NABMSE Conference & AGM 9th and 10th October 2025

Hodson Bay Hotel, Roscommon Road, Athlone, N37 XR82

📅 Thursday 9th October – Conference Day 1

🕚 10:45am – 11:45pm – Registration 📍 Eiscir Riada

• Tea, Coffee & Sandwiches
• Exhibition Space

🕛 11:45pm – Conference Opens 📍 Clonmacnoise

• Patricia Harrington, NABMSE Chairperson

🕧 12:00pm – 12:50pm – Presentations 📍 Clonmacnoise

• Learning without Limits: Reimagining the Future - Professor Michael Shevlin, Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities
  Presentation Synopsis:
  Young people who have an intellectual disability are among the most marginalized within Irish society with limited opportunities for progression to a meaningful adulthood. This paper presents an alternative approach to ensuring that these young people can become meaningful participants within their communities. We can begin to reimagine how existing educational and employment structures can be challenged so these young people are valued and matter within Irish society.

🕧 12:50pm – 1:00pm 📍 Clonmacnoise

• How Guidance has Changed my Pathway - Amy Ryan, Past Pupil, Midwest School for the Deaf 
  Presentation Synopsis:
  Looking at how guidance from many sources has changed my educational pathway.

🕐 1:00pm – 1:15pm – Register for AGM 📍 Clonmacnoise

🕐 1:15pm – 3:15pm – AGM 📍 Clonmacnoise

🕒 3:15pm – 4:00pm – Break 📍 Eiscir Riada

• Tea, Coffee & Scones
• Exhibition Space

🕓 4:00pm – 4:45pm - Workshops

• Beyond the Label of ‘Special Class Teacher’: Exploring Real Stories from Autism Classrooms - Christina Hannify, Assistant Professor in the School of Inclusive and Special Education DCU and Lousie Moore, Primary School Teacher, Scoil Mhuire Junior, Newbridge 📍 Lough Rea 1
• Views & Experiences of Transition from Special School: Capturing the Voices That Matter - Leanne Connolly, Assistant Professor in Inclusive and Special Education DCU 📍 Clonmacnoise
• Towards Equitable Pathways from Education to Employment for all – A Social Justice Perspective - Dr Rory O’Sullivan, Adjunct Professor, School of Policy and Practice, DCU 📍 Killinure
• Wake up to Wellbeing “Make Life Better” - Stephen Dargan, CEO, Happy Workplaces 📍 Lough Rea 3

🕟 4:45pm – 5:30pm – Presentation 📍 Clonmacnoise

• How to stay out of the WRC - Brian Matthews, Millett & Matthews
  Presentation Synopsis:
  • Overview of Workplace Relations Commission
  • Dealing with non-marital families
  • Gender related issues with pupils and employees
  • Equality law issues in admissions and recruitment
  • Managing workplace procedures (e.g. disciplinary and grievance procedures)
  • Pitfalls relating to Ancillary Staff

🍽️ 7:30pm – Dinner 📍 Clonmacnoise

📅 Friday 10th October – Conference Day 2 

🕚 8:30am – 9:00am – Registration 📍 Eiscir Riada

🕘 9:00am – 9:30am – Presentation 📍 Clonmacnoise

• Leading from the Future: Co-Creating Inclusive Education Through Stakeholder Collaboration - Dr Joanne Banks, Associate Professor, Education, TCD
  Presentation Synopsis:
  Despite strong policy commitments to inclusive education, segregated settings persist in practice in Irish education. This presentation examines this contradiction, arguing that transformative change requires deep listening, stakeholder collaboration, and co-creation to bridge the gap between Ireland’s inclusive education policy ideals and the lived reality of exclusionary systems of special education.

🕤 9:30am – 10:30am – Panel Discussion 📍 Clonmacnoise

• Facilitated by Dr Joanne Banks
• Minister + Panel Discussion
• DEY, NCSE, Parent - Ciara Reilly, Principal, DS Ireland - Fidelma Brady

🕥 10:45am – 11:15am – Break 📍 Eiscir Riada

• Break & Exhibition Time

🕚 11:15am – 12:00pm – Presentation 📍 Clonmacnoise

• Hopes, Hurdles, and Headway: The Story of Dublin 15’s Autism Class Common Application Trial -Helena Trench, Principal, Powerstown ETNS
  Presentation Synopsis:
  This session explores the Dublin 15 Autism Class Common Application Trial—an innovative, principal-led initiative designed to streamline autism class admissions in a high-demand area. It highlights the hopes, hurdles, and headway of Year 1, and outlines how the trial is evolving in its second year with expanded school participation and continued collaboration between parents, schools, and the NCSE.

🕛 12:00pm – 12:50pm – Presentation 📍 Clonmacnoise

• School Experiences and Post School Transitions of Disabled Young People - Professor Selina McCoy, Head of Education Research, ESRI
  Presentation Synopsis:
  This presentation draws on the large-scale mixed method study Paths, Tracks, Gaps and Cliffs: The post-school transitions of students with special educational needs (McCoy et al., 2024), examining how disabled young adults prepare for leaving school, the opportunities available, the pathways they take and their experiences of those pathways.

🕧 12:50pm – 1:00pm – Conference Closes 📍 Clonmacnoise

• Eileen O'Rourke, NABMSE General Secretary

🍲 1:00pm – Hot Lunch 📍 Octagon Restaurant