Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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326. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of blind and vision-impaired students who have received assistive technology from her Department in the past five years, broken down by year and by primary or second level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22706/23]

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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327. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills who is responsible for the training and the provision of technical support on assistive technology when it is awarded to blind or vision-impaired students by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22707/23]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 326 and 327 together.

The Assistive Technology Scheme is provided by my Department to supplement the overall approach to providing funding to schools for digital technology and equipment to support children for education purposes. All equipment provided under this scheme supports children with more complex disabilities who require essential specialist equipment in order to access the school curriculum.

It is vital that all learners have the opportunity to reach their potential, with digital technologies providing the means to overcome traditional barriers to learning, and to support inclusion across education.

Additional €2 million funding was secured in Budget 2023 for this scheme. This represents an increase of almost 60% on funding allocated previously to this essential support. This increased allocation supports my Department’s commitment to ensure that a full range of resources, not just teachers and SNAs, are available to support children who most need it.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports. SENOs also make recommendations to my Department where assistive technology/specialised equipment is required. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in making recommendations for support.

In order to qualify for equipment under the Assistive Technology Scheme, a student must have been diagnosed with a physical or communicative disability and must also have a recommendation in a professional assessment that the equipment is essential in order to allow the student to access the curriculum. It must also be clear that the existing I.T. equipment in the school is insufficient to meet the child's needs.

Schools make applications directly to the SENO, providing details of the student’s special educational needs or disability, including details of the approach taken by the school in making relevant interventions.

SENOs will review the application, and professional reports provided in support of same, in order to establish whether the criteria of the scheme have been met. They will then make a recommendation to my Department as to whether or not assistive technology is required; and based on this recommendation, my Department will decide on the level of grant, if any, to be provided.

Although equipment is sanctioned under the Assistive Technology scheme for use by particular students, it is the property of the school, and the school’s management authority is responsible for maintenance, repair, and insurance of the equipment.

The Department of Education provides funding for visiting teachers for children who are deaf/hard of hearing or blind/visually impaired. The management of visiting teachers is the responsibility of the NCSE.

Visiting teachers (VT) for children who are deaf/hard of hearing or blind/visually impaired provide additional supports for such children, their families, and schools. Visiting Teachers will also discuss and demonstrate the management of assistive technologies for children who are blind/visually impaired.

Details of the services which are provided to schools and families by the visiting teacher service are available at ncse.ie/visiting-teachers.

Each VT is responsible for a particular region and is allocated a caseload of students. The VT supports children/young people, parents, guardians, teachers and other professionals involved with the child. The frequency and nature of support takes into account a range of factors based on the individual’s needs. In case of any technical issues with a student's assistive technology, it is recommended that the school contacts their visiting teacher from the NCSE's Visiting Teacher Service. The visiting teacher will collaborate with the provider to offer the necessary training and technical supports to both students and teachers

Additional training support can also be requested through the NCSE. Through its everyday work, the NCSE aligns its Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) with the Teaching Council’s national framework for teacher professional learning. One of the main aims of the NCSE is to support teachers and schools in a way that builds capacity, supports the inclusion of all children, including students with special educational needs, at a whole school level.

The NCSE provides a suite of professional learning opportunities for school leaders and teachers, which in turn, aims to improve educational experiences and outcomes for all students.

The NCSE offers bespoke in-school support for either whole school staff, small groups, or individual teachers. The support can be tailored to specific TPL needs within a school, such as, in the areas of differentiation, planning, autism and behaviour. A school may contact the NCSE directly with regards to tailored training specific to their needs.

A broad range of blended CPD programmes and resources continue to be made available to assist schools to implement the DLF and to effectively use digital technologies in teaching and learning practices. The upskilling of teachers is a key priority for the Department in the promotion of digital technologies in teaching and learning.

The Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) offers professional learning opportunities to teachers and school leaders in a range of pedagogical, curricular and educational areas. Its dedicated Technology in Education Team, together with its ICT Team of Advisors, continue to design, develop and deliver a comprehensive range of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes for teachers and school leaders.

This CPD includes quality assured exemplars of effective and highly effective practices. Scoilnet.ie, an official Department website managed by the PDST, is a central repository of digital content containing in excess of 23,000 curriculum tagged digital resources for use in teaching and learning which demonstrate good practice in the use and embedding of digital technologies.

In relation to your request for the number of blind and vision-impaired students who have received assistive technology from the Department in the past five years, my department does not keep records of particular disability categories applied for and accordingly those figures are not available.

Below are the total number of assistive technology applications received by the NCSE each year, the number that were approved and the expenditure by my Department.