Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to make a statement on this matter. The Department of Education and Science's visiting teacher service promotes, facilitates and supports the education of children with visual impairment from pre-school through first and second level schooling to third level. In addition to working with individual children, the work of a visiting teacher includes involvement with parents, schools, teachers and access offices in third level institutions. A key element of the visiting teacher's work is engagement with a range of referral agencies, such as the National Council for the Blind in Ireland, special education needs organisers and other agencies working in support of visually impaired children and their families.

Taking account of an individual child's level of impairment and need for support, the involvement of a visiting teacher with that child may vary between once weekly contact in the case of blind children; monthly, once a term or annual contact in other cases and occasional visits to special schools primarily to support staff where children have other underlying disabilities. With regard to County Mayo, referral agencies, schools and parents of pre-school children with visual impairment currently are being informed by visiting teacher management of an interim telephone advisory service that is now being provided while alternative arrangements for a visiting teacher presence in County Mayo are examined. New referrals to the service continue to be accepted and assessed.

Most recent caseload figures for County Mayo show a total of 51 children who are eligible for support from the visiting teacher service on current criteria. These break down as follows: six of pre-school age, 23 in primary schools, eight at second level and 14 in special schools. I assure the Deputy that every effort will be made to provide a service in County Mayo at the earliest opportunity. Again, I thank him for affording me the opportunity to outline the current position regarding this matter.

See this speech in context