Cork Occupational Therapy Services Ltd have been providing occupational therapy staff to at least 5 different higher educational institutions over the past 5 years. Some are on consult and some are full time tendered contracts on site. The service has been provided in Cork Munster Technological University, University College Cork, Cork Education and Training Board, Galway and Limerick

Occupational Therapists working in Higher Education have made a significant contribution to supporting the health, well-being, and success of students in higher education in Ireland over the past twenty years, and they continue to be at the forefront of the practice and research in the area internationally.  The number of Occupational Therapists working in higher education has grown significantly over the past ten years, with Occupational Therapy services now provided in many Higher Education Institutions (HEI) across Ireland. (Authors Dr. Kieran Lewis, Trinity College Dublin; Dr. Eithne Hunt University College Cork; Susan Madigan, Dublin City University)

Ref: Assoc of Occupational Therapists of Ireland Newsletter December 2024

Occupational Therapists in University work to support students to engage in their student role and everyday activities, or occupations associated with life as a university student.

They normally work as part of the team in the Disability Support or Access Services.

For a variety of reasons, people can be faced with barriers to engagement in activities that are meaningful and important to them. Occupational therapy aims to support students in identifying their strengths, developing their skills and strategies to help navigate student life, to overcome barriers or setbacks that might arise in their journey in university and beyond.

As an example of how an Occupational therapy identifies and explores such strengths and barriers, please see below a conceptual model frequently used in OT practice. This has examples of issues presented by students from the higher education setting.

The Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) Model (Law et al., 1996)

Referrals that may be received:

• Students with a diagnosed disability or health condition who may have accessed their course placement through the DARE scheme from AHEAD (Ireland) – for example students with dyslexia, dyscalculia, Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD), Autism (ASD), ADHD, Mental Health Conditions, or Physical Disability.
• Students who experience a change in their ability due to accident or a long term health condition developing
• Students who are neurodivergent, including those who discovered this recently or received a ‘late’ diagnosis
• Students with ongoing health conditions leading to symptoms like pain or fatigue

Occupational issues that may be addressed:

• Executive Functioning difficulties impacting all or specific aspects of student life – attendance, task completion, time keeping, organisational skills.
• Sensory Executive Functioning difficulties impacting all or specific aspects of student life – attendance, task completion, time keeping, organisational skills.
• Sensory overload/dysregulation impacting attendance at lectures or participation in college life
• Challenges with sleep impacting ability to engage in student life – social & academic
• Challenges developing or maintaining a balances routine that supports participation in self-care, leisure and productive tasks like academic work
• Self-management of symptoms such as anxiety, fatigue or painoverload/dysregulation impacting attendance at lectures or participation in college life
• Challenges with sleep impacting ability to engage in student life – social & academic
• Challenges developing or maintaining a balances routine that supports participation in self-care, leisure and productive tasks like academic work
• Self-management of symptoms such as anxiety, fatigue or pain

Some examples of Group work:

• Study skills development – for specific student cohorts PhD, Masters and Undergraduate students
• Orientation to Campus and student life – run at the start of Semester 1  or before, as students are settling into campus and facing challenges associated with the change in environment, education setting and expectations.
• Independent living group – covering skill development related to independent living (meal preparation, budgeting, public transport access).
• Neurodivergent support groups – different groups for students with a specific diagnosis (ASD/ADHD) or who identify as neurodivergent – opportunity for social connection and covering topics such as self-regulation skills, time management, prioritisation skills, semester planning and study skills.

Outreach & Education:

Occupational Therapists in higher education may organise and facilitate training and upskilling for staff on their team or for staff across the university.

They may also be part of events run by different societies in the university, increasing awareness and support for inclusion.

Disability Advisor/Disability Support Officer work:

As our Occupational Therapists form part of the team in the Access or Disability Support Services they may also spend some time working in the role of a disability advisors. The time allocated to this varies on the time of the year. The tasks they may do as part of this are outlined below.

• Supporting students to register with the Disability Support Service
• Needs assessments to establish reasonable accommodations to be put in place related to Teaching, Exams and Placements.
• Drop-In sessions – students can attend to gain information about what support is available to them or present with an academic concern.
• Sourcing academic assistance for the student
• Supporting student to identify and access other student based services that are available to them based on their presenting concern

If you are interested in joining our team, we currently have a vacancy for a full time senior occupational therapist in Galway.

If you are interested in our services, please reach out.