Ms Marion Wilkinson:

There has been NDA work in this area and the OECD made some findings last year. Bearing in mind that, as Dr. Hartney said, the Government strategy of mainstreaming is really important, the OECD suggested that the main port of call when looking for work, further education or training is when you access your Intreo office. At that point, you are referred to what is available in your region or if you aspire to further or higher education, guidance is provided.

However, the clear recommendation colleagues here have spoken about is that there are referral processes from Intreo, SOLAS and further education and training providers and that there are protocols established that support people where they are, that is, what level of educational attainment they have and where they want to go. One of the key findings from our work is exactly as Deputy Canney mentioned, that is, that people are unaware of what is available. When the NDA spoke to SOLAS about the review of specialist training provision, we mentioned how people are referred to specialist training because it is a key part of the transition from education into further education and training, jumping from whatever one's QQI level is on leaving school and having a direct transition pathway into what is available locally that one can be supported to take. We understand absolutely that there is a body of work to make that a practical, seamless direction for people with disabilities and their families. In that regard, the NDA is working on a piece of work on career guidance in order that the route into employment starts not the day someone leaves school but a lot earlier in that process.