Inclusivity - Trinity disAbility Service

Inclusive Statement The Social Model of Disability Trinity Inclusive Integrated Model Sustainable Reasonable Accommodation Policies Reasonable Accommodation Policies

Inclusive Statement

Trinity disAbility Hub opened in November 2022 in Printing House Square. This square, the first new square in over a hundred years, intends to be an inclusive space. Our inclusive statement below outlines our welcome to all.

Trinity Disability Service is committed to the Social Model of Disability. This is dynamic and effective in that it focuses on barriers and solutions to such barriers and, in doing so, maps out an approach to inclusion and equality that is of benefit to society as a whole, not just disabled people.

The social model of disability and co-production share the same values. Disabled students are working together with University staff and decision-makers to actively identify, design, and evaluate policy decisions and service delivery that affect our lives and remove the barriers we face.

Our world is becoming increasingly diverse and ever more interconnected. Disabled people are not a homogenous group. We now have more access, we are now participating in university life, and we want to be more inclusive and belong.

To be fully engaged community members in the 21st century, we need to embrace diversity & inclusion. In the classroom, in the workplace, in clubs and societies – indeed, in all aspects of life – we must be able to navigate difference, develop empathy and continue to learn the value of engagement with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and perceptions.

Use of language is important and where people identify themselves is a journey. Using either disabled students or students with disabilities is a complex paradigm (see below). Most disabled students enter Trinity with little or no awareness of the social model and how society and environment impact them. How disability and disabled people are referred to can be limiting and harmful. One way to change detrimental attitudes or stigma toward disability is to intentionally use more inclusive language that dignifies people’s self-image and expectations. Definitions of socially constructed concepts such as those above are important to understand when talking about disability and using inclusive language.

Person-first and identity first orientation are both used by people when referring to themselves and their disability.

Person-first: Person with a disability
Identity-first: Disabled person

Many people with disabilities still prefer “person first” language saying “person with a disability.” But many others prefer “identity first” saying “disabled person.” There are logical reasons for both, and they reflect two diverse ways of understanding your relationship with your disability. The ethos of the Trinity College Dublin Disability Service is to move from a transactional model of provision - where students are passive recipients of supports - to a transformational model, where students take an active part in planning their educational journey and understand their disability.

We want to create a learning environment for students that supports a diversity of thoughts, perspectives, and experiences, and honours your identities (including race, gender, class, sexuality, religion, ability, neurotype etc.).

The Social Model of Disability

There are different ways of looking at disability. Typically, disability is viewed through the lens of the medical model. According to this model, people are disabled by their impairments. Disability is an individual problem that needs to be fixed via therapy and other medical intervention. The disabled person must learn how to function and fit in with a ‘normal’ society.

By contrast, the social model says that disability is created because of the environment. A disabled person is disabled because they live in a world which does not cater to their impairment. The onus is on society to change and adapt as opposed to the disabled person. For example, a Deaf student is not disabled by their Deafness but by the fact that information is not presented in an accessible way. A person who stammers is not disabled by their speech impediment but by society’s attitude regarding fluent speech.

One of the advantages of the social model is that it empowers us to change the disabling barriers in the environment. Because they are believed to originate in the environment they can be changed. This contrasts with the medical model, which can be disempowering for the disabled person, blaming their disability on an impairment which cannot be changed.

Trinity disAbility Hub opens in October 2022 in Printing House Square. This square the first new square in over a hundred years intends to be an inclusive space. Trinity Disability Service is committed to the Social Model of Disability. This is dynamic and effective in that it focuses on barriers and solutions to such barriers and, in doing so, maps out an approach to inclusion and equality that is of benefit to society, not just Disabled people.

The social model of disability and co-production share the same values. Disabled students are working together with university staff and decision-makers to actively identify, design, and evaluate policy decisions and service delivery that affect our lives and remove the barriers we face.

The Social Model of Disability, developed over the last 40 years by Disabled people, is a radically different Model to the Medical and Charitable approach to disability described above. It states that people have impairments or differences but that the oppression, exclusion, and discrimination people with impairments or differences face is not an inevitable consequence of having an impairment or differences but is caused instead by the way society is run and organised.

