Category: Quinn Nicolai

It’s day three of the conference and we are close to the end of our stay in Ireland! While Galway is a different speed than Dublin, I am amazed by how much we have learned in such a short amount of time. Every day, we get the chance to hear first-hand experience of people living with disabilities, different perspectives on topics, and meet individuals from all over the world that share a common interest.

I was especially interested in the key-note speaker, Freyja. Freyja is a feminist disability activist from Iceland that shared her personal experience in creating a family. This stuck with me because I can honestly say that the right to family life isn’t always the main topic when talking about people living with disabilities. Usually, the talk is about accommodations or stigmas. However, the thought of people thinking that I was not capable of having my own family saddens me, and Freyja made me realize that this is extremely prevalent for people living with disabilities.

I was expecting to come to this conference and learn about things I have heard in school hundreds of times. However, this opportunity is broadening my horizons and making me think. We have learned about the LGBTQI community and their experience also having a disability; and even about children being taken away from their families and put in to group homes.

A quote that stuck out to me came from Robert Martin, who said, “there is nothing special about being special.” He says this because he wishes people would stop admiring him for his disability and treat him like any other human. A human that wants a family, friends, and a future.

So far, this conference has been extremely eye-opening to me, and I cannot wait to see what the next two days has in store for me! I am so upset that my time here is coming to an end, but please keep following along!

We are officially in Galway!! We left Dublin Thursday morning and ventured to this beautiful city. While it was sad leaving Trinity, I am excited to be learning different things somewhere new!

On Friday, our group took a trip to the Aran Islands where I discovered I definitely have a fear of heights! Standing on the cliff made me nervous, but the views were breathtaking and unforgettable. We also met a few animals along the way including cows, horses, and donkeys! We fueled ourselves with DELICIOUS lasagna, vegetable soup, and waffles with ice cream. Yum.

Saturday, we took a stroll to the city center where I was able to get a tattoo with my best friend from home! The memories will last forever…literally. After this, we shopped in the market where I had the best donut I have ever eaten, and had a handmade necklace made for me right in front of my eyes! Galway is a small, delicate, and colorful city that I am grateful to have the chance to take part in. We finished with a meal at The Kings Head, and turned in for our big Sunday plans.

Today, we bused to the Cliffs of Moher. While the weather was not working with us, the cliffs were bigger than I imagined. The sight of them took my breath away! However, I did not go to the edge… the Aran Islands were enough for me!

So far, Galway is treating us well, and I can’t wait to learn more at the conference this coming week. Time to get the work pants back on and dive in to our last week in Ireland. It has gone way too fast, so let’s make the rest of our time count!!

It’s a gorgeous Sunday here in Dublin and I am definitely exhausted from the weekends activities!

To start, On Wednesday we had the opportunity to visit Deaf Village, which was interesting to me considering my minor is Deafness and Hearing. I absolutely loved the atmosphere of this facility because it was an open space where Deaf individuals can be themselves. They don’t have to try to participate in the hearing world. Here, they get to be themselves and communicate with each other in an accepting space.

On Thursday, we visited Enable Ireland which is for people living with physical disabilities. My favorite part of this visit was learning about the Occupational Therapy side of the work done in this facility. Enable Ireland has top of the line equipment and access to anything you can think of in one building. I found it impressive that all of the resources from Occupational Therapists to Physical Therapists to Nurses are all collaborating and working together instead of an individual having to go to different locations for each service.

At night, we went to a Folklore dinner at the Brazen Head where we learned about the history of Dublin and its many stories and songs. The food was AMAZING!!

As for Friday, our group finished up our Disability Comparison presentations. It was interesting learning about the differences relating to disability in the United States and in Ireland, and I thought each presentation was put together well and delivered perfectly.

Saturday was definitely a long day for the group! We took a Wild Rover day tour to Belfast where we visited the Titanic museum, Giants Causeway, and the Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge. We learned fascinating facts about the sinking of the Titanic, and different history about Ireland. As for the Rope Bridge, let’s just say I didn’t think I was going to live to write this blog…

Lastly, today we participated in an afternoon high tea. We wore our new clothes from our days shopping on Grafton Street, and learned more about each other through traditional Irish tea.

