Dr. Patricia McCarthy:

I want to pick up on the issue of education. I cannot remember names, but somebody spoke about what is needed at primary and post-primary level. I spoke about it briefly, and I reiterate the absolute need for individual education plans to be mandatory and done well to ensure all pupils and students have a plan worked out to ensure their expectations and ambitions are realised to their potential.

They can achieve if the right supports are in place for them. They can then transition into further and higher education. We have spoken about the fact that those with a disability are increasingly transitioning on to higher education. Unfortunately, for those with sensory impairments, for various reasons they are not making that transition at the same rate as they should be, and the numbers of those with visual impairment has actually decreased year on year, in recent years. Personally, for someone like me with a visual impairment, I am horrified to think about. Much of that is due to a lack of planning in primary and post-primary education and lack of expectation in regard to them.

Another matter I wish to pick up on in regard to employment opportunities and so on, and I mentioned this briefly, relates to some of the programmes that are in place, such as the work ability mentoring programme the Association of Higher Education Access & Disability, AHEAD, runs very successfully. I spoke to the association recently and it has shown that over 70% of those who have gone through that programme have full-time employment now. I think it might even be 77% which is a very high level and it is really positive but we have to work on these.

I refer to school of education in Trinity College and the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities, where in the second year of a two year course student do a lot of work experience in real employment situations. A number of those who have graduated are now in full-time employment. Those programmes need to be appropriately funded and it shows that with the Willing Able Mentoring, WAM, programme as well as supporting the graduate with employment, they also support the employer in regard to issues around disclosure, appropriate supports and how best to engage with people with disabilities. Sometimes it is the fear of employers as to how they manage this and one can understand that. However, if they can see that it works, increasingly people with disabilities will be able to take the opportunities.

I refer to the idea of a passport where things can transfer seamlessly rather than having to go to another Department and another section even within the same Department where one speaks to different people and one is sent around the houses. It is awful that it appears to the person with the disability that it is their responsibility when, in fact, it is not. It is the responsibility of others to ensure that we can access these things in a appropriate manner.

As somebody with a PhD, I feel I need another ten PhDs to negotiate and to navigate the systems I come up against on a daily basis.