Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing time with Deputy Connolly.

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this motion on special education. I thank Sinn Féin for putting it forward as well.

I support this motion and its call for the Government to reverse the funding cut made to the summer provision capitation payments and to ensure more school-based summer provision is made available in the future. It is shocking that the capitation payment has been cut from €45 to just €30 a week. This would be a massive reduction at any time, but during a cost-of-living crisis, this reduction will have a devastating impact on families. It will add to the many unfair burdens put on families, including the fact that families are not guaranteed summer provision in the first place and rely on what seems like some sort of a lottery system.

Despite the fact that every disabled person's organisation has emphasised how important summer provision is, the summer months can be a difficult time for children with disabilities and their families. The break in routine, lack of structure and fewer social opportunities make the summer months seem long, and summer provision is a much-needed outlet at this time. The fact that every family is not given this much-needed and valued opportunity is not good enough.

As I have stated, I support this motion. However, I would argue it needs to go further. I am calling for an immediate ratification of the optional protocol and implementation of the EPSEN Act in full without further delay. There needs to be a meaningful and purpose-driven consultation with relevant NGOs and leaders in the area to ensure amendments are understood and enacted. Indeed, the Minister of State could even listen to her own staff who work in this area and give them the resources to make sure the needs are provided for rather than having them constantly on a rationed basis.

A huge issue faced by families with children with disabilities is there is no understanding whatsoever on the part of the Government of the experience of these families. Government policies, therefore, do not reflect the reality of the lives of the families and the hurdles they face every day. Meaningful engagement is crucial.

It is disgraceful that parents of children with disabilities are forced to stress at around this time every year about their child securing an appropriate place in September. I have had many constituents come to me about this issue. It feels like an annual issue and, year after year, the Government does not seem to engage with them at all. We absolutely must ensure all children are accessing school. Every child has a right to an education. Normally, if a child misses 21 days of school, Tusla is informed. However, this is not the case for disabled children who are being actively excluded from attending schools, some for entire terms and worse.

The blatant disregard for the right to an education is worryingly discriminatory and outright ableist on a policy level. There needs to be a move to full integration, not segregation. Children should be allowed to move and be able to attend schools in their own community and have their educational needs met there. While that means more staff, more SNAs, more space and more resources, that is their right and the Government has a responsibility to facilitate that right.

Furthermore, we need to look at this holistically. The early childhood care and education scheme must be available to all children at preschool level as well and extended into after-school camps. It is not enough to look at education and integration in a compartmentalised way. All parents deserve the opportunity to provide for their families. Work provides parents with financial stability and control, a social outlet as well as autonomy, but how can we expect them to be able to work when, if we did manage to ensure the education was human-rights compliant, the children affected are still unable to attend clubs, after-school and childcare?

We claim to be a country that offers equal opportunity to all but that simply is not the case. Inequality is rife in every sector of our society. Access to education from early years to adulthood is key in enabling people to participate in society, yet according to Social Justice Ireland, one in four children with an intellectual disability or a developmental disability has been put on a short school day, which has a detrimental impact on children with additional needs, on their education and on their families. According to Inclusion Ireland, 45% of children with support needs are being failed by the education system as they face multiple barriers to access a right to school. This is utterly shameful and a breach of a child's right to education.

Not all children are treated equally in this country and it is time for policymakers to open their ears and their eyes to the lived reality of these children and their families because it seems the Government is totally detached from the reality at present. I suspect that they, in the view of the families impacted, would make this motion and the suggestions continuously put forward by the DPOs a no-brainer, but we will not have that anyway.

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