Aoife McNicholl

Dr

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Dr. Aoife McNicholl is an Assistant Professor in the School of Psychology, DCU. She completed a BSc. in Psychology and a PhD in Disability and Rehabilitation Psychology, both in DCU. Her PhD focused on the impact of assistive technology for students with disabilities in higher education and was funded through the IRC Postgraduate Scholarship. She teaches across a number of modules on the psychology programme such as Educational Psychology and Psychology, Illness and Disability and an Introduction to Psychology module on the nursing programme.

Aoife also formerly worked as the Universal Design Project Coordinator in DCU and is the lead facilitator for staff in DCU undertaking the Universal Design for Learning Digital Badge. She is a proud disability advocate and is a member of a number of advisory boards/disability groups such as Independent Living Movement Ireland, the National Task Force for Digital and Assistive Technology in the HSE, the Technical Advisory Group for the Universal Design of Changing Places Toilets and the Community Hub for Assistive Technology. 

Peer Reviewed Journal

Year Publication
2023 McNicholl, A., Desmond, D., & Gallagher, P. (2023) 'Feeling valued: the interplay of assistive technology and identity'. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, :1-12. [DOI]
2023 McNicholl, A.; Desmond, D.; Gallagher, P. (2023) 'Assistive technologies, educational engagement and psychosocial outcomes among students with disabilities in higher education'. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 18 (1):50-58. [DOI]
2022 Zorec, Klavdija; Desmond, Deirdre; Boland, Trevor; McNicholl, Aoife; O'Connor, Anne; Stafford, Gillian; Gallagher, Pamela (2022) 'A whole-campus approach to technology and inclusion of students with disabilities in higher education in Ireland'. DISABILITY & SOCIETY, . [DOI]
2021 Mooney, O.; McNicholl, A.; Lambert, V.; Gallagher, P. (2021) 'Self-management in children and young people with epilepsy: A systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis'. Journal of Health Psychology, 26 (1):126-139. [DOI]
2021 McNicholl, A.; Casey, H.; Desmond, D.; Gallagher, P. (2021) 'The impact of assistive technology use for students with disabilities in higher education: a systematic review'. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 16 (2). [DOI]

Review Articles

Year Publication
2022 Woods, Siobhan; Dunne, Simon; Gallagher, Pamela; McNicholl, Aoife (2022) A systematic review of the factors associated with athlete burnout in team sports. REV [DOI]
Certain data included herein are derived from the © Web of Science (2023) of Clarivate. All rights reserved.

Research Interests

Aoife's research focuses on the impact of assistive technology use, psychosocial experiences of students with disabilities and broader psychological and social implications of living with a disability. She is particularly interested in the intersections between technology and identity for those with a disability. Her research adopts a human rights based approach where she endeavours to involve participants throughout the research process. 

Modules Coordinated

Term Title Subject
2024 Introduction to Psychology for Nursing Students PSYC101
2024 PSYC204
2024 PSYC307