Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy has been very constructive and we will certainly organise that and see how it pans out. We have a duty in this House, as legislators, to get the good message out. The Deputy is no different to me in that she visits primary schools and secondary schools. The schools that have special classes and that are embracing the social model of inclusion by ensuring the inclusion of people with special and challenging conditions, whether dyspraxia, dyslexia or autism, are the schools and learning environments that are the richer for it. We can feel the harmony and the learning that is going on, and the schools that embrace the special classes are the ones I feel energised by when I go to visit.

The message has to go out to other boards of management that there is an opportunity to ensure we are providing for children with all forms of disability and challenges, from complex medical needs to different and challenging behaviours. Those are the students who are going to enrich the school environment and they become the leaders within that school, along with the people around them, such as SNAs and others working within that inclusive atmosphere to provide the learning environment we all aspire to.

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