne Garcia Iriarte
Disability Policy, Law and Ethics	Dr Maria Pierce	Dr Maria Pierce
	Prof Gerry Whyte	Prof Gerry Whyte
	Prof Maureen Junker-Kenny	Prof Maureen Junker-Kenny
	Prof William Binchy	Prof William Binchy
Research Methods 1	Dr Philip Curry	Dr Philip Curry
Research Methods 2	Dr Paula Mayock	Dr Paula Mayock
Contemporary Issues in Intellectual Disability / Empowerment and Enablement	Dr Colin Griffiths	Dr Colin Griffiths
	Dr Fintan Sheerin	Dr Fintan Sheerin
Perspectives on Deafness	Dr John Conama	Dr John Conama
The Politics of De-Institutionalisation	Prof Robbie Gilligan	Prof Robbie Gilligan
Disability and Development	Prof Robbie Gilligan	Prof Robbie Gilligan

 

Two options are available for students: a two-year part-time programme, advisable for students enrolled in the programme while working, and a one-year full-time programme more suitable for international and other students. A Postgraduate Diploma qualification (exit only) is also available for students who complete all the modules except the dissertation.

Lectures
Full-time and Part-Time Students will attend at least one full day (9am - 6pm) of lectures per week from September to April (Year 1).

Please note that the following elective modules are delivered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays:

• Contemporary Issues in Intellectual Disability Studies - Tuesdays 9am - 5pm from November 12th - December 10th (Michaelmas Term)
• Perspectives on Deafness - Wednesdays 2pm - 3pm (Hilary Term)

* With the exception of Disability Placements/Disability Applied Projects

The M.Sc. in Disability Studies offers unique opportunities to students. This programme works in collaboration with two academic centres within College: the National Institute for Intellectual Disability and the Centre for Deaf Studies.

The National Institute for intellectual Disability offers the Certificate in Contemporary Living (CCL), the first third level education programme for people with intellectual disabilities in Ireland. Students in the M.Sc. in Disability Studies have opportunities to interact with CCL students through elective modules and seminars.

The Centre for Deaf Studies, also hosted at Trinity College Dublin, is the only centre of this kind in Ireland. Staff at the Centre for Deaf Studies delivers elective modules to M.Sc. in Disability Studies students.

 

This programme has a strong international orientation drawing from the field of Disability Studies and disability research in developing and developed countries. Visiting professors, lecturers and researchers
contribute through guest lectures, seminars and research projects to an enhanced international knowledge of disability and continuous evaluation and update of the programme.

Public lectures in the programme have been delivered by:

Prof. Roy McConkey, Ulster University

Prof. Dan Goodley, Manchester Metropolitan University

Prof. Nora Groce, University College London

Prof. Errol Cocks, Curtin Institute of Technology

Prof. Tamar Heller, University of Illinois, Chicago

Prof. Lennard Davis, University of Illinois Chicago

'The End of Normal: Disability, Diversity and Neoliberalism', a fascinating lecture by Professor Lennard Davis, University of Illinois at Chicago

“Normal” seems to be ending its tyrannical reign over bodies, particularly identities. Instead, it has been replaced by “diversity.” Yet the one area that “normal” reigns supreme is in the realm of disability. These were the issues explored by Prof Davis in his lecture as he tried to account for this discrepancy by considering aspects of life under neoliberalism.

Lennard J. Davis, Professor of English, Disability and Human Development, and Medical Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, delivered his lecture as part of the M.Sc. in Disability Studies Public Lecture Series 2012-13 which was organised in collaboration with the Centre for Deaf Studies and the School of English at TCD. The Director of the Trinity Long Room Hub was delighted to chair the lecture given the relevance of this topic to Trinity's new research theme on identities in transformation recently launched by the President of Ireland.

Podcast:

The full text of Prof Davis's speech can be read here.

