Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 3 Jul 1996

Vol. 468 No. 1

Written Answers. - Students with Disabilities.

Mary Wallace

Ceist:

139 Miss M. Wallace asked the Minister for Education the support available to a person (details supplied) in County Meath who is unable to use her limbs to attend a course at Athlone regional technical college, County Westmeath for which she has qualified. [14495/96]

Mary Wallace

Ceist:

146 Miss M. Wallace asked the Minister for Education the funds, if any, that were available during 1995 and will be available in 1996 to support students with disabilities who wish to attend third-level education; if her attention has been drawn to the work of the University College Cork disability support office; and whether she has considered their plans to develop a larger custom built facility. [14619/96]

Minister for Education (Ms Bhreathnach)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 146 together.

In 1994 I set up a discretionary fund from which an allocation of £80,000 was made to a centrally administered special fund for students with disabilities. I also established an advisory committee under the chairmanship of Professor John Kelly of UCD to advise on the allocation of the special fund for students with disabilities. Applications are invited through the third level institutions from students with disabilities in October of each year.

In 1995 a sum of £105,000 was provided to assist students with disabilities and a further allocation of £225,000 has been made to the discretionary fund for 1996, a large portion of which will be allocated to the special fund.

I am well aware of the excellent work which the disability support office at UCC is doing to assist students with disabilities. In the last two years UCC has received a total of £60,000 from the special fund to assist students with disabilities attending third level courses in the college.

In planning new third level facilities or expanding existing facilities specific regard is had to the need for appropriate access for people with disabilities.

The Higher Education Authority has allocated approximately £400,000 from its 1996 budget to fund special initiatives, including initiatives for the disabled, in Higher Education Authority sector institutions.

Applications have been received from the institutions, including UCC, and are being assessed at the moment by the HEA.

Mary Wallace

Ceist:

140 Miss M. Wallace asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the fact that many people with disabilities require additional time to compete fairly in public examinations; her views on whether 20 minutes of such extra time is rarely sufficient; and her views on whether her Department could be more flexible in this matter. [14504/96]

Minister for Education (Ms Bhreathnach)

My Department has for many years made special arrangements in the certificate examinations for candidates who would have difficulty in communicating what they know to an examiner because of a physical disability, including visual and hearing impairments, or a specific learning difficulty.

My Department is aware of the need for additional time in certain instances. In this regard the special arrangements include ten minutes additional time per scheduled hour of each question paper where a candidate needs the help of a scribe or would otherwise be unable to make adequate use of the mechanical aids provided for recording the answers or is visually impaired.

Each application for special examination arrangements, including additional time, is considered on its own merits within the terms of the scheme of special arrangements.