Michael Barrett - Cope Foundation Speaker

Michael is a teacher in the Cope Foundation in Penrose Wharf in Co. Cork. He lectures about 18 clients everyday in Cope. He has worked there for 20 years. Cope is a Vocational Educational Program. It was institutional to funded programs funded by the government. They provide work support or work development programs. He spoke about the the day to day runnings of the Cope Foundation in Cork.

Doras is where he is based. Alot of the people who attend the classes came out of special schools after completing their junior or leaving certificate. Not all finish the 3 year FETAC course, however some continue on to college and others sustain a job. The people there are stigmatized from having learning difficulties. Most courses are FETAC so they have a sense that they are going to college. They are very sensitive about the fact that they are attending Cope. They are just like us but they tend to associate with other people who also have learning difficulties. They also feel more comfortable with people who are younger than them as they are sometimes on the same intellectual level. They have low moral sometimes because of their intellectual disability.

Important things to remember:

* Physical disabilities e.g. blindness.
* Intellectual disabilities e.g. down syndrome.
* Mild disabilities look the same as us.
* Can't cure intellectual disabilities.
* Sensitive to say that they are attending a training centre.

He also spoke about how the terminology is changing. These people are now referred to as people with learning difficulties. He said of the unfairness of when you want to use a public toilet as a disabled person you see the object (wheelchair) as opposed to the person (male or female). In Ireland we refer to the work shops are centres however in Germany they are still referred to as work shops.

European Project:

This is a mobility project where if successful we will have the opportunity to travel to different events, the main one in Germany. The European Project is where organizations just like CIT will come up with various ways to improve organizations like the Cope Foundation. Countries included are:

* Ireland
* Austria
* Czech Republic
* Germany
* Sweden
* Finland

It is a two year project. The other colleges involved in the EU project are offer Apprenticeships. They don't have the same facilities or resources as other countries. Engineering type solutions will be developed there to help them do physical things in the sheltered workshops. Quality Development Services (QDS) helps to develop social skills in Ireland.

Media Project 6:

Our project entails developing and devising a solution to a problem. We must consider usability issues, must have a good clear interface, good learning abilities. We were handed out our individual/group problems which we must come up with a useful tool to help overcome these problems.

Group 4:

"There are a number of everyday scenarios where clients are asked to provide personal details about themselves - everything from height and shoe size to PPS numbers, doctors' names etc - which can present them with difficulties at the level of basic recall in context or in the provision of the information in the format required. Can a digital media solution offer some support and assistance in this regard?"

Objectives:

* Innovative!
* Creative!
* Professional Standard!
* Must be proactive!

Christine Roche