Adapted DBT programme for individuals with intellectual disabilities and problems managing emotions: staff awareness training

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the development and evaluation of an original training package for staff members on an awareness of an adapted Dialectical behaviour Therapy programme, the ‘I Can Feel Good’ programme (Morrissey & Ingamells, 2014) designed for individuals with intellectual disabilities and problems managing emotions. The quality and effectiveness of the training was assessed and is reported in this paper. Design/methodology/approach The training was delivered for staff working with individuals with intellectual disabilities in a UK Medium Secure Psychiatric Hospital and was attended by nursing staff. The workshop consisted of six modules: ‘Introduction to the programme’, ‘Mindfulness’, ‘Managing feelings’, ‘Coping in crisis’, ‘People skills’ and ‘Application and summary’. Level of self-reported knowledge, confidence and motivation regarding seven aspects of the training was measured by an evaluation questionnaire completed pre and post training. Findings The results of this study showed that following the training there was a significant increase in self-reported knowledge, confidence and motivation regarding the seven aspects of the training. When perceptions of staff behaviours are observed, although in the right direction, this change was found not to be significant. Originality/value This study highlights the potential for staff training to increase awareness of newly adapted therapeutic programmes for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The staff training may increase their ability and willingness to facilitate the running of such programmes and ability to support learning transfer in group members

University Writing Centre Tutoring Handbook

This handbook is designed with two audiences in mind. The first of these is tutors working in the Maynooth University Writing Centre; the second is any writing centre director who may wish to produce or revitalise a handbook for writing centre tutors. With regards to the latter, we hope that this modest offering might prevent colleagues in other setting from having to start from scratch should they wish to develop a handbook for their tutors. The handbook has been compiled by existing Maynooth University Writing Centre staff and staff who have since moved on from the Writing Centre

University Writing Centre Tutoring Handbook

This handbook is designed with two audiences in mind. The first of these is tutors working in the Maynooth University Writing Centre; the second is any writing centre director who may wish to produce or revitalise a handbook for writing centre tutors. With regards to the latter, we hope that this modest offering might prevent colleagues in other setting from having to start from scratch should they wish to develop a handbook for their tutors. The handbook has been compiled by existing Maynooth University Writing Centre staff and staff who have since moved on from the Writing Centre

What Could Really Excellent Civic Engagement Look Like in a Technological University?

The purpose and motivation for civic engagement in an Irish Technological University is clear, as it achieves strategic objectives at a national level for both Higher Education and community sectors. The Technological Universities Act 2018 (http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2018/act/3/enacted/en/print) defines a Technological University (TU) as having a specific focus on community and business engagement, in addition to traditional university functions of teaching, learning, and research. Even the latter were required to be relevant at regional, national, and international levels. We argue that in line with this mission, technological universities should embed deep collaboration with community partners to work towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (2015 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300). This vision paper considers what excellent civic engagement in a TU could look like, if designed into structures and processes, to progress the SDGs. We draw on relevant research and our experiential knowledge as university and community organisation staff. We focus on four SDGs relevant to both the processes and content of civic engagement: quality education; reduced inequalities; sustainable cities and communities; and partnership for the goals. We draw learning from a case study of community engaged research within the curriculum to present a vision for how a TU can embed this work. We also provide recommendations to overcome critical challenges. While Ireland is our focus, our vision has international relevance too

County Probation: A Service-Learning and Community Engagement Project for Criminology

Our group focused on understanding the role of the probation office in the criminal justice system and in society. We were fortunate enough to work with the Union County Probation Office where we focused on adult probation, juvenile probation, and treatment court. We focused specifically on how it works, the effects of probation on society, and the differences between juvenile and adult probation. Much of what we learned through our participation at the Union County Probation Office relates to topics we covered in class discussions, debates, and in the textbook readings, making this a very worthwhile experience for our learning. One of our major topics of discussion was how and why people commit crimes

A Co-Design Partnership to Develop Universally Designed ICT Applications for People with Intellectual Disability

