Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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I thank our guests for what has been a really fascinating discussion. I read the opening statements and have listened to the conversation, which has been eye-opening, to be honest. It has been really interesting. One of the issues I had looked at was the equitable education report, which was discussed earlier. That report stated that there are 4,700 visually impaired children of school-going age and about 280 in higher education. Has there been any significant change on that front?

An issue that popped up today is that of access for third level students to accommodation. It was covered widely in various media this morning. Would it be fair to assume that there are greater difficulties for visually impaired or blind students? We heard on the radio this morning that some students have to do a lot of commuting, often by taking a number of different buses. In some cases, the trip can take two and half hours each way. Do the witnesses have experience in that regard and are there specific supports available for students?

Another issue of interest in the opening statement is that of assistive technology and how it can play a key role for students. I hear what is being said in terms of some students preferring textbooks in Braille and that is totally understandable.

We are seeing a greater use of devices such as tablets in schools. I am interested in hearing if the witnesses feel there are certain kinds of aids or technologies that could really make a direct impact in students' lives.

I am also interested in the distributional effect. Is that a result of students having access because their parents are able to afford it or they have access through charitable organisations? As a result, are people from a lower socioeconomic background placed at a greater disadvantage?

One point that very much stood out for me, which I did not know, is the statistic on access to work, namely, that 75% of people who are blind or visually impaired are not working. I am 33 years old so the reference to those over 30 being less likely to ever work came as a shock. What can we as legislators do to ensure that changes? That is what we are here for; to be able to change legislation to facilitate that.