Written Answers. - Special Educational Needs.
Eamon Gilmore
Ceist:
460
Mr. Gilmore
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
the reason his Department is no longer providing a note-taker for a person (details supplied) in County Dublin who suffers with dyslexia, in order for them to complete their second year of engineering studies at TCD; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[1803/03]
I am pleased to state that, following a review, an allocation is being made in respect of the student referred to by the Deputy for provision of the services of a note-taker in the current academic year.
By way of background, the fund for students with disabilities, which is ESF-aided, is administered by my Department and provides funding to students with disabilities attending courses in third level institutions and in post-leaving certificate centres. The purpose of the fund is to provide students with serious physical and/or sensory disabilities with grant assistance towards the cost of special equipment, special materials and technological aids, targeted transport services, personal assistants and sign language interpreters. The fund operates on a discretionary basis. Applications for assistance are made in October of each year by the individual students through their third level institution. The allocations are paid to the relevant institutions in respect of the particular students. Decisions on applications are taken by anad hoc advisory group which, in 2002, consisted of representatives of the Department's administration and inspectorate units, the latter a retired officer, a representative from the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability and a representative of the Higher Education Authority.
The number of approved applications has increased significantly, from 511 in 2000 to 1,132 in 2002. Expenditure has also more than doubled over the same period, from €1.565 million in 2000 to €3.682 million in 2002. Following the issue of awards, my Department received representations and appeals which related, in particular, to applicants who had unsuccessfully requested the services of a note-taker. In view of those appeals, officials from my Department who were not members of the original advisory group conducted a review of all those applications where a note-taker was applied for, but not granted. Following completion of this review, an additional 52 applicants are being awarded funds in respect of note-takers, including the student referred to by the Deputy. The outcome of the review is being communicated to the disability officers, who will then inform the successful applicants.
My Department accepts that, given the success and significant expansion of the fund in recent years, it is appropriate that the operation of the fund should be subject to review in 2003. In this context, I have already approved the establishment of the national office for equity of access to third level education within the Higher Education Authority, as recommended in the report of the action group on access to third level education. It will be part of the remit of the national office to take responsibility for the future administration of the fund for students with disabilities.
