Written Answers. - Children with Special Needs.
Proinsias De Rossa
Question:
57
Proinsias De Rossa
asked the
Minister for Education
if she has received the report of the advisory Committee on the integration of handicapped children into mainstream schools; when the Committee was established; if she will give its membership and terms of reference; her views on the international research that shows that virtually all handicapped children can be integrated into the school system; if she will provide the resources to ensure that this can be done; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
I presume the Deputy is referring to the report of the Special Education Review Committee, which I expect to receive in the very near future. This committee was established in September, 1991 with the task of reporting and making recommendations on the wide range of issues which impact on educational provision for children with special needs. I propose to circulate the detailed terms of reference of the committee and the list of membership in the Official Report.
While it is certainly my policy to encourage the maximum possible integration of handicapped children into ordinary schools, the pace and extent of such development is ultimately dependent on the capacities of the individual children concerned. For some children, integration in the ordinary classroom is possible, supported if necessary by a remedial teacher, a resource teacher or the Visiting Teacher Service. In other cases, placement in a special class in an ordinary school is the most suitable solution. In more severe cases, placement in one of the dedicated special schools may be the most appropriate solution.
It is important that this range of responses be available to meet the variety of needs which can arise and I can assure the Deputy of my commitment to ensuring that this is the case. At present, a total of 1,032 remedial teachers are in place, including 86 such posts which were created in September, 1993. The Visiting Teacher Service has also been supplemented by the addition of a further eight posts in 1992, bringing the total number of teachers in the service to 38. A total of seven resource teacher have already been appointed and I am currently considering the possibility of some further appointments to selected schools which are groups of handicapped children on the ordinary roll.
A key area of focus for the Special Education Review Committee is the question of integration in its variety of forms and the arrangements and support services which should be put in place for special needs children. I am looking forward to receiving the committee's recommendations in the very near future and I can assure the Deputy that I will be giving early and detailed consideration to the committee's views to ensure that our special needs children receive the best possible support of the education service.
The following is the statement:
Terms of Reference of Special
Education Review Committee
To report and make recommendations on the educational provision for children with special needs in respect of
(a) the identification of children with special needs and their assessment with a view to determining the educational provision best suited to the needs of each child;
(b) the arrangements which should be put in place in order to provide for the educational requirements of such children through complete or partial integration in ordinary schools, through special classes in ordinary schools or through special schools or other special arrangements, in accordance with the circumstances as assessed of each child;
(c) the range of support services which may be required and in particular the future relationship between remedial teachers, visiting teachers, other support teachers and ordinary class teachers;
(d) the linkages which should exist with other Departments of State and services provided under their aegis.
Membership of Special Education Review Committee
Chairman
Mr. Declan Brennan.
Management
Catholic Primary School Managers' Association, Mr. Kevin O'Meara.
Church of Ireland National School Managers' Association, Mr. Sydney Blain.
Secretariat of Secondary Schools, Sr. Rita Fennell.
Association of Community Schools, Ms Lola Heffernan.
Irish Vocational Education Association, Mr. John McKay.
Teachers
INTO, Mr. John Carr; Mr. Tony Bates.
ASTI, Mr. Michael Shevlin.
TUI, Mr. Donough O'Brien.
Parents
National Parents' Council — Primary, Mr. Paul Niall.
National Parents' Council — P/Primary, Mr. Pat McCarthy.
Special Education Sector
National Association of Boards of Management in Special Education, Mr. Liam Buckley.
Union of Voluntary Organisations for the Handicapped, Mr. Éamonn Ó Murchú.
Director of Special Education, St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra, Mr. Páid McGee.
Minister's Nominees
Sr. Eileen Buckley; Dr. Áine Hyland.
Department of Education
Mr. L. Ó hÉigearta, Divisional Inspector; Mr. L. Hughes, A.P., Special Education Section; Seán Ó Dubháin, Senior Inspector; Mr. John O'Leary, Psychologist.
Department of Health
Mr. Paul Barron, P.O., Childcare Division.
Secretary: Mr. Mícheál Ó Flannagáin, Divisional Inspector.
