Mr. Aaron Mullaniff:

I thank the members for extending the opportunity to the National Council for the Blind of Ireland, NCBI, to present to the committee on matters pertaining to the education needs of students who are blind or vision impaired.

NCBI is a for-purpose organisation working with 18,500 people who are blind or vision impaired across the entire age spectrum and continuum of vision loss. Our mission is to provide a range of supports to enable people who are blind or vision impaired to overcome the barriers that impede their independence and participation in society. In recent years, NCBI pivoted to a lifecycle model of service delivery and developed a dedicated children and young persons team to improve outcomes for young people who are blind or vision impaired, whose low rates of participation in further and higher education and employment continue to be of concern.

At present, blind and vision impaired students make up the smallest cohort of all students with disabilities in higher and further education. NCBI believes that students who are blind or vision impaired are transitioning through education without the prerequisite skills, competencies and knowledge required to make a success of this major life transition alongside with their peers. This experience is most likely in line with evidence from the US and the UK showing that such students take significantly longer than their peers to achieve a third level qualification following graduation from second level education. Students who are blind or vision impaired are more likely to undertake a degree in the arts, the humanities or business than the general student population and are half as likely to complete a degree in science, technology, engineering or maths, the so-called skills of the future.

Access to learning and learning to access are the two cornerstones of a successful education experience for students who are blind and vision impaired. However, there are ongoing challenges in the Irish education system impeding such access. In terms of access to learning, the availability of accessible curriculum materials is an ongoing issue for students. For example, getting access to accessible versions of textbooks in the correct format can take months. Additionally, access to learning materials in class is frequently cited by students as a major cause of stress throughout their educational experience. Reduced independent access to materials results in an unnecessary dependency on others if such students are to be able to engage in their own education.

Such was NCBI’s concern at the lack of timely, accessible curriculum for students who are blind and vision impaired that it sought to develop Bookshare Ireland in late 2019. Bookshare Ireland is now the largest accessible library in Ireland with over 1.1 million titles in a variety of accessible digital formats available free of charge to all students with print disabilities, including students who are blind or vision impaired. These titles cover the majority of schoolbooks on the curriculum in Ireland. Bookshare Ireland is now the go-to platform where publishers can send their files securely and through which students with all forms of print disability can access their requested titles instantaneously and without any delay. It is estimated that one in ten students in Ireland has a print disability. It is vital that the Department and the Minister for Education provide recurring annual funding to NCBI to allow Bookshare Ireland to continue to offer instant access to schoolbooks in a format that suits the individual student.

Learning to access is equally important as it is the key to independent learning. However, successfully accessing learning independently is dependent on the availability of the required assistive technology and the development of a skill set to manage learning materials and environment with ease and efficiency. The current lack of focus in this area in education results in students transitioning through education without the foundations of independent learning. It must be noted that 75% of all blind and vision impaired people in Ireland are not working. If young adults are not working by the time they are 30, they are more likely to never work at all. This is too much untapped potential.

Notwithstanding what I have just said, NCBI is aware of many examples of students with blindness or vision impairment for whom the experience in education was positive, supportive and inclusive. We also know that it is down to the dedication of the teachers and parents who facilitated this positive experience. However, NCBI is also aware that many students find participation in education a difficult and isolating experience. One student who articulated her experience to NCBI very well described how “poor and ill-informed attempts at inclusion excluded me far more than my disability ever did”.

NCBI fully recognises that blindness and vision impairment is a low-incidence, high-needs disability where students frequently require an intensive and supplementary vision-specific curriculum. Special support not only entails supporting students to access the standard academic curriculum, but also ensuring that they are taught a range of independent learning, mobility, everyday living and social skills. Combined, these are internationally known as the expanded core curriculum which Ireland has yet to formally acknowledge or support.

One of the more positive developments in recent years has been the inclusion of all students with disabilities in accessing summer provision. It presents a huge opportunity, despite the additional burden of required learning across the school year, allowing time for students to develop the additional compensatory skills they need, for example, critical learning opportunities, to participate in orientation and mobility training and digital skills training in assistive technology. However, due to the way in which the scheme operates, most students who are blind or vision impaired are unable to avail of it.

Despite the inclusion of a broad independence and quality of life focus and a curriculum for children with special educational needs in NCSE and Department of Education policy, NCBI experience is that this is not consistently provided to students who are blind and vision impaired. As stated, under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, CRPD, inclusive education is every student's right. It is not a privilege.

NCBI has a duty of care to represent students who are blind or vision impaired and share our experience and knowledge to ensure appropriate supports are available for students to reach their full potential. As one student in third level stated so succinctly, "I didn't know what I didn't know until it was too late - I had to take a year out as I was struggling so bad ... I just wish I was more prepared". This example cannot continue to be the experience of blind and vision impaired students in Ireland.