The Social Model of Disability holds that people with impairments or differences are ‘disabled’ by the barriers operating in society that exclude and discriminate against them.

Here are diagrams of the Social and Medical Models of Disability that shows some of the thinking and assumptions of this Model.

Infographic illustrating the medical model of disability

The Social Model not only identifies society as the cause of disability but, equally importantly, it provides a way of explaining how society goes about disabling people with impairments or differences. Sometimes referred to as a “barriers-approach”, the Social Model provides a “route map” that identifies both the barriers that disable people with impairments or differences and how these barriers can be removed, minimised or countered by other forms of support.

Key disabling barriers from a Social Model approach include:

Attitudinal barriers
These are social and cultural attitudes and assumptions about people with impairments or differences that explain, justify and perpetuate prejudice, discrimination and exclusion in society; for example, assumptions that people with certain impairments or differences can’t work, can’t be independent, can’t have sex, etc.
Physical barriers
These are barriers linked to the physical and built environment and cover a vast range of barriers that prevent equal access, such as stairs/ steps, narrow corridors and doorways, kerbs, inaccessible toilets, inaccessible housing, poor lighting, poor seating, broken lifts or poorly managed street and public spaces.
Information/Communication Barriers
These are barriers linked to information and communication, such as lack of Irish Sign Language interpreters for Deaf people, lack of provision of hearing induction loops, lack of information in different accessible formats such as Easy Read, plain English and large font.

Barriers “disable” by creating exclusion, discrimination, and disadvantage for people with impairments or differences. The Social Model, in highlighting the barrier, often simultaneously identifies the solution to the barrier; for example:

Barrier: The intercom in a block of flats does not have a video camera, therefore Deaf/hard of hearing residents cannot establish who is seeking entry.
Solution: Install an intercom system with video for Deaf and hard of hearing residents.
Additional benefits: Elderly people and other people who may feel vulnerable feel more secure in the accommodation.

Likewise, from a Social Model perspective, to enable Disabled people to achieve genuine independent living requires a range of support to be in place in society to counter the effects of discrimination and oppression. These are known as the ‘pillars of independent living’, which are:

Appropriate and accessible information
An adequate income
Appropriate and accessible health and social care provision
A fully accessible transport system
Full access to the environment
Adequate provision of technical aids and equipment
Availability of accessible and adapted housing
Adequate provision of personal assistance
Availability of inclusive education and training
Equal opportunities for employment
Availability of independent advocacy and self-advocacy
Availability of peer counselling

The Social Model of Disability is dynamic and effective in that it focuses on barriers and solutions to such barriers and, in doing so, maps out an approach to inclusion and equality that is of benefit to society as a whole, not just Disabled people.

Trinity Inclusive Integrated Model

What is the Social Model of Disability?

Disabled Intern, Ross Coleman, explains the social model of disability.

Identity and Language

Language and identity can be a sensitive subject with many people holding strong opinions. This is especially true when it comes to talking about disability. Here in the Disability Service, we use the term disabled student(s) as opposed to the term ‘student(s) with disabilities.’ This is because we subscribe to the social model. According to the social model, people are disabled by living in a society which does not cater to their impairment. These can take the form of environment barriers or disabling attitudes. For example, a neurodiverse person is disabled not by being neurodiverse but by societal structures which favour neurotypical people.

The term ‘disabled students’ reflects this model. It recognizes that disability is a result of people living in a disabling environment as opposed to something that is inherently wrong with the disabled person (as would be suggested by the medical model.) Having said this, we recognize that language is a personal choice and that students are free to use the language that best suits them. Our use of the term ‘disabled students’ simply reflects the philosophy of the Service and is by no means prescriptive.

Disabled People or People with Disabilities?

From a Social Model perspective, the term ‘Disabled people’ is a political term that people with impairments or differences use to emphasise the social cause and nature of the exclusion and discrimination we face as people with impairments or differences, disabled by society.

Using the term ‘Disabled people’ or ’Disabled person’ is not a value judgment on what people can or cannot do, but a political description of the shared, disabling experience that people with impairments or differences face in society. It is used to bring together a very diverse group of people with impairments or differences to identify the causes of our discrimination and oppression, communicate shared experience and knowledge, and create social change.

