Written answers

Wednesday, 28 September 2005

Department of Education and Science

Special Educational Needs

9:00 pm

Photo of Brian O'SheaBrian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 1104: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the proposals she has to provide a third level institution for persons with mild or moderate intellectual disability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24658/05]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The work of the HEA, National Office for Equity of Access to Higher Education is directed towards facilitating increasingly inclusive and equitable access to higher education from amongst under-represented groups in the sector, including persons with a disability. This work includes managing the access strand of the HEA strategic initiative fund which has supported the development of core infrastructure on the part of higher education institutions targeting the increased access and participation of under-represented groups. The national office also manages the fund for students with disabilities.

In December 2004, the national office published a three year action plan "Achieving Equity of Access to Higher Education". Among the key objectives of this plan are the development of a national framework of policies and initiatives for successful access programmes, encouraging and supporting partnerships and collaboration at all levels of the education system towards increased access and participation in higher education by under-represented groups, including students with a disability.

An important element of this work, for the national office and higher education institutions, will include collaborating with the recently established National Council for Special Education which has a particular remit in advising and supporting the process of planning for the participation and progress of students with special educational needs, including what provisions may need to be made to assist such a student in continuing his or her education on becoming an adult. The work of the national qualifications authority and the two awarding councils in developing equitable and transparent routes of access, transfer and progression through the national qualifications framework will also be key to the further development of effective access policies and programmes.

Under the HEA strategic initiative fund for access, funding allocated to the seven universities and four other HEA funded institutions includes support for initiatives targeted at increasing the participation of students with a disability in higher education. Since the commencement of this funding programme in 1996 more than €10.5 million has been allocated to institutions to support the development of core disability access infrastructure, such as the establishment of dedicated disability offices and personnel and towards the development of practical support strategies and accommodations for this group of students.

The ESF aided fund for students with disabilities was introduced in 1994. Since 2004 the fund has been administered by the national office. It provides support for students in further and higher education who have serious sensory, physical, or learning disabilities. The aim of the fund is to assist students with disabilities to access and participate fully in higher and further education by providing support for the provision of equipment and services. The kind of supports and assistance for which funding can be sought falls into three broad categories: equipment, for example, assistive technology and specialised software linked directly to the students disability; assistance, for example, sign language interpreters; personal assistants; note takers; speed text operators; services, for example, transport for students with a physical disability; additional tuition; learning supports; and photocopying.

The preliminary results of a recent survey conducted by AHEAD, the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability, indicates that participation by students with a disability in third level education has improved over the past decade. In 2004 students with a disability represented 2.4% of all undergraduate students in higher education institutions, compared to a participation rate of only 0.6% in 1994. Figures from individual institutions support this indication of growth and point to the need for continued and increased supports for increasing numbers of students with a disability who form up to 8% of the student population of some third level institutions. A substantial proportion of this rise in participation is accounted for by increased participation or identification of students with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia who form more than 52% of students with a disability. Other categories include 16% who have a mobility disability; 5% who are blind or visually impaired; 7% who are deaf or hard of hearing; 8% who have mental health difficulties and 12% who have other disabilities.

I will continue to support the higher education institutions in their efforts to increase participation for students with disabilities.

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 1105: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason the resource hours for a person (details supplied) in County Mayo have been taken away and when they will be restored. [24678/05]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department reviewed the file on the child concerned in the last school year and based on the documentation submitted to my Department it was determined that the child concerned falls into the high incidence disability category.

As the Deputy is aware, a new general allocation system has been announced under which schools have been provided with resource teaching hours, based on their enrolment figures, to cater for children with high incidence special needs such as dyslexia and those with learning support needs. Under the new system, the school's allocation is one full time post and five hours.

The posts being provided under the new general allocation scheme are designed to ensure that each school has enough resource teaching hours to meet the needs of children with high incidence special needs, such as dyslexia and children with learning support needs. Resource teaching hours for children with low incidence special needs, such as hearing impairment, will continue to be provided on the basis of an individual application for each child. It is a matter for each school to determine the pupils with high incidence special education and learning support needs that will receive this support. Each school has been allocated enough resource teaching hours to provide its pupils with a level of support appropriate to their needs.

The school can use its professional judgment to decide how these hours are divided between different children in the school, to ensure that all their needs are met. Research shows that some children with special needs will respond better with one-to-one tuition. Others, however, do better when taught in small groups. Often it is best for resource teachers to work with children in the classroom rather than taking them away to a separate room, as the children then have to catch up work done by the rest of the class in their absence. The point is that the type of response needed depends on the child.

Recently my Department issued a comprehensive circular, Sp. Ed. 02/05, to all primary schools regarding the organisation of teaching resources for pupils who need additional support in mainstream primary schools. The main purpose of this circular is to provide guidance for schools on the deployment and organisation of the teaching resources allocated under the general allocation model. This circular also refers to the deployment of additional teaching resources that are allocated to schools for the support of individual pupils with low incidence disabilities.

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