Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

339. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the plans to expand the current pilot project in Munster for students with visual impairment to receive ongoing orientation and mobility supports throughout their school lives; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42657/24]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Department of Education has partnered with the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind (IGDB) since 1999 to provide the Child Mobility Programme to blind and visually impaired children in primary and post primary schools. This programme is funded via a grant for the services of a Mobility Officer employed by the IGDB who provides mobility training to visually impaired children. The Mobility officer is a qualified rehabilitation worker/Mobility Instructor who has considerable experience in both Ireland and the United Kingdom and has been working on the Child Mobility Programme since its inception.

Instruction is mostly on a one-to-one basis in a range of environments, including the school environment, until the child has reached a safe and efficient standard of mobility. The Mobility Officer also advises schools in relation to sourcing materials or specialist equipment for blind/visually, impaired persons to lesson planning and providing advice to schools. There were 48 participants on this programme in 2022. Funding of €68,886 was provided for 2023.

The exchequer currently provides significant funds to organisations via the Health Service Executive (HSE) to provide mobility and orientation training nationally to those with vision impairment.

The Department of Education cannot duplicate the provision of funds to provide services that are already covered within the service delivery agreements that the HSE have in place for the provision of mobility and orientation training.

The department recognises the importance of this training in supporting people with vision impairment. However, while there are currently no plans to expand the programme further, Department officials have been engaging with their counterparts in both the HSE and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth with a view to delivering an integrated model of services which will support students not only in education settings but in all settings i.e. home, local community etc.