SNN_December 2022 Issue_web low res

SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 25
Meet Our Team:
Dr Bernadette Cassidy
The one and only Dr Bernadette Cassidy reflects on 20 years at the NZST
technology (ICT) on the literacy levels of students with
learning disabilities focusing on the role of learning resources
centres/libraries in supporting these students. My research
recommended an evidence-based client-centred model.
I was so thrilled, not many professionals get to have their
dream job.
You worked with Professor Alan Clarke, what was he
like as a man and how did he influence your work?
Prof, as he was known, became a paraplegic in 1991 and
knew first-hand what it was like to have an SCI. He was
also a surgeon, an academic, and incredibly intelligent.
He was formidable at times.
LOVED: Dr B is a popular member of the NZST team for good reason.
“There is a giant in our midst and long may
she remain.” —Hans Wouters.
What are your memories of your first day working
at the NZST?
It was 8 July 2002 and as I walked through the doors of
the Allan Bean Centre (ABC), I felt both excited and
apprehensive. I was also a little daunted by the empty
library, there were two computers, empty shelves no
library catalogue, and no formal budget! Plus, I knew
nothing about spinal cord impairment (SCI), but I am a
fast learner and I love a challenge!
People who work for charities gain a variety of skills. In
those early years I sourced funding for library resources
and salaries. I quickly learnt how to leverage partnerships
for the benefit of the library like acquiring Koha, a library
management system first developed in NZ; and
established partnerships with other organisations which
helped with providing expertise and additional resources.
Why did you want to work for the Trust?
What struck me about the Trust/ABC was its innovative
and unique philosophy to support people with SCI and
their whānau to lead independent and positive lives. The
ABC was doing cutting-edge stuff!
At that time, Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of
Technology (CPIT) had established a partnership with the NZ
Spinal Trust to employ a Library and Learning Coordinator to
provide resources and support for people with SCI.
I had moved to New Zealand (from the UK) the previous
year and I was part way through my PhD research which
investigated the effects of information and communications
He understood libraries and the power of information.
His vision for the ABC was for the library to be central to
all services and resources. To empower people by
assisting them to learn and understand about their SCI,
ask questions and take charge.
What are some of the achievements you are most
proud of in your time at the NZST?
There are a few! I have been fortunate to have been
involved with many projects these include:
• Establishing an extensive array of literature on SCI,
disability and rehabilitation. From the outset, I wanted
the library to be an inclusive space, not just for people
with SCI but also for people with brain injuries and
other conditions.
• A training programme for volunteers in library skills.
• A computer skills programme taught by experienced
volunteer tutors. This became a core service.
• Educational workshops for school children to raise
awareness about disability.
• Developing educational resources to help patients
through their rehab and support their whānau. I am
particularly proud of the Head Space handbook on brain
injury and stroke which I co-authored with Claire
Freeman. The book is widely used in hospitals and
rehabilitation centres throughout New Zealand.
• Joint editor of the ‘Art of Recovery’, which shares stories
of people living with SCI across the country.
• New NZST website which is more user friendly and
comprehensive.
• Overseeing the Spinal Network News magazine, I have
had the privilege of working with great editors: Paul
Stafford, Johnny Bourke and Pete Thornton.