What is this training about?
In this training you will learn about a law called the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015.
You will learn about
- the ways that people can make decisions with support,
- what happens if someone else thinks you are not able to make your own decisions
- how you can plan for decisions to be made in the future about you.
How does the training work?
The training course takes place on Zoom in groups of no more than 12 people. There will be three sessions over two weeks. Each session will last for 2 hours. There will be plenty of chances to ask questions during the training.
There will be 2 groups each day and you can choose to take part in the training as part the morning (10am - 12pm) or afternoon (1pm - 3pm) group. You will be in the same morning or afternoon group on all 3 days. There will be 12 people in each session.
How can I take part?
To take part in the training, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or you can call Mary on 086 0081153 or Joanna on 086-4181673.
What you need to take part?
The training will take place on Zoom, so you need to have access to an email address to get the link to the training. It is best to do the training on a laptop or tablet (you can join using a smartphone but it may be harder to see everyone else in the session). You will also need to have a good internet connection and a quiet private space to do the training. We will ask everyone to attend a zoom test before the training to make sure the technology works for each attendee.
Who is the training for?
We designed this training specifically for people with intellectual disabilities but other disabled people might also benefit from the accessible way we deliver this training.
This includes:
- people with experience of mental health services,
- people with dementia,
- people with acquired brain injury,
- autistic and neurodiverse people.
If you’re not sure if your experience is a good fit for this training, you can contact us on an email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or calling Mary on 086-0081153 or Joanna on 086-4181673.
Who is the training NOT for?
This training is not designed for staff or family members. The Centre for Disability Law and Policy offers a separate training course for staff and family members are also welcome to attend that training. If you would like more information or would like us to organise training for a specific group of staff or families, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will do our best to set this up.
Can supporters attend?
If you want to bring a staff member or family member to support you during the training they are welcome. We will ask them to support you to take part, but they can not to ask their own questions during the session.
I’ve never heard of this law before – is this training for me?
This training will introduce you to the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015. If you’ve never heard of this law before, don’t worry, this training is definitely for you! If you already know something about the law, the training will still be useful. If you already know a lot about this law, the training may be less useful for you. Please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or calling Mary on 086-0081153 or Joanna on 086-4181673 if you are not sure.
I’ve never done training online before – is this training for me?
We have designed the training to be as accessible as possible and want to make sure it works for everyone. We will run a test session to make sure everyone can join a Zoom call, mute and unmute their microphone and press the ‘raise hand’ button. If you can join a Zoom call but find it difficult to mute your mic or press the ‘raise hand’ button we can work around this.
Will the training be accessible?
The training has been designed to be accessible to people with intellectual disabilities. We ran a pilot training with a group of people with intellectual disabilities to try this out in advance and we have taken on board what they told us we should do to make the training more accessible.
We will have PowerPoint slides on the screen during the session, and we will send these to everyone by email or post in advance. We will also send people a ‘raise hand’ sign by post if they wish to use this instead of the on-screen button.
Each session lasts 2 hours and we will take a 10 minute break after the first hour. If you find it more accessible to post messages in chat instead of asking them with your microphone, you can do that too.
Who is delivering the training?
The training will be delivered by researchers at the Centre for Disability Law and Policy.
Here are some of the trainers who will be involved:
Eilionóir Flynn is the Director of the Centre. She has been researching disability rights for 15 years. She has worked with a lot of groups in Ireland and abroad on supporting people with disabilities to make decisions. The groups she has worked with include the National Platform of Self Advocates, and Recovery Experts by Experience, the Irish Dementia Working Group.
Clíona de Bhailís is a researcher in the Centre. She is interested in disability rights, decision making, and support. She is working on a project looking at the Assisted Decision – Making Act and people who use non-traditional communication. She finished her PhD research about decision making rights for young people with disabilities in 2023.
What do I need to do before the training?
- Register to attend
- Give us an email address to send the zoom link and other information to.
- Tell us if you want the training materials by email or post
- Tell us any access needs you want us to know about
- Take part in the Zoom test call to make sure everything works
What will I get before the training?
Before the training you will receive:
- A set of slides which will be used in the training
- A link to a test Zoom call where we check everything will work
- A link to the training Zoom sessions by email on the day of the training
What will I learn at this training?
You will learn how the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act applies in practice to different decisions in people’s lives.
You will learn about
- the ways that people can make decisions with support
- what happens if someone else thinks you are not able to make your own decisions
- how you can plan for decisions to be made in the future about you.
What happens if I book a place but cannot attend?
Please cancel your place as soon as you know that you will not be able to attend so that we can offer your place to someone else. You will be given the option to re-book on a future training session.
I have been told I am on the waiting list – what happens now?
If you are on a waiting list we will let you know as soon as possible if a space becomes available for the training. If there is no place available in this round you will be the first to know the dates of the next round of training so that you can book a place then.
Will the training sessions be recorded to watch back?
No – we will not record the sessions to watch back. This is because not everyone participating is comfortable being recorded and we want to make sure everyone feels comfortable to ask any question they can think of during the session.
What happens after the training?
After the training we will give you a certificate to show you took part (by email or post). We will also send you a feedback form to let us know how you found the training (by email or post). This will help us to improve the training in the future.
What if I want to attend the training again?
We know that it can be helpful to repeat the training to learn more each time. We are happy to have people attend the training again but will limit the numbers of people repeating the training to 2 people per session. This is to make sure we give more spaces to people who are learning about this law for the first time.
