Adults with Down syndrome as educators on the speech and language therapy course at NUI Galway, Ireland.

The lived experiences of people with communication disabilities is central to our speech and language therapy curriculum at NUI Galway in Ireland. The teaching team led by Dr. Rena Lyons aims to prepare students to become competent clinicians and independent lifelong learners. with an emphasis on lived experiences. We include adults with DS as educators in the classroom setting and as co-trainers in the delivery of Hear Me! Communication Awareness Training to people in the service industry. This presentation includes experiences from our adult educators: Declan Murphy, Isobel Dempsey, Roisin de Bruca, Marian Ryan and Francis Carr. It also includes experiences from our community Speech and language therapists: Mari Caulfield, Eileen ODonnell, Brid McAndrew, Grainne de Paor and Margaret Farrell and experiences of students. The presentation illustrates the partnership between the University and the local community.