Return to website | Use Large text version

Rehabilitative Training

A good foundation

For more than 10 years, our training centre has run a foundation course for people with sight loss, offering a range of modules, including daily living and kitchen skills, job seeking advice, computer training, personal development, recreational activities, braille and mobility training.

For many who participate in the course, it is an opportunity not only to learn new skills, but also to build confidence and increase independence while earning a FETAC accreditation.

Individual plan

Our staff will meet you to discuss your aims and will help you set out short and long term goals for the course. Based on these goals, you can choose the modules that interest you most. You will also meet your mentor, a member of staff who is on hand to provide advice and information and will review your goals with you every three months.

Independence

The aim of the foundation course is to encourage independence. We can provide mobility training if you want to build confidence in different routes or in using public transport. Working with a mobility trainer, you can become familiar with routes from your house to, for example, the bus stop, the shop or the bank or around your local area.

The course content covers daily living and kitchen skills, which includes sewing on a button, ironing, using the washing machine and other kitchen equipment and everything from making a cup of tea to cooking a meal, with the opportunity to take further cookery classes.

Computer training and work seeking skills will give you a good base for further training and employment. Further advice on employment is available from our employment advisor [ 1 ].

As well as providing these skills courses, the foundation course also provides an opportunity to take up new hobbies and meet new people. As well as access to a fully equipped gym, recreational activities include yoga,
music, pottery and crafts.

Modules

• Daily living skills
• Kitchen skills
• Job seeking skills
• Computer training
• Recreational activities
• Braille
• Handwriting
• Mobility training
• Telephony
• Literacy and Numeracy
• Pottery
• Cultural studies
• Personal effectiveness.

How to apply

The course is one year full-time but training is flexible depending on your needs.

If you are between the ages of 16 and 65 and are registered with NCBI, you can apply for the foundation course. Find out how to register with the NCBI [ 2 ].

The foundation course is based in our training centre at our head office in Whitworth Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 9.