Information Brief 5
Looking at Education Issues for People with
Disabilities
1.
Key Statistics
2.
The Lived Reality – The Issue in Short
3.
Education Issues in More Detail
1.Key Statistics

15% of people with disabilities left school sooner than they would have liked
because of their disability.i

Since 2010, children with significant special educational needs due to low
incidence – or rare – disabilities continue to face a 15% cut to their resource
teaching hours per week.ii

People with disabilities aged 15-49 (16.3%) are over three times more likely to
have completed no higher than primary education than the general
population of the same age (5.1%). Just 24.5% of people with disabilities have
completed third-level education, compared to 38.7% of the general
population.iii
2. The Lived Reality – The Issue in Short
1. Lack of finance for assessments, combined with long waiting lists means that
children with disabilities do not get essential supports at school.
2. The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act (2004)
makes a commitment to the provision of full assessments of children with
disabilities. Ten year later and this provision has yet to be fully implemented.
3. The Programme for Government (2011) committed to publish a plan on
implementing the EPSEN Act; however in the same year, a cap was placed on
the number of Special Needs Assistants (SNA) employed and the weekly hours
of resource teaching available for children with disabilities in mainstream
schools has been cut by 15% since 2011.iv
4. Added to this, research has shown that access to resource hours and to special
needs assistants is inequitable across different socio-economic areas.v More
affluent families are getting their children assessed privately and have the
resources to access the supports needed, meaning that resources are
distributed unevenly with more special needs assistants in more affluent areas.
5. Many children and young people are not encouraged or expected to stay in
school and to progress in education in the same way as their able-bodied
peers.
6. Many are prevented from entering the workforce when they complete their
education because they are afraid to lose their essential secondary benefits
such as the medical card. Others are forced into inappropriate day services
when they finish school.
3.
Education Issues in More Detail
People with disabilities must have equal access to an education with their nondisabled peers. People with disabilities are individuals with differing strengths and
abilities. Everybody has the ability to learn and teachers and support staff such as
Special Need Assistant’s, must be employed to ensure that every child, young person
and adult with a disability has access to education which addresses their individual
needs.
Assessing Special Educational Needs
Lack of finance for assessments, combined with long waiting lists means that children
with disabilities do not get essential supports at school. This has a negative impact
on a child’s self-confidence. It also creates gaps between children with disabilities
and their peers. Assessment needs to be available at periods of transition and at
regular intervals so that adequate and appropriate support can be provided to
children with disabilities to enable them to access quality education.
The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act (2004) makes
a commitment to the provision of full assessments of children with disabilities. This
would allow schools to determine the type and level of supports and resources
needed, in accordance with individual education plans. Ten year later and this
provision has yet to be fully implemented.
In 2011, the Programme for Government committed the Fine Gael-Labour coalition
to publish a plan on implementing the EPSEN Act; however in the same year, a cap
was placed on the number of Special Needs Assistants (SNA) employed; while the
weekly hours of resource teaching available for children with disabilities in
mainstream schools has been cut by 15% since 2011 in order to keep numbers inside
another cap.vi In June of this year, the UN Committee on Economic, Social, and
Cultural (ESC) Rights, recommended that the Government implement EPSEN and
criticised the rationale for its lack of implementation (i.e. lack of resources).vii
Research has shown that access to resource hours and to special needs assistants is
inequitable across different socio-economic areas. viii Many middle class families
have the financial resources to bypass long waiting lists to get their children assessed
privately. Consequently, they have the resources to access the supports that their
children require. This is causing an uneven distribution of resources with more
socially affluent areas receiving the highest allocations of special-needs supports.
This divide has become more apparent since the onset of the recession.
School Leavers/Higher Education
Many children and young people with disabilities do not get the supports, resources
and information they require to reach their potential. They are not encouraged or
expected to stay in school and to progress in education in the same way as their
able-bodied peers. What is most telling is that 15% of people with disabilities left
school sooner than they would have liked because of their disability. ix In addition,
People with disabilities aged 15-49 (16.3%) are over three times more likely to have
completed no higher than primary education than the general population of the
same age (5.1%). x Just 24.5% of people with disabilities have completed third-level
education, compared to 38.7% of the general population.xi
Many career guidance counsellors and are not familiar with the various further
training and education options which are available to young people with various
abilities when they finish school. All young people including people with disabilities
have the right to appropriate information, guidance and support to make informed
decisions about their future. Young people need to be supported through the CAO
application process for third level and they need to be encouraged to focus on their
strengths, abilities and interests just like all students. Many people with disabilities
are prevented from entering the workforce when they complete their education
because they are afraid to lose their essential secondary benefits such as the medical
card. Also, people cannot access PA hours to assist and support them at work.
Many young people with disabilities are forced into inappropriate day services when
they finish school. They cannot participate in adult education and training because
the course providers cannot get funding for essential supports such as transport or
personal assistants. People who wish to study courses at FETAC level 3 & 4 on the
QQI framework are not entitled to apply for supports under the Fund for Students
with Disabilities as stated in the guidelines issued by the National Access office for
further & higher education. Furthermore, part time students are not eligible for
funding.
Economic and Research Institute (2015) Educational and Employment Experiences of People with a
Disability in Ireland: An Analysis of the National Disability Survey
ii
https://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/sped02_05.pdf
iii
Central Statistics Office (2012) Census 2011: Profile 8 – Our Bill of Health. Dublin, Central Statistics
Office.
iv
https://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/sped02_05.pdf
v
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/deep-inequality-in-special-needs-supports-laid-bare1.2339292
vi
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/no-plans-to-implement-11-year-old-disability-law341712.html#.VZ-g2TfdxnM.twitter
vii
http://www.ourvoiceourrights.ie/resources/uncescr-concluding-observations-2015/
viii
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/deep-inequality-in-special-needs-supports-laid-bare1.2339292
ix
Economic and Research Institute (2015) Educational and Employment Experiences of People with a
Disability in Ireland: An Analysis of the National Disability Survey
x
Central Statistics Office (2012) Census 2011: Profile 8 – Our Bill of Health. Dublin, Central Statistics
Office.
xi
Central Statistics Office (2012) Census 2011: Profile 8 – Our Bill of Health. Dublin, Central Statistics
Office.
i