Mr. Robert Murtagh:

Inclusion Ireland extends its thanks for the opportunity to address the committees. Mr. O'Connor and I will use a different structure to address the main issues facing people with disabilities in education and employment. We will also outline Inclusion Ireland's recommendations regarding each barrier and challenge that people face. We will cite statements from and examples of people with lived experiences.

For those members who are unaware of us, Inclusion Ireland was established in 1961 and is a national rights-based advocacy organisation that works to promote the rights of people with intellectual disabilities. The vision of Inclusion Ireland is that of people with intellectual disabilities living and participating in the community with equal rights as citizens and living the life of their choice to their fullest potential. Our work is underpinned by the values of dignity, inclusion, social justice, democracy and autonomy.

There is a chronic shortage of places for children with autism in autism classes in schools. This is especially prevalent in second level where the number of class spaces is about one quarter of that at primary level and where there are also blackspots. There is legislation going through the Oireachtas at present - the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill - that could solve this problem. Inclusion Ireland's recommendation is that the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, should have the power to direct a school to open an autism class so that every child who has this support need may attend his or her local school if he or she so wishes. Obviously, resources would have to flow to the school.

A lack of ambition and flexibility in the system starts early for someone with a disability, especially young people with intellectual disabilities. For example, there is no career guidance in special schools as it is assumed responsibility for these young people will transfer to the HSE at 18 years of age. If a person would like to try employment, training or higher education, it is unclear where career guidance may be sought.

The Department of Education and Skills is conducting a review of career guidance in schools. Special schools are not included in the terms of reference of the review, such is the lack of ambition within the Department for young people with disabilities. The review will examine the guidance services in second level, further education and higher education, but not the complete absence of a career guidance service in special schools. Inclusion Ireland's recommendation is that special schools must be included in the review of career guidance services as a matter of urgency.

Special schools are constituted as primary schools, meaning there is often little or no access to a leaving certificate or leaving certificate applied course due to an absence of subject specialist teachers. This has a significant impact on the young person's progress. For example, Inclusion Ireland held an event on education for people with a disability aged over 18 years. One young man, Jason, presented. He attended a special school and left with no formal qualifications. Jason was linked in with a service called WALK PEER in Louth that encouraged him to pursue his dream of further education. He had a great love of computers and wanted to enrol in Drogheda Institute of Further Education on a QQI level 5 post-leaving certificate course. He could not enrol, as he did not have the minimum requirement of a leaving certificate applied. Undeterred, Jason took a year to complete a leaving certificate applied, supported by WALK PEER, and then enrolled. He graduated from the level 5 course and has now completed his level QQI level 6 in IT. Jason told us how he was hoping to enrol in a degree course in IT in Dundalk Institute of Technology.

There are other initiatives in higher education run by disability services. For example, KARE pioneered the inclusive learning initiative in NUI Maynooth. People with intellectual disabilities were supported by KARE to attend undergraduate programmes in the university. One young man told the Inclusion Ireland conference of how he was halfway through completing an arts degree specialising in his love of traditional music. Funding for the inclusive learning project has ceased, however, and the project is set to discontinue.

Many examples of good inclusive practice, as highlighted in these two cases, are founded on seed or project funding. Regardless of them being a success, they are discontinued and the learning on how to support young people with disabilities to achieve the same goals as their peers is lost. Good practice is rarely brought into the mainstream and dreams are dashed.

Inclusion Ireland recommends that people with disabilities must have access to supports to engage in mainstream further education and training. Examples of good practice must be supported and their learning incorporated into services such as Intreo and SOLAS.

When young people with disabilities leave school, they may come into contact with a guidance officer in the HSE. The only options for discussion are HSE-funded day services. As recently as Friday, 13 April, the HSE reported to the national disability inclusion strategy stakeholders group, chaired by the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, that the guidance service to support adults with disabilities had been completely depleted and, therefore, the provision of appropriate guidance and the facilitation of transition planning had been seriously curtailed.

It said also that there is no cross-sectoral structure in place to support transition planning between health and education.

If a person would like to try employment or further education and training, they must look elsewhere for guidance and information and with no guidance counsellor in special schools, it is unclear where such guidance can be sought. Once a person is no longer a school leaver they are not a priority for the Health Service Executive, HSE. If employment or education do not work out the possibility of accessing HSE funded day services at a later stage is almost zero. The current situation is discouraging young people with disabilities from taking the risk of trying employment as support from the HSE will have evaporated if work proves to be a difficult option.

Inclusion Ireland recommends that as other school leavers may defer a college place if the wish, a similar accommodation must be available for school leavers with a disability in regard to HSE funded day services. I will hand over to Mr. O'Connor.