Abstract. Co-design has its roots in the Participatory Design techniques developed in Scandinavia in the 1970s. Co-design reflects a fundamental change in the traditional designer-client relationship. A key tenet of co-design is that users, as \u27experts\u27 of their own experience, become central to the design process. This reflects the role of the user at the heart of Universal Design. This paper describes an on-going co-design partnership between undergraduate ICT students and Community Partners who support individuals with Intellectual Disabilities. The aim of this work is to develop assistive technology applications and/or products which meet the requirements of the Community Partners. The core development philosophy is Universal Design. The project work forms part of the academic requirements for undergraduate assessment in computing courses and must fully meet the prescribed learning outcomes. The Community Partners initiate the process by outlining preliminary requirements for the Projects using online accessible videos. In partnership with the students they engage and participate in design, development and testing workshops throughout the lifecycle of the project. Some of the necessary preparations and agreements are described, which are required before these co-design partnerships can work for the mutual benefit of all concerned. The experiences and outcomes of completed projects are reflected upon and the potential benefits of promoting Universal Design through co-design partnerships between the ICT developers of the future and the Community Partners are considered. Examples of projects undertaken include Accessible Login and Shopping Assistant.

Establishment and Management of Native Functional Groups in Restoration

The limiting similarity hypothesis predicts that communities should be more resistant to invasion by non-natives when they include natives with a diversity of traits from more than one functional group. In restoration, planting natives with a diversity of traits may result in competition between natives of different functional groups and may influence the efficacy of different seeding and maintenance methods, potentially impacting native establishment. We compare initial establishment and first-year performance of natives and the effectiveness of maintenance techniques in uniform versus mixed functional group plantings. We seeded ruderal herbaceous natives, longer-lived shrubby natives, or a mixture of the two functional groups using drill- and hand-seeding methods. Non-natives were left undisturbed, removed by hand-weeding and mowing, or treated with herbicide to test maintenance methods in a factorial design. Native functional groups had highest establishment, growth, and reproduction when planted alone, and hand-seeding resulted in more natives as well as more of the most common invasive, Brassica nigra. Wick herbicide removed more non-natives and resulted in greater reproduction of natives, while hand-weeding and mowing increased native density. Our results point to the importance of considering competition among native functional groups as well as between natives and invasives in restoration. Interactions among functional groups, seeding methods, and maintenance techniques indicate restoration will be easier to implement when natives with different traits are planted separately. © 2013 Society for Ecological Restoration

Resolved Measurements of X_(CO) in NGC 6946

We present the largest sample to date of giant molecular clouds (GMCs) in a substantial spiral galaxy other than the Milky Way. We map the distribution of molecular gas with high resolution and image fidelity within the central 5 kpc of the spiral galaxy NGC 6946 in the ^(12)CO (J = 1-0) transition. By combining observations from the Nobeyama Radio Observatory 45 m single dish telescope and the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter Astronomy interferometer, we are able to obtain high image fidelity and accurate measurements of L_CO compared with previous purely interferometric studies. We resolve individual GMCs, measure their luminosities and virial masses, and derive X CO—the conversion factor from CO measurements to H2 masses—within individual clouds. On average, we find that X_CO = 1.2 × 10^(20) cm^(–2) (K km s^(–1))^(–1), which is consistent within our uncertainties with previously derived Galactic values as well as the value we derive for Galactic GMCs above our mass sensitivity limit. The properties of our GMCs are largely consistent with the trends observed for molecular clouds detected in the Milky Way disk, with the exception of six clouds detected within ~400 pc of the center of NGC 6946, which exhibit larger velocity dispersions for a given size and luminosity, as has also been observed at the Galactic center

Could Collaborative Research between Two Major Libraries Help Consolidate Digital Preservation and Break the “Project Cycle”?

The successful preservation of digital assets requires maintenance, continuity of service, and proactive stewardship.1 An ongoing challenge for Bodleian Libraries (of Oxford University) and Cambridge University Library (CUL) has been taking outputs from time-bound digital preservation projects and turning them into ongoing uninterrupted services. This is not a challenge which is specific to Bodleian Libraries and CUL, but it has been recognized as a difficult transition for many organizations to make. The Digital Preservation at Oxford and Cambridge (DPOC) project (2016–2018) is a collaboration between Bodleian Libraries and CUL which is supported and funded by The Polonsky Foundation. Bodleian Libraries and CUL have historically strong ties, and have previously collaborated on digital preservation projects. Both organizations also have experience creating digital preservation resources, for which stewardship at the end of projects has been transferred over to staff within the libraries for maintenance. However, siloed preservation activities have so far not translated into institution-wide, ongoing programmatic digital preservation activities