Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is welcome. The committee often speaks about education and how it is the key to many things and a life that people might now have expected but because the door was opened, it is there. I am an example of someone where education was opened to me because of grants which enabled me to go to university. As I said last week, there is absolutely nothing that makes me better than anyone else; I was given opportunities because I was able. We need to built equity into the system along with equality.

Is funding available or are there targets for higher and further education to upskill staff to be more aware of disability equity so that they can be the lecturers and educators they need to be and that they know how to be inclusive in the courses they provide? I have friends who are lecturers and have never received any funding for this. I have heard of one who spoke to a person's personal assistant and was then told not to. Obviously you should not speak through the PA but they did not know and they felt stupid. It would empower staff as well as the student.

The Minister touched on school leavers. As sure as night follows day, our children will, we hope, become adults. When they get past school age, that happens regardless of ability. The Minister and his Department have done great work on apprenticeships and expanding education and how we look at further and higher education and training. I am thinking of day centres which are often seen simply as day centres rather than education facilities. There is a great programme in Drogheda run by the Irish Wheelchair Association. It has its day centre and runs its course. It is its college. People there learn skills and how to look after money and how to cook. It is a home economics course, in a way. An individual is running this and empowering these students. I hope they will come to Leinster House some day. I have met them a few times and know they are interested in politics because it is brought to them. They are interested in current affairs and know what is happening. It is called a day centre but it is actually an education centre. I would love to see that for early school leavers who might not have the ability to go into so-called mainstream education but who have a huge ability to learn.