John Dolan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I should say by way of introduction, that as a member of the Seanad, I am not a member of any political party. I was elected as an independent Senator on the issue of disability inclusion, and it is on that issue that I wish to focus. We have a saying in Irish, and I am sure the Commissioner will tell me the equivalent saying in Hungarian; "Tosach maith, leath na hoibre." A good start is half the work. Education is a cornerstone, and the Commissioner has recognised that in what he has said.

I apologise for not being here at the start of this meeting. I was at a meeting of the Committee for Transport, Tourism and Sport which was looking at accessible transport for people with disabilities. I met with the cabinet of the Commissioner for Transport last week, so there is a European angle to these issues as well. Transport can facilitate participation in education, as well as in cultural activities, sport and other activities.

My apologies for not being here, but I have read the Commission's opening statement. The committee will let me be tetchy or touchy by saying I do not see the word "disability" used once in it. Mr. Navracsics spoke about disadvantaged students. The witnesses might respond that the inclusion of people with disabilities is implied, that the EU has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which is certainly a very significant thing, and that there is a European Union disability strategy. I would still make the point that mentioning people with disabilities is critical. The President of the European Parliament, Mr. Antonio Tajani, along with the president of the European Disability Forum, Mr. Yannis Vardakastanis, opened a European Parliament of Persons with Disabilities in the European Parliament last Wednesday, as Mr. Navracsics will be aware. Some 750 people with disabilities from right across the Union were present. I was honoured to lead an Irish delegation of 11 people.

Mr. Navracsics' brief includes education and culture. In a word, my big issue is changing culture. One example is the tendency to presume that things are okay for disabled people, or, when a disability issue is raised, for people to say that they have never thought about it. In this domain it is important to very specifically reference the 80 million Europeans with disabilities, a number which is heading towards 100 million. They are not all in the first flush of life. Within that group, a minority are children and young people going to school. We want them to take part in Erasmus Plus. We want them to be jetting around Europe, and, along with their able-bodied peers, to come home talking about the time they had and the possibilities before them.

Mr. Navracsics's statement says that he is pleased to announce that he will be hosting the first European Education Summit in Brussels. I hope that that becomes an opportunity to underline this issue. The statement talks about working towards a high-level political consensus on tackling inequality through education. People with disabilities need access to education. Everybody does, but it is life and death to them.

Mr. Navracsics has graciously said that Ireland has plenty of experience to share, and it is a fair point. Over the past decade this country has undertaken unprecedented national efforts to modernise its education sector, despite the difficulties we have had. We have done more than modernise it. We actually did away with the notion that children with disabilities would be educated in separate special schools. That is not just modernising, it is changing culture and changing thinking. It is now accepted that all children will go to regular local schools with their brothers and sisters, and we will bring whatever supports are needed in around them. Of course there are there issues with getting that right and moving it on, and we need to deal with those. Ireland does have a story to tell about how it has made these changes. The world has not collapsed in Ireland as a result.

We now come to a different challenge, one which needs to be thought about sooner rather than later. Following education is the issue of employment. That needs to be thought about when education is being changed. The White Paper on the Future of Europe sets out five options. In this country, several civil society organisations and a coalition including Social Justice Ireland would say that it needs a sixth one, a sustainable Europe for its citizens, in order to copper-fasten sustainability and social involvement.

I am looking for thoughtfulness and reassurances. I suppose I am playing on the word "culture". There is a cultural shift needed. I routinely travel from east to west and from north to south and I see that there are many Europes in Europe. I think the witnesses understand what I mean. There are many challenges. Ireland is not in the worst position by far. However, as a disabled person, I do not have an Irish perspective as opposed to a Hungarian one or Romanian one. I have a sense of the needs of all disabled people, and that is I suggest is important to bring into this.