Ms Gráinne Berrill:

Before we came here today I canvassed various special schools with which we interact on this issue. The primary point made is that the primary curriculum is being delivered in the special schools, whether or not a person is capable of more. On an individual school basis, people can achieve FETAC levels 1, 2 and 3. Some people can achieve the junior certificate. However, the point was made that there are people with intellectual disability who can achieve more than primary level education, which is true. There are other people who cannot achieve more than primary level education but can be prepared for life. Currently, the special education system is not necessarily preparing a person for life. This means a young person of 16 years of age, who is effectively an adult, continues to do primary level mathematics which may be beyond him or her, which leads to their dropping out of school and so on. People with disabilities who leave school early are not entitled to adult services. There are very few transition options for young people who do not want to go into a day service setting, which is the main progression route for young people with disabilities, particularly those with intellectual disability. While, as there should be, there are a suite of options available to every young person in this country, there is no suite of options available to the people about which we speaking today. Whether or not a person takes up these options is another story. Having a variety of options is important.