 

This M.Sc.in Disability Studies is aimed at those with a strong interest in disability issues including:

• Graduates from relevant disciplines (e.g., Social Sciences, Health Sciences, Humanities, Education, Deaf studies, Law, and Psychology)
• Experts in disability issues (e.g., disability activists, members of disabled people’s organisations and advocacy organisations, disability service providers)
• Professionals in services (e.g., Early Interventionists, Occupational Therapists, Psychologists, Nurses, Speech and Language Therapists, and Teachers)
• Policy makers
• Government officials

2012 Graduates

Bryan Collins

B.Sc. in Communications (Journalism), Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland
M.Sc. in Disability Studies, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

Email: collinsb7@tcd.ie

Linked in: http://ie.linkedin.com/in/bryancollins99

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Karen Greaney

B.A in Health Promotion, Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland
M.Sc. in Disability Studies, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

Email: GREANEK@TCD.IE

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2011 Graduates

Amy Louise O’Connor

B.Sc. Intellectual Disability Nursing Studies, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
M.Sc. in Disability Studies, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland 

Email: OCONNOA4@TCD.IE

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Sue Kraftsoff

B.Sc. (Cur. Occ.) Occupational Therapy, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
M.Sc. in Disability Studies, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

Email: KRAFTSS@TCD.IE

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Imelda Gaughan

BA (Hons) Psychology and Literature, Dublin City University, Ireland
M.Sc. in Disability Studies, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

Email: GAUGHANI@TCD.IE

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Carline Thompson-Powis

B.Sc. Intellectual Disability Nursing, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
M.Sc. in Disability Studies, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

Email: THOMPSCS@TCD.IE 

 

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Our students have presented their work in the following academic journals and conferences:

Works in Progress, Slovenia, November 2011

QUART Centre Conference, Belfast, November 2011

2012 Annual Conference of the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland, April 2012

Disability and international development Journal

 

The M.Sc. in Disability Studies offers admission to full-time (TRT69) and part-time (TRT79) students. EU and Non-EU applicants are required to hold at least an upper second class honours degree in a relevant area (e.g., Social Sciences, Health Sciences, Humanities, Education, Deaf studies, Law, and Psychology). Applications are taken on a yearly basis from January to June.

For applicants whose first language is not English and who have not been educated through the medium of English please click here

Fees 2012/2013
PT / FT	EU / Non-EU	Gross Fee per annum
Part-time	EU	5,835
Part-time	Non-EU	9,250
Full-time	EU	9,000
Full-time	Non-EU	13,500

Please Note: There is currently no Trinity awards for postgraduate students on taught courses but there may be limited funding from external sources. Please see here

English for Academic Purposes: For students admitted into the MSc in Disabilities Studies programme, an intensive pre-sessional course in English for Academic Purposes www.tcd.ie/slscs/english/ is available from August 19th. An in-sessional course consisting of weekly classes will also take place throughout the academic year, beginning in the week starting 23rd September. To register for either course, please email murphyd3@tcd.ie or contact the CLCS office at clcsinfo@tcd.ie

We are now taking applications for 2013

Required Documentation

• Application Form
• 2 Reference Letters (at least one academic)
• Statement of purpose addressing the following (1,000 words):

1. Your interest in the MSc in Disability Studies at TCD
2. A research topic in the area of disability you would like to examine in your dissertation
3. Expectations of the programme in your career development

• Official Transcripts - This includes undergraduate transcripts and graduate transcripts if applicable.
• Curriculum Vitae

Interview

Successful applicants will be invited for an interview.

Application Procedure

Applications are completed electronically here

Course codes:
Full-time M.Sc. in Disability Studies TRT69
Part-time M.Sc. in Disability Studies TRT79

For any questions with the online application process please contact: taught.admissions@tcd.ie

Ms. Laura Cusack, Executive Officer
School of Social Work and Social Policy
Tel: +353 1 896 3593
Email: disamsc@tcd.ie

Dr. Edurne Garcia Iriarte, Course Director
School of Social Work and Social Policy
Tel: +353 1 896 2200
Email: iriartee@tcd.ie

Certificate in Contemporary Living

IDS Tilda

Inclusive Research Network

Moving ahead project

National Anti-Bullying Advocacy Group

World Education Blog

Dementia and home design project

Conferences
Public Lecture, Thursday 16th May by President of the World Federation of the Deaf, Mr. Colin Allen

20th International Scientific Meeting of the Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome Educational Foundation, July 18-21, 2013