My name is Scott Byrne and this summer I was extremely fortunate to be a member of the Washington Ireland Program (WIP) Class of 2021. The Washington Ireland Program is quite a unique program, selecting students from across the island of Ireland who have displayed a dedication to service and leadership. With each class, the…
Tag: student stories
Lack of inclusion rather than deliberate exclusion
One’s experience of inclusion will more than likely vary from one person to the next. For people with a disability, these experiences can sometimes be positive, while others often have less fortunate experiences … As a person with autism, I have a lot of social anxiety, to the point that I have often been excluded…
The Laidlaw Scholarship application process as a person with a Disability -Harry O’Brien
How did you first hear about the Laidlaw programme? I first heard about Laidlaw in November 2019 in an email sent out by careers, and for whatever reason, I looked into it and saw that it was pretty cool, and they pay you to do something that’s great for your cv which will make you…
Invisibles of Trinity -Part V
Having Epilepsy is an everyday challenge; since I can have a seizure attack anytime and anywhere – it could be absence seizure or tonic-clonic seizure. It could occur during lectures or while I am just walking or even just having lunch with my classmates. Plus it could happen more than once in a day and…
Sean talks about his journey through access programmes to first year undergraduate
My name is Seán Maguire and I am currently a student at Trinity College Dublin studying applied Biomedical Science in the field of Human Health and Disease, and I have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. I graduated from the University College Dublin through an access programme offered by the university for a level 6…
Invisibles of Trinity -Part IV
Having an invisible disability is a strange thing. Sometimes you think it’s glaringly obvious, like your disability is written across your forehead in permanent marker. You fear that everyone you meet is making presumptions about you, jumping to conclusions. Other times it’s so concealed that even you question whether it’s real. There is, after all,…
Invisibles of Trinity -Part III
Before arriving at Trinity College Dublin as a Computer Science student and even before my diagnosis of bring on the Autistic Spectrum I was already aware of my difficulties in social encounters, especially in group work. In conversation my “radar” is limited in picking up all the subtle messaging that we all give out and…
Invisibles of Trinity -Part II
Having a disability can be annoying, but so too can waking up at 2 am for a 6 am flight. However, when the Ryanair trumpets play and you lookout to see the sparkling Mediterranean, you realise it was worth getting up early for. When you have a disability, you learn to adapt, and I often…
Invisibles of Trinity -Part I
When I first came to university, I was too shy to ask for help. I knew the Disability Service was there to aid with reasonable accommodations during exam time but I did not know what help they could offer me beyond that. I suffer from chronic fatigue, I found daily obstacles from studying and commuting…
A positive thing rather than a sacrifice -Exclusion
Anaphylaxis and Asthma are serious conditions, but I have had a smoother experience than most when it comes to inclusion. Although I take them with me everywhere, I go. Most of the time, they don’t become an issue. Avoiding risk is second nature, and I barely have to think about it. I have felt excluded…
Trinity Ability co_op 