Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 1 Dec 1999

Vol. 512 No. 1

Written Answers. - Students with Disabilities.

Róisín Shortall

Question:

235 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Science the supports, if any, available to deaf and hearing impaired students pursuing plc courses in respect of interpreting services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25633/99]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. Martin)

Hearing impaired students attending courses in post-leaving certificate centres may apply for assistance from the special fund for students with disabilities, which operates under the aegis of my Department. The aims of the fund are to provide funding for students with disabilities attending courses in third level institutions and, since 1998, in post-leaving certificate centres. The purpose of the special fund is to provide students with serious physical and/or sensory disabilities with grant assistance towards the cost of special equipment, special materials and technological aids, targeted transport services, personal assistants and sign language interpreters. In 1998 almost £100,000 was allocated to approximately 40 students with hearing impairments. The level of funding allocated to the special fund has increased substantially each year from £80,000 in 1994 to £250,000 in 1998. The arrangements for the 1999 special fund for students with disabilities are currently being finalised and I expect to make an announcement in this regard shortly.

Under my Department's adult education budget, the salary of a teacher is paid to the National Association of the Deaf to facilitate the training of sign language interpreters.

Róisín Shortall

Question:

236 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will report on the special fund for students with disabilities; the number of students with disabilities who received assistance from this fund in each of the past three years; the average amount of financial assistance given to students in each year; and the plans, if any, he has to put this funding on a proper footing in order that students with disabilities will be given clear entitlements. [25634/99]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. Martin)

The special fund for students with disabilities was introduced in 1994 and operates under the aegis of my Department to provide funding for students with disabilities attending courses in third level institutions and, since 1998, in post-leaving certificate centres.

The purpose of the special fund is to provide students with serious physical and/or sensory disabilities with grant assistance towards the cost of special equipment, special materials and technological aids, targeted transport services, personal assistants and sign language interpreters. The level of funding allocated to the special fund has increased from £80,000 in 1994 to £250,000 in 1998 and I am providing for a substantial increase to the fund this year, details of which I will be announcing shortly.

The number of students assisted and the average amount of financial assistance provided over the past three years is as follows:

Year	TotalAllocation	Number ofStudentsAssisted	Averageamountof Assistance
1996	£115,000	132	£871
1997	£218,000	153	£1,424
1998	£250,000	123	£2,032

The special fund for students with disabilities has, since its establishment in 1994, operated on a discretionary basis. I would, of course, prefer to have an entitlement-based scheme. However, the financial and other resources associated with such a scheme would have to be clearly established and it has long been the case that policy development in the area of disability and specific learning difficulties has been hampered by a lack of statistics.

In this regard, two significant research reports which will be completed over the coming months will help to provide a basis for informing future policy development both within my own Department and in the third level sector generally.

Over the past two years AHEAD has undertaken a survey of disability in mainstream second level education. My Department is supporting this research which will be published shortly. It is hoped that the report will provide for the first time a "picture of disability" at second level. This in turn will provide a strong basis for identifying the number of these students likely to move on to third level, and the provision required for their support in further study.

Additionally the Higher Education Authority is commissioning a detailed survey of the provision for students with disabilities in the third level sector, a follow on to its 1994 survey. This survey, which will be completed early next year, will indicate how the sector has developed over the past five years and will provide a strong base line for future policy and systems development.