This week was a good one and definitely hard to beat. I cannot believe we are halfway through our trip and only have four days left here in Dublin! Thanks for following along with our adventures!

 

It’s a rainy day here in Dublin!! Due to the bank holiday yesterday, our group had an adventurous Monday together! We had the opportunity to visit New Grange, the Ruins of Monasterboice, and the Hill of Tara.

New Grange was an exciting experience for me. It is a pre-historic passage tomb that looks very large, but trust me, it is the size of a small elevator inside. Yes, I am claustrophobic, but I made it. My favorite part about this tour was learning that the structure of the building has stayed the same for thousands of years and the carvings in the stone were beautiful to see.

As for the Ruins of Monasterboice, we got to see the tallest cross in Ireland! We explored the surrounding graveyard and learned that the watch tower used to be a safe place for the community. I found it interesting that it used to be considered safe, but if you think about it, only having one way in and one way out isn’t always the best idea.

Lastly, we visited the Hill of Tara which is an ancient burial site. This is also where the High Kinds of Ireland were inaugurated. After this, we ventured to the Fairy Tree where we made our mark with hair ribbons and a wish in the back of our minds.

Today, we had the opportunity to go to Fighting Blindness where we met a researcher and a counselor for the program. My favorite part was speaking with John, a counselor, who is also visually impaired. He told us that being blind does not define him, but it has definitely formed him. My favorite quote that he left with us was “I’m not fighting my blindness, I’m actually pretty good friends with it.” I enjoyed this statement because he was very honest about not liking the title of their service, and that he believes blindness doesn’t need to be fought.

I also learned some helpful tips today. I learned that you should try to always wear sunglasses, even when it is raining, because UV rays can fight through anything and harm your eyes. Also, regarding screen time, you should always follow the 20-20-20 rule. This means for every 20 minutes you are looking at a screen, you should look 20 feet in the distance for 20 seconds.

Dublin has been treating me well and I cannot wait to see what else it has to offer! I’ll keep you updated, but until then, here are some pictures from our adventures!

Hello again from Dublin!! I cannot believe my first week here has come to an end and I only have two weeks left in this beautiful city. This past week, we visited three more locations in Ireland including; The Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities, St. Michaels House, and Mental Health Ireland. I had the honor of meeting incredible individuals within these programs, and learning more about the culture of disability in Ireland.

At The Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities, we were able to interact and observe ten students participating in this years SciFest. I enjoyed the fact that we got to meet the students when they were discussing topics that they truly loved. Each student was given a mentor, and had the opportunity to complete a science project about anything they liked. I could see the excitement on their faces talking about their favorite music, hair products, or even their interest in the future. Seeing a place where young individuals can be independent in their school work and show the knowledge they have was admiring.

The St. Michaels House was definitely a favorite of mine. This is a day service for adults living with disabilities. There are 1800 service users in the Dublin Area, but this particular house serves 58 individuals. 2/3 of these 58 individuals are over the age of 55. Something that I found to be a clear value of the St. Michaels House was having a social role. They strive for their users to be involved in their community, whether that be as a student, worker, or a volunteer. I had the opportunity to meet multiple individuals that adored their place in the St. Michaels House and had jobs at places like fast food restaurants, schools, retail stores, or pubs. Each individual greeted me with a smile on their face and a joke ready to be shared. The St. Michaels House seemed to have an open-door policy that encourages any and all visitors to learn more about their goals.

Lastly, we visited Mental Health Ireland where we learned about their services. The three main themes for their program are; mental health promotion, living life well, and organizational fitness. Something that stood out to me in this meeting was when someone asked how Mental Health Ireland defined recovery. The answer was that people should define it themselves. It isn’t always about being medicine free or symptom free, but living the life that you want to live. I also thought it was interesting how much emphasis is on the family along with the client and the counselor. They host “trialogue” discussions where the family, client, and counselor can role play and see different discussions from everyone’s point of view.

Mental Health Ireland left me with an interesting quote that I would like to leave you with today. “you are told that 1 in 4 people have mental health issues. That’s not true, it just isn’t your turn today.”

Overall, Dublin has been treating me well. Our group has been sight seeing, eating (too much), and learning more and more about each other every day. Here are some pictures from this weeks adventures!