Ms Megan O'Connor:

We urgently need publicly-funded higher education. We need investment in the sector as a whole so we can maintain the programmes or systems we implement. It has been fantastic to see block funding allocated to the student assistance fund but it is not feasible in the long term. We have to have core funding in place. It is very important to note the institutions have full autonomy. Many staff have autonomy as to whether or not they do training. It is about ensuring staff are aware of how accessible this is and making it easy and not an additional workload. It should also be accessible to postgraduate students who are teaching and guest lecturers. It should be the minimum point of standard. The point on empowering staff is very good.

During Covid the biggest lesson we learned was that we can do it. We had been told for such a long time it was too difficult or expensive. We can do it. We have seen how well we can do it. Of course staff were put under incredible pressure at the beginning to transfer but they did a phenomenal job. We saw everyone graduate on time. The ceremonies might have been delayed but everyone completed their degrees more or less in the same way as they would have. It is a testament to the strength of the sector. It further signals we really need to support the sector. It is possible.

On the financial side of things, the disability services themselves need more funding. We need more staff. We need more occupational therapists working in higher education institutions throughout the country. This would mean students can access the therapies in the college. We need to fund student counselling services to ensure students do not have to look for them externally. Year in, year out there are waiting lists of up to six to eight weeks for student counselling services. This puts pressure on students trying to get assistance when they need it most. It also contributes to the burnout of staff. It is a huge issue. We should view the entire sector as a symbiotic community because that is what it is. There is no major separation between teacher and learner. Everyone works together. The work of the national forum for teaching and learning is something that will be critical in the coming years.