Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 March 2021
669. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the work he is undertaking with third-level institutions to develop accredited learning courses for college students with a diagnosis of autism and moderate intellectual disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13571/21]
View answerMy Department is working to deliver on its mission to develop further and higher education to support people in reaching their full potential. We published our Statement of Strategy for the 2021-2023 period on March 8. It contains six strategic goals including a goal on inclusion which seeks to “support learning for all, recognising the needs of vulnerable learners and the most marginalised, and assist people in access to and progression through higher and further education and training, so as to grow prosperity across communities and build social cohesion.”
Fostering Inclusion is one of the three core pillars around which the Further Education and Training Strategy 2020-2024 is built. The Further Education and Training (FET) sector is committed to increasing levels of inclusion through the provision of high quality, more accessible and flexible education and training programmes and supports suited to the identified needs of individuals, including those with a disability. FET programmes are available to all learners, including those with an intellectual disability, who meet the eligibility criteria and the guidelines provided for each FET programme.
Specialist Training Provision (STP) is also available for learners with more complex support needs, and this provision addresses the identified training needs of people with disabilities who are experiencing exclusion and labour market disadvantage in the form of vocational training programmes. Community Education assists learners with a disability to participate in FET provision by adapting course content, resources and teaching methodologies to suit their abilities.
FET providers are required to offer reasonable accommodations to learners with disabilities, the nature of these accommodations varies depending on the identified needs of individual learners. FET provision is available across the country in every county. Most of these programmes are either free of charge or heavily subsidised. Details of FET courses are available at www.fetchcourses.ie or through the Adult Education Guidance Service in the learner’s local ETB. This service is free of charge and open to anyone over the age of 18. Local ETBs can provide advice on all education and training options, as well as additional supports that are available to learners, including for learners with a disability.
SOLAS, the national Further Education and Training authority is currently overseeing an independent evaluation of SPT. The purpose of the evaluation is to examine the quality, effectiveness, on-going relevance and overall value of vocational training that is currently delivered by specialist training providers, and to propose any recommendations for future practice.
Students who meet eligibility criteria and are attending approved courses can access supports such as the SUSI grant scheme. The Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) is the principal funding source for students with disabilities in further and higher education. The fund is available to students with disabilities, including Autism, attending both further and higher education courses. Students attending approved courses in Northern Ireland, the UK, and the EU are also eligible for support. The purpose of the FSD is to provide students with a disability with the necessary assistance to enable them to access, fully participate in and successfully complete their chosen course of study.
I recently approved a number of initiatives under the FSD aimed at supporting students with disabilities to access and engage with higher education. The initiatives, which involve 23 higher education institutions (HEI) and €5.4m in expenditure, are broad and are aimed at improving access to higher education for people with a disability, to improving college campuses and to assist staff with training and development. Among the projects are a number of projects for students with autism including the establishment of autism friendly rooms across nine different campuses, the development of assistive technology including for students with disabilities, an app to help students with visual or hearing impairment navigate their way around campus and specialist assistance for students who are deaf.
One of my priorities is to support learning for all. I want the tertiary education system to develop and grow its supports for vulnerable learners, learners with disabilities, under-represented groups and the most marginalised. I want learners to engage with and complete their education journey while recognising that some learners will need additional supports to help them achieve their full potential.
My Department will continue to keep existing provision and initiatives under review; to develop a better understanding of what works best within the different models, how we can support different providers in working together and learning from each other, and examining what is scalable from institutional-level approaches.
