Art college experience for Sylvia

THE Burren College of Art got a temporary new recruit recently as part of a job shadow initiative.
EmployAbilityClare service user Sylvia O’Doherty shadowed a PhD research student, Elizabeth Matthews, at the college as part of the Irish Association of Supported Employment’s (IASE) National Job Shadow Day.
The National Job Shadow Initiative is designed to give people with disabilities the opportunity to get a close-up look at the world of work for one day or one week in April each year. This allows them to learn about the skills and education required to compete and succeed in the workplace.
Participants shadow a workplace mentor as they go about their daily work. Patrick O’Neill, team leader, EmployAbilityClare selected Sylvia for the opportunity. His decision was based in part on Sylvia’s talent for drawing buildings in 3D.
“Our service has been working closely with Mary Hawkes Greene, president, Burren College of Art on a creative arts project. When approached about Job Shadow, Mary quickly arranged a shadow for the day. Sylvia was provided with her own workspace for the day,” Patrick commented.
According to Sylvia, her day in the college proved very beneficial. “I loved the trip through the Burren to the college. I had never been there before. Elizabeth gave me the experience working with different materials. I really liked her creation, which was made of discarded items of clothing. I helped her cut them into strips, which was then used in her wall hanging. The experience has encouraged me to continue developing my art,” she said.
Elizabeth said she found the experience enjoyable and interesting. “First, the people I worked with were great fun and inspiring. The person I mentored, Sylvia, had an interest in art and some natural ability with drawing and working with her hands, which turned out to be a perfect fit for the type of work that I am doing. This opened my mind to the fact that people with disabilities who may have a difficult time finding employment may very well have talents, which can be developed and ultimately be beneficial to employers or others in the community.”
“My PhD project is focused on the concept of Utopia explored through contemporary art practice. As part of this, I am exploring the use of non-traditional, domestic materials and techniques in the creation of art objects. This led me to exploring the mother-daughter relationship as a missing link in the historical quest for an ideal society in our Western world and then to the design of a project, which looks at the mother-daughter relationship in India (a non-western culture) and the art of Rangoli or Kolam, which is passed down from mother to daughter.
“The idea is to explore the private space and dreams of the feminine as a source through which social desires and ideals can be more holistically manifested. My EmployAbilityClare client was well able to help me with what I had going on in the studio and has added a welcome and unexpected perspective to my research,” Elizabeth added.
According to Patrick, the job shadow initiative gives employers the opportunity to get involved in the project without making a commitment.
“The process will enable a job coach to engage with an employer, discuss concerns they have about employing people with disabilities and also to let them know of the range of support services available to them if they employ a person with a disability. A core belief of IASE is that people with disabilities, including those with significant disabilities, should have equal opportunity to have a job.  Supported employment enables people with disabilities to find, secure and maintain employment in the open labour market with on the job training and individualised long-term support if necessary,” he explained.