Episode Two: “Social experiences - Disabled students - Initial Teacher Education” Dr. Vivian Rath

My guest in this podcast episode is Dr. Vivian Rath. Vivian is an adjunct teaching fellow in Trinity College Dublin and recently completed his Ph.D on the “social engagement experiences of disabled students in higher education in Ireland”. He obtained a Master’s in management from Smurfit Business School where he researched the employment of graduates with disabilities. He is a member of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Disability Advisory Committee. This committee has a role in the monitoring of the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. He has extensive experience providing supports to people with disabilities accessing education and employment opportunities. A person with a disability, Vivian has been a disability activist for many years, campaigning for greater participation of people with disabilities in public and political life. In this episode, Vivian discusses the social engagement of disabled students in Higher Education including in Initial Teacher Education. We talk about his current work and his research and how his research is significant in terms of creating awareness and seeking to widen participation in Higher Education with a specific focus on disabled students. Vivian believes that we have a long way to go to address real engagement of disabled people in Initial Teacher Education. We discuss barriers for disabled students in accessing the teaching profession at the entry point and challenges for disabled student teachers on ITE courses. He emphasises the importance of the visibility of disabled teachers across the continuum of teacher education and how role models are critical for aspiring teachers and for enabling a more diverse teaching profession. Vivian recalls his own education journey from post-primary school onwards and describes how he has progressed through many stages of education up to his PhD and beyond. This is a must-listen episode; enlightening, encouraging and most of all very interesting. Join us!