Written answers

Wednesday, 22 January 2025

Department of Education and Skills

Special Educational Needs

Photo of Cian O'CallaghanCian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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598. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills what supports exist for children who use braille in schools; if there are plans to increase support for children using braille; the number of teachers who have completed the necessary qualifications to teach braille; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1269/25]

Photo of Hildegarde NaughtonHildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Education provides an extensive range of supports to assist pupils who are Blind or who have a Visual Impairment. The Department's policy, which is provided for under Section 2 of the Education of Persons with Special Needs Act 2004, aims to ensure all children with special educational needs access appropriate education intervention in mainstream settings where possible.

Many pupils who have visual impairment are in mainstream classes at primary and post-primary level with additional supports such as additional Special Education Teachers and Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support being provided. Other children who have visual impairment may attend special schools or classes, for which lower pupil teacher ratios are provided. Schools are advised to provide the highest levels of additional teaching support for those pupils which have the highest levels of need, including pupils who may have severe levels of visual impairment. In 2023/24 there were approximately 76 students in the school system that were braille users. Of these 76 students, approximately 25 were partial Braille users or dual-users of Braille and Text.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide. The visiting teacher service for the visually impaired forms part of the NCSE support service for schools, and visiting teachers are now recruited, deployed and managed by the NCSE.

Currently there are 16 full time Visiting teachers posts and two NCSE- Associates allocated across the NCSE. The Visiting teachers are supported by teams of professionals and agencies such as ophthalmology services, speech and language therapists, low vision specialists, psychologists, early intervention teams and school staff. The NCSE-Associates are experienced VTBVI who work as part-time associates with the NCSE.

Each visiting teacher operates in a particular region and manages a caseload of students. The visiting teacher supports children/young people, parents, guardians, teachers and other professionals involved with the child. Each visiting teacher works in partnership with parents to provide advice, and offer guidance, in matters pertaining to the child’s education and overall development. The frequency and nature of support takes into account a range of factors based on the individual’s needs.

Visiting teachers are qualified teachers with particular skills and knowledge on the development and education of children with varying degrees of visual impairment. They offer longitudinal support to children, their families and schools from the time of referral through to the end of post-primary education. They help children to develop tactile and sensory skills and give advice on self-help and other skills needed for independent living. Visiting Teachers will also discuss and demonstrate the management of assistive technologies for children who are blind/visually impaired. In the case of any technical issues with a student's assistive technology, the school can look to the Visiting Teacher and the suppliers of the equipment for support. Many of the Visiting Teachers are proficient in the teaching of Braille and the NCSE also have an induction programme in place for new Visiting Teachers to learn Braille and to upskill in this area.

Each year the NCSE funds teachers of children who are Blind/Visually Impaired to undertake specialist training in the form of a post-graduate or master’s programme in the UK. In 2023/2024 3 teachers undertook training in the UK. The NCSE are also funding three teachers to undertake this training in 2024/25. The NCSE also fund appropriate shorter courses for teachers in mainstream and special schools who wish to upskill in Braille. More information here:

The Department of Education also provides funding annually to Child Vision’s Reading Services, formerly National Braille Production, to provide all students with a registered visual impairment with transcriptions of educational material for primary and secondary schools, in both mainstream and special schools in Ireland.

Child Vision Reading Services facilitates the supply of textbooks in Braille (including BRF digital braille files), Large Print, Digital (EPUB/DAISY), Text-only (for use with braille displays and screen readers) and 3D Printed Objects. The service is demand-driven and free to all children with a registered visual impairment in the Republic of Ireland. It also supports a library service that includes a children’s library for leisure books in the above-mentioned formats and a resource library with books and journals on visual impairment and multiple disabilities which is available to parents, teachers and other members of the community.

Funding is also available to schools for specialised equipment for pupils who have visual impairment, under Circular 0010/2013, including Braille Equipment and Braille Keyboard

It is my priority that all of the resources and supports for children who are braille users are provided when they are needed, and we will continue to engage with NCSE and the relevant stakeholders on the provision of these supports.

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