Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 May 2024
18. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the status of the review of disability supports for students at further and higher education centres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23180/24]
View answerWhat is the status of the review of disability supports for students in further and higher education centres, and will the Minister make a statement on the matter? Some of this relates to my engagement with the Minister's predecessor, Deputy Harris, not least in respect of personal assistants in further education colleges and trying to rectify the issue with their contracts.
The Department is carrying out an information-gathering exercise that will facilitate the signposting of courses and associated supports for people with disabilities as they move from second to tertiary level, and this is part of a broader scheme of work planned by the Department, which will also include a diagnostic review of the tertiary offering for people with disabilities as part of work linked to the national disability strategy.
The terms of reference of the review of personal assistant services that are funded from the fund for students with disabilities across tertiary education settings are being finalised.
Separately, SOLAS commissioned an independent evaluation of the specialist training provision, which offers tailored education and training opportunities for learners with disabilities requiring more intensive support. This evaluation is to arrive at evidence-based conclusions and propose recommendations regarding the quality, effectiveness, ongoing relevance and overall value of the training delivered. It will also examine the integration of this training within the broader further education and training provided by ETBs. The evaluation is expected by the end of June, following which SOLAS and my Department will review its findings in consultation with the training providers.
The national access plan to higher education and the further education strategy recognise and commit to tackling the under-representation of students with disabilities. Additional investment was secured in budget 2024 for the fund for students with disabilities and universal design, as well as the specific investment announced to support learners with an intellectual disability. I am committed to prioritising supports in this area going forward.
This is absolutely vital work that needs to be done. We constantly talk about how we have to move beyond reasonable accommodations and in the context of universal design, facilitate all sorts of people. It is fair to say that major work has been done in new pathways and route maps for people as regards education. I visited the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre of Excellence yesterday with Deirdre Hargey, the North's economy Minister. A number of memorandums of understanding, MOUs, were signed with Southern Regional College and Queen's University. A large amount of cross-Border work is being done in this regard.
I have dealt with the issue of to personal assistants over a long period. The previous Minister realised that work needs to be done in the context of sustainability. I would like to think that the new Minister will continue along those lines.
Before the Deputy entered the Chamber, I referred to the movement from second level to tertiary level, particularly for those who are in receipt of personal assistance hours. In many cases, they move from primary to secondary with school special needs assistants or other forms of assistance and then there is a cliff edge. There is no doubt that this cliff edge is extremely daunting. It comes down to how we navigate that and how the third level institutions, many of which are autonomous, provide services with support from my Department.
In the context of all the questions raised this morning, it is interesting that the underlying theme, which is quite refreshing to be honest, is the genuine concern Deputies of all parties and none have about access for people with disabilities to the third level sector. There is quite a deal of collaboration that can be done in this space. I look forward to working with Deputy Ó Murchú and others on this matter.
I also visited Dundalk Institute of Technology, DkIT, recently, which offers a particular course relating to skills for independent living. DkIT has particular issues with regard to SUSI. I hope this will be looked at as we carry out reviews. I am very glad the Minister spoke about the cliff edge that exists, particularly when kids hit the age of 18. With regard to services across the board, there is a significant body of work that needs to be done.
I referred to personal assistants in further education colleges. I have spoken to people who work in the same field in DkIT. In that context, we need to look at contracts, how we do things and how we can make sure that we can facilitate people to be all they can be. I put it to the Minister that the previous Minister, and current Taoiseach, Deputy Harris, was going to have a meeting with the personal assistants as a follow-up. I hope he will be willing to follow through on that.
I have no problem at all in doing so. In the context of the discussion on personal assistants, we are in the same place now as our predecessors were 20 years ago in their discussions about special needs assistants in the primary sector. It is a natural and good progression. It is a good progression because many of the people we are talking about have come through extremely challenging situations in order to get to the place they are in. We will have to put a pathway in place over a period to see how we can make sure that the supports are appropriate, that personal assistants are properly trained, qualified and well looked after and that the educational and personal needs of learners can be met in collaboration with the education system. This is a relatively new space for us, but I do not think there is any lack of ambition in the Department to get stuck into this.
