Week 3 is officially here and it’s already time to say goodbye to Dublin! For our final three days in Dublin, we wrapped up our site visitations.
On Monday, we went to Equine Therapy, where we learned the impact animals have in providing services for individuals with disabilities. Prior to learning about equine therapy, they gave us a tour of the school. Here, I learned that reading Braille is increasing in Ireland; I found this interesting because it is decreasing in the UK and US. Also, Marvel does not have comics in braille nor has audio books, which I find shocking. After touring the school, we went outside and saw the animals; they were so cute! One thing I learned from this portion is many times, individuals with autism spectrum disorder are asymmetric while riding; they lean either to the right or left rather than balancing in the center. Proper riding has many benefits to a child, such as helping a child seek sufficient sensory input. However, this form of therapy is not covered by the HSE and has a long waiting list. Hopefully, within the next few years, it will be paid for because it has positive outcomes!
Later that day, we went to the Ireland vs. Gibraltar soccer game at Aviva Stadium. Ireland won 2-0! It was definitely something I was happy we did, especially since I am a soccer fan and played soccer my whole life.
On Tuesday, we went to St. Michael’s Raheny School, which is a special education school for ages 4-18. It was really interesting to see the techniques utilized by the teachers at this school, especially since my major is Special Education. One thing that particularly stuck out to me was that the students were outside often; this is something I feel should be encouraged at all schools. There are benefits to outside play, such as releasing energy, seeking proper sensory input, or even engaging in play with other students. I feel that sometimes going outside is not a main priority at many schools, which it should be. In all, I learned many things that I can potentially use in my future career.
On Wednesday, we visited Friends of the Elderly Ireland. This organization provides activities Monday through Friday for individuals 65+ years (with a few exceptions). While there, we helped serve food to members and danced along to the band. As a group, we all sang “Don’t Stop Believing”; even though we skipped the second verse, I’d say it was a huge success! I enjoyed this site because we interacted with the members and learned some dance moves. It was a good way to end our site visits!
There were a lot of things I took away from our site visits, as highlighted in posts previously as well. I am happy I was given the opportunity to visit these organizations, especially since the things I learned really opened my mind to new perspectives.
Tomorrow morning, we are off to Galway…bye for now, Dublin!