Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 September 2023
297. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the degree to which third-level education places remain available for students with special needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40926/23]
View answerThere are a small number of institutions who have courses tailored specifically for students with an intellectual disability. I have visited some of the institutions who run these courses and have met with a number of students this year who are either current or past pupils.
However, I am acutely aware that the level of provision is not enough and needs to be increased.
The fourth National Access Plan 2022-2028 was launched on August 31 2022 setting out our ambition to support inclusion and diversity in our student body, address the wider struggles and challenges for students, and deliver sustainable progress across the higher education sector.
To progress the Plan a new Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH) initiative is now in place called PATH 4.
PATH 4 Phase 1 was launched in 2022 with objectives of supporting the embedding of Universal Design (UD) approaches and inclusive practices in HEIs to benefit all students and in particular autistic students and enable the building of capacity in HEIs for greater participation by students with intellectual disabilities in higher education. 19 HEIs received a total of €3 million in Phase 1 to support these objectives and projects are ongoing.
PATH 4 Phase 2 involves a competitive call for proposals to Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s) for additional course provision in Higher Education for Students with Intellectual Disabilities. I launched the competitive call on the 29th of June 2023. This asks HEI’s to consider how they can enhance provision for students with an intellectual disability and a total fund of €9 million over 3 years is available, from funding secured in Budget 2022. A lot of consultation has taken place with students to inform this call for proposals. The closing date for proposals is the 12th October and I very much look forward to seeing the outcome of this investment for the benefit of students.
