Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh maith agat. I understand Senator Darragh O'Brien's frustrations, to be quite frank. Today there are people outside the gate protesting because there is still no recognition of Irish sign language. That is something I would consider inhumane at this stage. At the end of the day people who are deaf are probably the most marginalised and isolated group in Irish society and it is unacceptable. That is just one example. We have had debate after debate in this House yet nothing has happened.

I was contacted after I did a national radio interview last July by the mother of a five-year old who was identified by a visiting nurse to the school as having a difficulty with one eye. That child is on a waiting list and has been to told there is a waiting time of 18 months before a proper eye examination will take place. We all know how sensitive, important and time sensitive it is to have eyes properly checked because the results will be permanent. I raised the matter here last July. I hate to say it but the child is still awaiting an examination. How can a Government stand over that situation? It cannot, simple as that.

I commend the Labour Senators, the ladies seated beside me, for tabling the motion. The more often the issue is debated in the House, the better the chance of success. If we keep beating the drum there might be some response.

I do not think the problem in education in terms of disability is resources. I think there are enough resources being spent in terms of supporting people with disabilities in mainstream schools, etc. throughout the country. The problem is that the resources are not calibrated properly. There are young people who get SNA hours who do not need them. Let met give, as an example, a child who starts off in primary school but needs significant SNA interventions, resource hours, etc. If the system is working correctly, and if the resource hours that are being provided are supposed to achieve their target, the child will improve and be weaned off resource hours. Trying to tell a parent that the hours will be reduced due to his or her child improving is difficult because they do not want to hear it. There must be a multi-agency response but there must also be a partnership between parents, NGOs and educators. If a child is progressing there must be a realisation that in order to give him or her independence there must be a reduction in hours, where appropriate.

We want people with disabilities in this country to leave our education system as independent citizens. We want them to have the necessary supports that will allow them compete on a level playing pitch such as physical structures, personal assistants, technological interventions and visiting teachers. We want to make sure the necessary infrastructure exists. Absolutely, that needs to be done. The last thing we should do is create a false crutch for people because it would prevent them from becoming independent.

I welcome the debate on special education and providing supports. I believe there is adequate investment at the moment. We will take more investment if it is available which can be properly driven and focused. That is what I would like to see.

When young people with disabilities enter university the problem is many of them drop out not because of SNAs or resource hours but because the important infrastructure is not in place. For example, they do not get books in braille, the technology is not in place, it takes too long for them to get audio tapes or there are no sign language interpreters when they are needed at lectures. As a result these people give up the ghost and fall out of education. For those who stick with their courses and graduate with a degree the real challenge starts and that is getting a job.

We have seen that 70% or 80% of people with disabilities can find it difficult to get a job. The greatest equaliser of all is getting a job. We have a good deal of work to do in this area and it is not all about resources; it is about education and making people within business and the private sector aware that a small number of adjustments in some instances, for example, giving a person a comfortable chair at work or ensuring that a person has an appropriate screen to do his work can make the difference. As I have mentioned already, it is a question of putting the infrastructure in place. If these measures were undertaken then people with disabilities could be, would be and, in many cases, have proven to be more productive than their able-bodied counterparts. All we need is a level playing pitch and our responsibility is to create that level playing pitch.

I welcome this worthwhile debate. While I understand the frustration with some elements of the speech of the Minister of State, I realise it is a comprehensive speech and that it is not his fault because the speech was prepared for him. He is relatively new in the Ministry and this is not his direct area of responsibility. I acknowledge the fact that the Minister of State has come to the House tonight to take the debate.