Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted that the witnesses are here to give their evidence to us. As the Chair says, they are an inspiration to many people. Many young people and their parents feel it is a constant battle to get the resources and supports that they need. I have a couple of questions. Firstly, I will say that it is outrageous for any child to be made to feel stupid. I come from an educational background and feel strongly about that. I also know from my background how difficult it is to get assistive technology for students. It is often the case that the school is looking for it but the special educational needs organiser, SENO, denies it and says there are sufficient resources in the school and that students should get assistive technology elsewhere. If the principal and teachers in the school think that children need this assistive technology, they should be given it.

How was Fiacre assessed if most of the assessments were verbal? There are many non-verbal children. How are they properly assessed? The witnesses said that parents are asking the Department of Education to establish a pilot scheme. What sort of response is being received? Are there positive vibes from the Department to indicate it will consider doing something like this?