Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 February 2021
546. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the allocation to each of the 23 higher education institutions in respect of the fund announced on 22 January 2021 to assist students with disabilities; the computational method used to determine allocations in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5872/21]
View answerThe strategic initiatives to which the Deputy refers, form part of the funding envelop for the Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) and will support the overall development of disability services in higher education institutions. The process by which the funding was allocated involved a call for proposals from HEIs who had available FSD funding which they wished to re-orient for strategic projects.
HEIs were invited to submit proposals which supported the concept of universal design for learning, the embedding of disability supports throughout individual institutions and/or collaboration between HEIs to develop materials which complement existing disability support services.
A total of 23 higher education institutions (HEI) were granted approval for strategic initiatives amounting to €5.4m.
The FSD, which has been in existence since the 1990s, aims to support students with a range of conditions and disabilities including sensory and physical disabilities, specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, autism, mental health conditions and significant ongoing illness.
A breakdown of the €5.4m by project and by HEIs is provided in the attached file. Approval of proposals is subject to submission of revised project plans from each HEI to the Higher Education Authority.
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[<a href="https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/debates/questions/supportingDocumentation/2021-02-03_pq546-03-02-21_en.docx">FSD</a>] |