Non-Social Model language/Medical Model language such as “a person with disabilities” confuses impairment and disability and implies disability is an individual matter – something a person “has”. This is wrong. It is the disabling barriers operating in society that disables us, not our impairments or differences. The Social Model of Disability is central to the struggle for inclusion and equality for Disabled people. However, as with any model, there are challenges to the Social Model approach. Two current areas of challenge are:

The creation & promotion of a Biopsychosocial Model of Disability
Criticism by Disabled people

Disability and Identity-First Language

In this video, Trinity INC Graduate Intern Ross Coleman explains why the Disability Service uses the term 'disabled students'.

Sustainable Reasonable Accommodations

‘’Sustainable reasonable accommodations" refer to the measures taken by Trinity to support disabled individuals. These accommodations are designed to be effective, efficient, and environmentally conscious, and they aim to promote self-sufficiency and independence in disabled persons. The process involves empowering disabled individuals to take an active role in identifying their needs and advocating for themselves, rather than relying solely on external support. This can be achieved by providing them with the necessary resources and tools to develop self-advocacy skills such as how to request accommodations, negotiate with others, and develop plans for personal and professional growth. By promoting self-sufficiency and independence, sustainable reasonable accommodations can help disabled individuals build the confidence and skills necessary to succeed in all areas of their lives. This approach not only benefits disabled individuals but also creates a more inclusive and supportive environment for everyone.

1. What Are They?

"Sustainable reasonable accommodations" are the provisions Trinity makes to assist individuals with disabilities. The term "sustainable" suggests that these accommodations are not just short-term fixes but are long-lasting, efficient, and conscious of broader environmental and societal impacts. They're designed to be enduring, practical, and beneficial both to the individual and the larger community.

2. Goals of These Accommodations:

Effectiveness: Ensuring that the accommodations address the specific needs of disabled individuals.
Efficiency: These supports are streamlined and use resources wisely to provide maximum benefits.
Environmental Consciousness: In a broader sense, this could mean that resources used in these accommodations respect and protect our environment, thus aligning with global sustainability goals.
Promotion of Self-sufficiency and Independence: Instead of creating a dependency, these accommodations empower disabled individuals to manage and advocate for their own needs.

3. Empowerment Over Dependence:

Instead of having solutions imposed upon them, disabled individuals are given tools and resources to actively participate in determining their accommodations. This approach respects their autonomy and acknowledges their capability. By equipping them with self-advocacy skills, Trinity ensures that they can:

Request what they specifically need.
Negotiate effectively with peers, staff, and faculty.
Formulate and pursue their personal and professional growth trajectories.

4. The Broader Benefits:

For the Individual: Beyond the immediate benefits of having their needs addressed, individuals gain confidence, essential life skills, and a sense of agency. This empowerment enhances their overall quality of life and prospects for the future.
For the Community: When institutions like Trinity focus on sustainable accommodations, they cultivate an environment where inclusivity is the norm. This proactive approach educates the broader community, fostering empathy, understanding, and cooperation.

In essence, "sustainable reasonable accommodations" go beyond merely providing support. They are about building an ecosystem where disabled individuals are equipped to thrive, advocate for their needs, and contribute actively to the community, while also ensuring that the community evolves to be more understanding and inclusive.

Reasonable Accommodations Policies

Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, hereinafter referred to as Trinity, is committed to ensuring that students with disabilities have as complete and equitable access to all facets of Trinity life as can reasonably be provided. This is in accordance with the Disability Act 2005, the Equal Status Acts 2000 (as amended), the Universities Act 1997, and the HEA Act 2022.

This policy should be read in conjunction with (and is subject to) the relevant provisions of the University Calendar and the 2010 Consolidated Statutes of Trinity College Dublin and the University of Dublin.

As stated in the University Calendar, students with disabilities are encouraged to register with the Disability Service to seek supports where the disability could affect their ability to participate fully in all aspects of the course. Reasonable Accommodations will be put in place only after a student has registered with the Disability Service.

The Trinity Reasonable Accommodation Policy PDF Document can be downloaded at this page.