IN PICTURES: Tipperary adults with Down Syndrome honoured for literacy achievements

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Back row: Kevin Landers and Kaye Mullaney, Tipperary ETB, Ann-Marie Lynch, Dabhorin O'Gorman, Eddie Ryan and Mary Kelleher, Colin Cummins, Jeanne Roche and Linda McCormack, Tipperary ETB.

Front row: Eimear Ryan, Anna Beth Ryan, Mary Roche Cleary Tipperary ETB, Amanda Conlon, Gerard O'Dwyer.

Sixteen learners from Latch-On groups in Cahir and Thurles were honoured by Tipperary Education and Training Board (ETB) at a recent graduation ceremony to mark the end of their two-year literacy programme. 

The event at the TUS Thurles campus on Monday, 17 June, celebrated the achievements of learners in Literacy and Technology Hands-On (Latch-On), a unique literacy programme for adults with Down syndrome. 

This Latch-On programme started in September 2022, in partnership with Down Syndrome Ireland. There were two classes, one in Cahir and the other class in Thurles, both with eight participants, running for two days a week. 

The course was managed by Adult Literacy Organisers, Mary Roche Cleary in Cahir and Mary Jo Kennedy-Deegan in Thurles. The day-to-day coordination of the courses was managed by resource workers Kevin Landers and Jackie Flanagan.

Linda McCormack and Jeanne Roche (Cahir tutors), and Lorraine Treacy and Áine Knightly (Thurles tutors), worked to ensure the learners experienced a very positive, inclusive and supportive environment where independent living skills were encouraged. 

Developed at the University of Queensland in Australia, Latch-On is now taught in centres across Ireland to adults with Down syndrome. The course content is designed to allow the students opportunities to access all types of literacy, from viewing through to reading and writing. 

All the learners and their families enjoyed the graduation day in Thurles, where the fantastic experiences and hard work of the learners were described. 

Tipperary ETB wishes all the participants the best of luck for the future in their lifelong learning journey. 

Photographs: Odhran Ducie