Impact Stories - Speaking Up!
Meaningful participation in society for people with disabilities is fully realised when they are in control of their own lives and choices. Their individual needs and perspectives are central, and they have the autonomy to make decisions. People with disabilities lead their own lives, determining their paths and shaping their futures according to their own preferences and rights. The United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) promotes, protects, and ensures the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all persons with disabilities, while also promoting respect for their inherent dignity. Others are to follow their lead, supporting and empowering them to live life on their terms.
The UNCRPD was adopted by the UN in 2006 and ratified by Ireland in March 2018. It is a global human rights treaty and framework to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and freedoms by people with disabilities.
WALK (Walkinstown Association for People with an Intellectual Disability) is an Irish charity whose work is underpinned by the UNCRPD. They support people with disabilities to access employment, training and community opportunities and to live self-determined lives. Their approach empowers people with disabilities to participate fully in an equal and inclusive society.
Reorienting the relationship between advocacy and disability rights
To explore this challenge, Second Year Social Care (TU996) students within the School of Social Sciences, Law and Education at TU Dublin engaged with WALK participants on the Speaking Up! project to explore advocacy, disability rights and the real-world application of the UNCRPD. The Students Learning with Communities+(SLWC+) project was Led by Social Care Lecturers, Dr Niall Hanlon and Dr Margaret Fingleton, and the co-learning collaboration was carefully designed to be beneficial for all who took part.
Co-design: Take a WALK in my shoes
In October 2025, in preparation to develop their project, students met with WALK Human Rights and Participation Practice Developer Vanessa Martin and Head of Practice Development Kevin Barnes to learn about self-advocacy and of the potential impact that their co-learning collaboration could create.
Throughout November, Social Care students worked in small self-assigned groups with one assigned member from the WALK community. As part of a series of weekly workshops, these groups worked to develop a deeper understanding of the inequalities experienced by Walk participants in their day-to-day lives. Experiences were shared and research used to raise awareness and provide insights on the relationship between disabilities and human rights. The workshops helped to build warm, welcoming and supportive relationships, and to develop self-advocacy skills centred around self-esteem and confidence for all participants.
Sustainability Education Lead, Dr Olivia Freeman, led a workshop to guide the group on how to employ a sustainability lens as they developed their projects. At a ‘step into the doughnut’ outdoor activity all participants were invited to consider how humanity can meet our needs within the finite means of the living planet. After reflection and discussion, the group then considered the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the context of the UNCRPD and the Speaking Up! project more broadly.
Speaking about the project, WALK Human Rights & Participation Practice Developer, Vanessa Martin said:
Speaking-Up! Co-Learning About Advocacy and Disability Rights was a transformative experience that fostered meaningful connections between WALK participants and TU Dublin students. Through face-to-face collaboration, both groups deepened their understanding of the UNCRPD and human rights, while building empowering relationships. The hands-on approach enhanced communication, self-esteem, and advocacy skills, leaving a lasting impact on everyone involved.
Speaking Up! with support from peers
In December, across two separate presentation sessions, Social Care students and WALK participants co-presented the outcome of their work together to the larger group. Informed by the UNCRPD and the SDG’s, the presentations explored the socially created disadvantage experienced by WALK participants. Each presentation centred around a specific human rights issue and groups incorporated the guide they had co-created to help develop self-advocacy skills relevant to this issue.
One particular project, titled ‘Tangfastics’’ involved a collaboration between four TU Dublin Social Care students and a WALK participant who is also a student at a College of Further Education. The group explored the inequalities that the WALK participant sometimes experienced in social settings. During the presentation the group shared examples of these; like how people might consult their support teachers instead of speaking to them directly on issues that were about them. The group worked together to develop a set of communication tips to help the WALK participant navigate the conversations and engagements that they wanted to have. This included developing ‘conversation starters’ around the WALK participant’s talents and interests.
TU Dublin student Alana Kennedy commented on the key learnings taken from participating in the project saying:
This project had a big impact on my learning and development as a social care worker, especially in certain areas such as advocacy, empowerment, and how to apply key social care theories. I got a hands-on experience in helping to empower an individual with a disability to make choices and advocate for themselves…. I also learned a lot about person- centred care, and how to tailor your support to a person’s certain needs and preferences.
WALK participant, Michelle O' Rourke, endorsed the project saying:
What I learned from the project in TU Dublin, I met new people, I also learned about human rights and disability rights, and speaking up for yourself. Going to different locations and asking questions around my social outings project. I really liked TU Dublin, they were very helpful and patient.
Shared impact
Target 10.3 of UN SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities challenges policy makers to ensure equal opportunities for all and to end discrimination. The target stipulates the elimination of discriminatory laws, policies and practices and to promote appropriate legislation, policies and action.
The Social Care students invested in the Speaking Up! project are supporting SDG 10 and gaining real world experience by collaborating with members of the WALK community. By co-designing the advocacy presentation with their WALK participant partner, students can develop an appreciation of the needs and rights of persons with disabilities and the importance of self-advocacy for realising those rights. WALK participants can also benefit from the opportunity to participate within a higher-education learning environment and to develop their self-advocacy skills with peer support from Social Care students.
TU Dublin Lecturer, Niall Hanlon reflected on the project’s success saying:
The Speaking Up project was an exceptionally impactful and fulfilling initiative, enabling participants to bridge the gap between theory and practice in a profound way. It brought social justice issues to life, making them tangible and deeply meaningful. Beyond this, it highlighted an often-overlooked yet vital dimension of learning—the significance of care, connection, and friendships in personal and professional growth.
The learning outcomes and potential impact of the Speaking Up! project is aligned to many of the UN SDGs and supports in particular; SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing, SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 5: Gender Equality, SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.
The project also aligns with specific competences from the GreenComp sustainability competency framework including; supporting fairness, critical thinking, exploratory thinking, and acting for sustainability.
About SLWC+
SLWC+ enables co-learning collaborations in real-world environments. Through the programme, TU Dublin students, academics and collaboration partners work together to examine an aspect of sustainability that matters to them. Collaboration with societal partners, can create a transformative learning environment where students can develop and apply their specialist subject skills in the real-world. SLWC+ is a pilot programme exploring how the earlier Students Learning with Communities (SLWC) programme can evolve. In the 2025-26 academic year SLWC+ will become Sustainability Action Lab – TU Dublin’s collaborative learning programme that translates Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into real-world action.