Regret at demise of 'unique' university course

A UCD certificate designed to give students with intellectual disabilities an opportunity to experience third-level education…

A UCD certificate designed to give students with intellectual disabilities an opportunity to experience third-level education has been cancelled just two years after being launched as the first qualification of its kind in Europe.

The course in Citizenship and Advocacy won the 02 Ability Award for UCD earlier this year and has provided a unique third-level college experience and qualification to some 60 students since it was officially launched in 2004. A spokeswoman for UCD confirmed that the course had been deferred and that no cohort of students is being enrolled for the new start of term in October. No reason was given for the closure.

Operated by the Centre for Disability Studies, students attended classes at UCD two days per week and studied everything from rights and responsibilities, communications, and active citizenship, to information technology and horticulture.

Jonathan Doyle, a graduate of the course, said he was saddened to learn of the decision to discontinue the course, which had proved of immense benefit to people with disabilities. In his work as a peer supporter on the course, Mr Doyle said it taught people with disabilities about their rights and entitlements, while also introducing them to a wide range of subject areas. "It was the first course of its kind in Ireland and Europe, and it's a shame to see it go," he said.