Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Seanad Éireann-- notes the need to ensure equality of access to educational and other opportunities for persons with disabilities within the provision of State services generally; and
- calls on the Government to take steps to ensure equality of access to educational and other opportunities for persons with disabilities within the provision of State services generally.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Ó Ríordáin. The issue which is the subject of this debate falls within the remit of the Department of Justice and Equality but also those of the Departments Education and Skills, Health, Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, the Environment, Community and Local Government, Children and Youth Affairs, and Social Protection. This is normally the case with matters relating to the umbrella term of "disability". When I first drafted this motion, the emphasis was on mental health but I accept that it has been expanded to cover a much wider issue. That said, the focus of my contribution will be on mental health.
I tabled this motion on the back of discussions and interactions I have had in my community and on a personal basis, with individuals who have suffered from mental health issues and who experienced difficulties when returning to education at second or third level. Every Member is aware of the powerful impact an education can have on an individual, not only in terms of his or her job prospects but also in the context of his or her self-confidence, emotional and physical well-being and social inclusion. At a briefing provided earlier today, the president of the Union of Students in Ireland, USI, Ms Laura Harman, acknowledged that a university or college degree is seen as a minimum requirement for most jobs. I have also heard anecdotal evidence from people who have struggled with mental health issues to the effect that they faced barriers in gaining access to education, particularly at third level. Often these individuals have been obliged to become their own advocates and navigate their own way in what can be a stressful transition to education against the backdrop of ongoing mental health recovery and physical recovery.
It is important that people with mental health difficulties act as their own advocates and that they be empowered to make the best decisions on their recovery and their future. However, we must also ensure that we provide a helping hand. I am aware of numerous organisations in every town and village throughout the country which do just that but I believe we might better serve the group of people to which I refer by providing a contact point to allow them to access all of the necessary information. I refer here to someone, namely, a job coach or career adviser, who will provide them with initial guidance. The services of such individuals could possibly be provided through the Intreo office, where a plan could be mapped and tailored to the needs of the individual in accordance with his or her educational and employment interests. At third level, we could provide education and training to disability and access officers in universities so that they might act as a useful contact point for individuals with mental health problems who are studying at third level. People I met at the briefing to which I referred earlier informed me that many disability and access officers are not specifically qualified to deal with those who have mental health issues.
If a regional contact was available to liaise with a person when he or she is prepared to discuss his or her educational options - someone, such as a doctor, to whom an individual could be referred - they could work through his or her practical and educational needs together and this would go a long way toward providing continuity, which is lacking on the medical side. I have advocated the establishment of such continuity on numerous occasions and I remain of the opinion that the matter needs to be addressed. The regional contact to whom I refer would be in a position to provide follow-up contact with the individual and hopefully provide follow-through support. Ideally, such a liaison would have a medical background in order to best assist from a mental health perspective. This would certainly fall within the community ethos we are striving to achieve, as well as providing a better service overall. We must provide a contact or, even better, a first contact who takes into account the person's overall well-being and provides practical, trusted advice in co-ordination with the service user.
The anecdotal evidence I have received in regard to difficulties in accessing education is corroborated in the figures compiled by mental health organisations, such as Mental Health Reform and Amnesty International, educational groups and Government Departments. The Association on Higher Education and Disability, AHEAD, compiled a report in 2013 highlighting the numbers of students with disabilities who are studying at third level. This report states 1% of students registered on part-time courses have disabilities, including those relating to mental health. I welcome the finding that the 2012-13 academic year saw the highest increase in participation from students with disabilities with over 9,000 such students pursuing courses as compared to the just under 8,000 in the 2011-12 year, a 14.6% increase in the total number. However, it is a matter of concern that AHEAD still has cause to alert readers to the fact that barriers remain for students with disabilities and that this cohort of students is under-represented in our higher education system. AHEAD also acknowledges the limited choices available for students with disabilities - again, including those relating to mental health - and highlights the fact that these students appear to be limited in their choice of courses and are not on an equal footing with their peers when it comes to availing of the opportunities in place. One possible reason identified are the barriers, which may be inadvertent, certain professions present.
In 2011 the national disability survey identified nine different types of disabilities, with 110,000 people identified in Ireland as having emotional, psychological or mental health disabilities. Arguably, each of us will experience or will know someone close to us who will experience a mental health breakdown, illness or issue. Mental Health Reform has calculated that 10% of the population will require mental health services.

We need to breakdown the inadvertent, as well as overt, barriers that are present in accessing education. There is evidence to support the view that this disability group is more likely to leave employment or education than other people with disabilities, this against the backdrop of the growing necessity to have a third level qualification, skill or trade in order to secure gainful and sustaining employment.

Education has become a priority and a necessity in the high-tech environment in which we live. We have placed an emphasis on upskilling, re-skilling and achieving a high qualification and this is linked with employment. An Amnesty International report on employment and mental health identified that a large proportion of mental health problems became evident before the age of 25 years, which has an obvious and long-term impact on an individual's earning power as he or she may not be able to access education or training until later in life.

In 2009 it was estimated that one quarter of illness benefit claimants cited a mental health issue, while in 2008 more than 20% of those in receipt of disability allowance identified themselves as having a mental health problem. We need this group to be embraced back into education and return to work. Unfortunately, the level of employment of people with a mental health disability remains low, with the figure calculated at 27%, in comparison to 63% among the general population. Some 53% of participants who encountered mental health problems had to stop their education owing to their disability according to the national disability survey and this figure is identified as being significantly higher than in the case of any other disability. Having a key contact point could assist in helping to pave the path for a return to education or training and a follow-up with the individual when he or she stops education, in accordance with data protection and privacy laws.

Education is just one answer to the problem and one on which we, as legislators, have the ability to impact. Cost remains a top priority when assessing the further roll-out or set-up of new programmes in all Departments. Value for money should be our top priority. In south Dublin and County Wicklow, as Senators from the area may know, there is an excellent service known as the Dublin and east treatment and early care team, DETECT. Between 2006 and 2011, the service received 795 referrals from a catchment area of 375,000. Of these, 347 met the criteria for a psychotic condition. In 2010 alone DETECT made contact with over 50% of the referrals in 24 hours. It halved the median delay before treatment of 19 months in 2006 to nine months by 2011. One the ambitions identified for the service is to provide treatment in the least restrictive and disruptive environment for the person and the family. From this service, we could see a follow-through for the individual by way of referral to a community contact point who could help to guide them in accessing supports and education or training, if they so chose.

At second level it becomes harder to identify numbers and difficulties, as some children may just be presenting signs of a mental health issue, but it is important that we compile statistics for the numbers of children who miss out on examinations, the junior and leaving certificate examinations, owing to a mental health condition. We need further information on the transition from primary to second level, which has been identified as a point where signs or issues may start or become apparent. A study or research in this area could prevent students from falling through the cracks as early as the transition from primary to secondary school which could, in turn, benefit the individual in terms of his or her future health and other prospects. The earlier the signs are identified and the earlier an individual can be treated, in many cases, the better the level of recovery which can be achieved.

As a society, we have achieved a great deal in a short space of time in reducing the stigma attached to mental health. People suffering from a mental health problem are one of the most stigmatised groups that fall under the disability umbrella, which leads to social exclusion. There is still work to be done and as we progress the younger generations will I hope adopt a more compassionate and educated viewpoint on mental health. This will take time, but we can already see a positive transition.

In order to provide better access to education for a person with a mental health disability, we need training in the community for disability officers or community liaison officers, as well as cross-departmental and broad thinking on the subject and delivery of continuity for service users when accessing information and medical services, with a community approach. There is much more I could say.