Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Inclusion is one of six strategic goals set out in my Department's statement of strategy. The national access plan, NAP, has identified a number of priority groups who are under-represented in higher education and need additional focus, including students with disabilities. The Department has provided funding of an additional €35 million to support the objectives of the NAP over its lifetime from 2022 to 2028, including a new PATH 4 stream, which puts a further focus on students with a disability, including those with an intellectual disability. PATH 4 supports inclusive, universally designed higher education environments and course provision for students with intellectual disabilities.

The first phase of funding, of €3 million, was distributed in the 2022-23 academic year and supported higher education institutions to embed universal design approaches and inclusive practices. An additional €1.8 million was announced in February of this year to continue the phase 1 implementation of universal design. Phase 2 is a three-year pilot programme to support an enhancement of course provision for students with intellectual disabilities, with a total investment of more than €10 million.

The successful courses, which have been designed specifically to meet the diverse range of needs of students with intellectual disabilities, were announced in February of this year, with the majority of courses commencing in September. The fund for students with a disability also supports participation by students with disabilities in approved further and higher education courses. Last December, my Department announced an increase to the annual fund for students with disabilities, FSD, of 5%, or just under €383,000. This brings the total funding available in 2024 to more than €8 million.

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