Access Service Menu
DISABILITY & SPECIAL LEARNING NEEDS SUPPORT
ACCESS INITIATIVES
- Primary Level Initiatives
- Second Level Initiatives
- Ethnic Minority /
- GIVE
PRESIDENTS'S COMMENDATION CEREMONY
Ethnic Minority & Traveller Initiatives
LIT Traveller Initiative
(in association with UL & SIF)
BACKGROUND
Providing opportunities to learners throughout their lives is central to achieving equity of access to higher education. The National Association of Travellers’ Centres (NATC) hosted their bi-annual conference on April 25th & 26th, 2007. This year’s conference titled “The Voice of the Traveller in an Inclusive Society” took a critical look at what ‘Inclusion’ really means to us and explored the implications of inclusiveness for Travellers in Irish society. “An Inclusive society is a just society, a society that values the contribution of every human being to the furthest limits of their potential and helps them to reveal that potential” (President Mary McAllese, April 25th 2007).
For a Traveller to live in an inclusive society, the education system needs an agenda that educates and respects the identity of all students. Participation by Travellers in third level education remains low, however most Travellers who participate do so under the scheme for mature students, frequently with support from their local Traveller organisation.
Working in collaboration with the Shannon Regional Learning Gateway (SRLF) funded by the HEA Strategic Innovation Fund the Access Service at Limerick Institute of Technology teamed up the HEA Traveller Initiative in the University of Limerick (coordinated by John Heneghan). This alliance provided an opportunity to work collaboratively with a group of Traveller men to pursue metalwork classes at the Limerick Institute of Technology.
OBJECTIVES:
- Build on the success accomplished over the past three years where these traveller men have been attending classes at UL in equine care, driving theory and personal development.
- Introduce this traveller group to another third level environment.
- Creating an opportunity for this traveller group to formally develop their considerable hands-on experience in metal work woodwork through the medium of classes.
- Explore opportunity of the potential for credit earning activities perhaps two years from now.
The students who participated in this programme had a very positive experience of their visit to LIT and the level of activity they were engaged in during this programme. They all expressed enthusiasm of returning to LIT.
For further information please contact access@lit.ie