Disability is not a bar to learning [IrishTimes]
- Published: 03 May 2011
THE EDUCATION PROFILE: ANN HEELAN, DIRECTOR, ASSOCIATION FOR HIGHER EDUCATION ACCESS AND DISABILITY: Colleges and employers can find it difficult to see how to include people with disabilities or how to help students and graduates reach their potential. Ann Heelan is working to change that
TWENTY YEARS ago, children with physical, learning, or intellectual disabilities were segregated into “special” schools. Progression to university was low, or unheard of.
Society was missing out, says Ann Heelan, director of Ahead (Association for Higher Education Access and Disability), an independent, non-profit organisation that promotes participation in further and higher education for those with disabilities, as well as helping them to secure employment.
There’s more than inclusion involved – Heelan says that people with disabilities have specific, necessary skills, which often get overlooked.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
