Dr Maria Truesdale and Dr Laurence Taggart (Ulster) Health inequalities faced by people with learning disabilities (LD) is a critically important issue for primary and secondary healthcare services. Although health inequalities are, to an extent avoidable, it is evident that existing patterns of healthcare provision are insufficient and likely to be in contravention of legal … Read more
Dr Joe Duffy, Dr Gavin Davidson (QUB), Dr Subhajit Basu (Leeds University) and Prof Katherine Pearson (Penn State University) This seminar presentation will focus on the key findings from research this team published for the Commissioner for Older People Northern Ireland (COPNI) in June 2015, the full report can be accessed here. One of the … Read more
Mrs Ursula Walsh (Ulster) Farming is a very stressful occupation and ranks in the top ten job groups with a high mortality from suicide. This presentation aims to highlight the results of recent research (involving over 90 Northern Ireland farmers) that found that bureaucracy remains a significant cause of stress to farmers. Farmers reported that … Read more
Dr Clem Herman, Dr Elaine Thomas and Dr Katie Chicot (OU) The ratio of male to females employed in STEM-related industries in NI is 3 to 1, yet although the business case for gender equality in STEM has been well recognised in NI policy, little attention has been paid to date to the potential presented … Read more
Prof Joan Ballantine, Dr Graeme Banks, Prof Kathryn Haynes, Dr Melina Manochin and Mr Tony Wall (Ulster) The highly contentious issue of gender equality with regard to executive and non-executive director positions has received considerable attention in the context of the private sector. However, substantially less is known about gender equality issues at the senior … Read more
Prof Jonathan Rix (OU) This seminar builds upon a study undertaken for the National Council for Special Education in the Republic of Ireland, examining the continuum of special education globally (Rix, Sheehy, Fletcher-Campbell, Crisp & Harper, 2013). This involved a systematic literature review of the multitude of continua associated with special education, followed by a … Read more
Dr Ilona Roth (OU) Prevalence estimates for autism in the western world have risen substantially over recent years, most probably reflecting a combination of increasing public awareness, wider inclusion criteria and improved diagnostic services. Many gaps and inequalities of services and support remain, especially in relation to adults and to deprived and ethnic minority communities. … Read more
Prof Mickey Keenan (Ulster) Currently in the USA, 44 States have introduced legislation to ensure that parents have access to Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) for the treatment of autism; hundreds of major companies have also made ABA available under their health insurance policies for workers. The supporting evidence to introduce this legislation will be outlined … Read more
Prof Karola Dillenburger, Dr Lyn McKerr and Dr Julie-Ann Jordan (QUB) Autism rates in Northern Ireland are rising by 0.2 annually and now stand at 2.3% in the school population. The cost to society for autism is £34billion in the UK, more than cancer, strokes, and heart disease combined; 36% of this cost is for … Read more
Prof Owen Barr, Dr Elizabeth Gallagher, Dr Laurence Taggart, Prof Siobhan O’Neill and Prof Angela Hassiotis (University College Limerick), Mr Paul Webb (Praxis) Over the last 30 years’ services for people with learning disabilities in NI have been transformed with community services. The ‘Equal Live’ Report (2005) and Learning Disability Service Framework document (2012) strongly … Read more