Previous Conferences

DOCTRID conferences are a forum for tackling the challenges faced by people with Intellectual Disabilities and autism


The first DOCTRID Conference took place in 2010 in Carton House, Co Kildare, Ireland where a unique collaboration between researchers, disability service providers and industry was firmly established and has grown in size and impact since then. The conferences bring caregivers,service providers, researchers and policy makers together to identify the needs of those with Intellectual Disability (ID) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and to deliver solutions to enhance their quality of life, mainly through the use of Assistive Technology (AT). The DOCTRID conferences act as a platform to highlight the ongoing research in behavioural, social and technological sciences in ID and ASD as well as the current issues facing service providers and carers. By brining everyone together, this will stimulate discussions on how AT can tackle the challenges faced by people with ID and ASD and those around them-carers, families and educators.

Further conferences and workshops in 2012 and 2013 strengthened this collaboration and showcased the success of the DOCTRID initiative with the announcement of two international research programmes-the MSU-Hegarty Fellowship and the €9M ASSISTID programme. Together, these will fund a total of 49 Research Fellows who will conduct evidence based research with practical applications to improve the quality of life, social inclusion, independence and policy in the area of ID and ASD.

Click on the links below to view the brochures and pages from the previous DOCTRID International Conferences


DOCTRID V University of Limerick


DOCTRID IV Queen's University Belfast


DOCTRID 2013