Annual Report 2005 - The National Disability Authority

Annual Report 2005
Childhood and Disability: Inclusion in the mainstream
This conference in November considered various aspects of childhood, including
children with disabilities in education and in leisure activities. Speakers from Ireland
(North and South), Scotland, England and Wales outlined how each country provides
for the education of children with special educational needs. Aspects of the inclusion of
children with disabilities in games and leisure reading activities were also considered.
The conference was opened by Minister Brian Lenihan, T.D. Mary Davis, CEO of Special
Olympics, Ireland, spoke about the benefits of physical education and sport for children
with a disability. The conference attracted almost three hundred delegates, among them
service providers, policy makers and parents and carers of persons with a disability.
Proceedings of the 2004 conference were launched under the title “Student Journeys:
The Special Education Routes” at the event.
Women and Mental Health Conference
The NDA co-hosted a conference on women and mental health with the Women’s
Health Council in February, resulting in the Council’s publication Women and Mental
Health: Promoting a Gendered Approach to Policy and Service Provision. The
conference proceedings included keynote addresses by Dr Mary Seeman and Professor
Emerita, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Ms Mary O’Shea, and Ms Brid
Clarke, Mental Health Commission.
Supporting the Development of European
Guidelines for the use of Assistive Technology
(AT) Applications.
Technology and, more importantly, assistive technology, plays a crucial role in helping
people with disabilities achieve their full potential, overcome barriers and achieve equal
opportunities.
The NDA, together with the Central Remedial Clinic are partners in a European
project (Keeping Pace with Assistive Technology) that aims to improve the current
situation as regards the training of professionals in assistive technology. Training has
long been identified as a key area for action in order to tackle the relative weaknesses
in the provision and planning of assistive technology. Professionals in health, social
and educational services are expected to play a key role in responding to the needs of
people with disabilities.
Guidelines for involvement of people with
disabilities
Strategic Partnership Guide: Good Practice in Working with People
with Experience of Mental Health Difficulties
The Strategic Partnership Guide, launched in June 2005, builds on the NDA’s earlier
guidance in its Ask Me: Guidelines for Effective Consultation with People with
Disabilities, and advice from the NDA’s Mental Health Advisory Committee. The NDA
commissioned the Guide from the University of Teeside, England, and the Institute for
Mental Health Recovery. The Guide includes 12 principles for effective partnership,
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