This practice-based paper provides a case study of the Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board's (WWETB) Rainbow Connection Initiative. The initiative employs badges as a visible symbol of inclusivity and staff commitment, actively seeking to address issues and challenges faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning,…

This thesis examines why, despite extensive research, women are underrepresented in engineering courses in many countries, including Ireland. The reasons for this underrepresentation are not well-understood. This study seeks to contribute to the understanding of women's decision-making regarding their studying engineering, through the application…

A parallel system of inclusive and special education persists in Ireland despite attempts to move towards integrated provision for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) along a flexible continuum of support. Even in mainstream schools, duality exists and discrete delivery of special education continues to create 'siloed'…

Responding to student diversity has become a key policy priority in education systems around the world. In addition to international and national institutional policies, major changes are underway in instructional practices and pedagogy in many national contexts. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has become a key pedagogical approach used in…

A study was conducted to explore the impact of professional development related to the individual education plan (IEP) process on teachers' understanding and practices in the Republic of Ireland (RoI). This paper reports on part of that research, focusing on teachers' collaborative practices in the IEP process. In the RoI, teachers working as…

In response to the exponential growth in the prevalence of autism in Ireland and 95% of all children availing of the universal free pre-school scheme, AsIAm delivered a continuing professional development (CPD) programme, to 311 adult learners. The paper reports on a multi-method evaluation of the impact of the programme on early childhood…

This study explored the benefits of using preferred interests to model social skills in a peer-mentored environment for students with special educational needs (SEN). Research suggests that in order for true inclusion to take place, students must participate socially with their peers, outside the classroom space. However, funding and availability…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a 10-week adapted physical activity programme on the attitudes and perceptions of 64 Irish pre-service teachers (aged 19-25) towards teaching children and young people with physical, intellectual, and learning disabilities. Data were collected through written pre-programme expectations, weekly…

Despite all intentions in the course of the Bologna Process and decades of investment into improving the social dimension, results in many national and international studies show that inequity remains stubbornly persistent, and that inequity based on socio-economic status, parental education, gender, country-of-origin, rural background and more…