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Dara Ryder is Chief Executive Officer of AHEAD, having previously managed AHEAD’s digital presence and developed a suite of online CPD programmes relating to inclusive practice in his role as Digital Media and eLearning Manager there.

After graduating from Queens University in 2005, Dara joined Dun Laoghaire College of Further Education as a lecturer, where he became interested in inclusive education when working first-hand with students with disabilities in his classroom.  When the opportunity arose in 2008, he joined AHEAD where he has been working ever since on creating inclusive environments in education and employment for people with disabilities.

Richard received has a PhD from Maynooth University. His research was informed by the current drug service user narrative in Ireland, primarily methadone maintenance treatment and he continues to advocate for the human rights of those who engage with Irish services. Most of this work is carried out with the Service User Rights in Action, a group of which Richard is a member. Richard works in AHEAD as Policy and Research Officer. He conducts research projects such as our annual participation rates data on students with disabilities engaged in disability support services and is responsible for writing policy submissions.

Vivian is the Organiser of the National Disabled Postgraduate Advisory Committee and the TCD Forum for Disabled Staff and Postgraduate Students. Vivian is an academic, a human and disability rights advocate and a change maker. He is currently an Adjunct Teaching Fellow in Trinity College Dublin (TCD) School of Education and the Research Officer with the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability (AHEAD). His Ph.D, titled the “social engagement experiences of disabled students in higher education in Ireland”, focused on the areas of disabled student social engagement, transitions, voice and belonging.  

Alexa will complete her Gender Studies MA in August 2024, and her thesis will examine the lived experiences of neurodivergent women in their  personal relationships and in the workplace. She was given a positive autism assessment in February 2023 and is dedicated to exploring the impact of mid-life assessment on neurodivergent women. Alexa hosts The Neurogender Podcast that explores current research on neurodivergence, and is hoping to set up UCD's first Neurodiversity Society.

Sinead is a PhD student in DCU’s Institute of Education. She previously did an undergraduate Psychology degree in DCU as an online education student and was a class rep for four years. From this, she developed an interest in how students with disabilities manage the juggling of personal and professional lives required by online education and decided to research this in my PhD. She is really excited to be part of the AHEAD/USI Student Advisory Working Group and be part of advocating for a more inclusive higher education system, and is looking forward to working with lots of great people.

Aoife is an Early Stage Researcher on the Disability Advocacy Research in Europe (DARE), part of the Marie Sokolowski-Curie Actions, and working with the European Disability Forum for the duration of the project. She is a PhD candidate in Disability Law and Policy at the National University of Ireland, Galway. She graduated with an MSc in Applied Social Research from Trinity College Dublin and a BA in Politics and International Relations from the University of Limerick. Prior to taking up her current role she worked in the area of youth mental health and led the national mental health project with the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) which resulted in the publication of the USI National Report on Student Mental Health in Third Level Education.

Steven will complete his BA Arts in Community Development in May this year but hopes to progress to level 8 in September.  Steven has a passion for assistive technology and he is doing his 3rd year dissertation on ‘Education to the labour market, A case study of the challenges, faced by the disabled adults’.  Steven has a cerebral palsy diagnosis with hydrocephalus since birth and is dedicated to helping others with disabilities to improve their lives

Banba Fitzgerald holds two first class honours degrees from University College Dublin including a BSc in Science and an MSc in Business & Biotherapeutics. She is very passionate about the healthcare and disability sectors and has personal experience with hidden disabilities. Her background has largely been in the pharmaceutical and medical communications industries with experience in a variety of areas including project and event management. At present, Banba is currently working in AHEAD as GetAHEAD Officer and is dedicated to making a meaningful difference in the disability community.

Philip joined the AHEAD team in 2022 and is working on The Willing Able Mentoring (WAM) Programme which aims to promote access to the employment for graduates with disabilities and build the capacity of employers to integrate disability into the mainstream workplace. Not only is Philip working on the WAM Programme, but he is also a former participant of the WAM Programme in 2018. Philip strives to use this unique perspective of the challenges faced by graduates with disabilities in the workplace, to offer support and guidance as they begin their respective careers.