Educational options for children with disabilities include inclusive education in mainstream schools, special classes in mainstream schools and special schools. Other supports include special needs assistants, assistive technology, home tuition and the Visiting Teacher Service.
Introduction to terms
If your child needs more help than other children to participate in and benefit from education because of a disability, they are described as having special educational needs.
Special needs education means the educational arrangements that are in place for children with special educational needs. Special needs education is provided in mainstream settings as far as possible. Children who have been diagnosed with a disability may get special needs assistance from resource teachers and perhaps other specialists such as speech and language therapists or educational psychologists.
Learning support is the help given to children who may lag behind other children in school perhaps because of learning difficulties, behavioural problems or undiagnosed disability. This is given by learning support teachers.
Special needs assistants (SNAs) work with children who need non-teaching support perhaps because of a physical disability or behavioural difficulties. Pupils' needs could range from needing an assistant for a short period each day - for example, to help feed or change them or bring them to the toilet - to requiring a full-time assistant.
National Disability Strategy
Two pieces of legislation are relevant to the education of children with disabilities. Neither of these Acts has been fully implemented.
The first is the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 (known as the EPSEN Act). The Act defines special educational needs as “a restriction in the capacity of a person to participate in and benefit from education on account of an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or learning disability, or any other condition which results in a person learning differently from a person without that condition.” Children with special educational needs will be educated “in an inclusive environment with children who do not have special educational needs” unless this is inconsistent with either the best interests of the child or effective provision for the other children.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has published a plan for the phased implementation of the EPSEN Act including individual education plans for each child assessed as having a special educational need. However this has not yet been implemented.
The second piece of legislation is the Disability Act 2005, which provides for an assessment of need and the generation of a service statement for each child who meets the definition of disability in the Act. As described in Chapter 1: Health, social services and community care , to date the assessment of need has only been implemented for children under five.
If the assessment of need for your child identifies the need for education services, the Assessment Officer must refer the matter to the NCSE under Section 8(3) of the Act. The Council is then required to nominate a person with appropriate expertise to help in the carrying out of the assessment. Under recently revised guidelines, the person nominated is the local Special Educational Needs Organiser.
Pre-school services and early intervention
Pre-school children have a right to a year's pre-school education (from 2010) and are entitled to certain health services related to education.
The HSE is responsible for providing health and personal social services (such as psychological services or speech and language therapy services) at pre-school stage. If your child is attending an early intervention service, these speech and language therapy services are generally included in your child's programme. Your child can also be assessed for these services under the assessment of need provisions of the Disability Act 2005 (see above and Chapter 1: Health, social services and community care ).
You may be able to access appropriate specialised pre-school services in your area. For example, the early learning centre of the National Council for the blind in Ireland (NCBI) provides specialised education to children with sight loss from birth up to the age of six. If your child has an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), you may be able to access one of the small number of special pre-school class units attached to primary schools to cater for children with ASD. Alternatively, you may be able to access home tuition as an early intervention for your child. See also Early Intervention Team in chapter 1.
Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Scheme
This scheme provides a free year of pre-school education for children aged between three years three months and four years six months. However if your child's special needs will delay their entry to primary school, they may be able to continue in pre-school beyond four and a half. You should write to the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to ask for an exemption from the age band. Enclose a copy of confirmation of your child's special needs from the HSE or from a consultant who is treating your child. A letter from a GP is not enough to get an exemption for your child. Under the ECCE scheme, a child is expected to attend pre-school four or five days each week. However, this requirement does not apply to children with special needs if a shorter week would be more appropriate for them.
You can get a list of participating pre-schools and childcare providers from your city or county childcare committee.
Mainstream primary and secondary schools
All children have a constitutional right to free primary education. If your child has special educational needs, they have the right to free 5 primary education up to the age of 18. They are also entitled to free post-primary education in the same way as other children. A child has the right to attend a mainstream school unless their presence there is detrimental to their own education or that of other children.
Special Educational Needs Organisers
When your child moves into primary school, or later on into post- primary, you (and/or the school) can contact your local Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) to see what arrangements can be made for your child.
The nationwide network of SENOs is operated by the National Council for Special Education. A SENO deals with applications for supports for children with special educational needs from all schools in their area. These can include:
- Resource teaching hours
- Special needs assistant (SNA) hours
- School transport for children with disabilities with special educational needs
- Other resources such as assistive technology equipment, computers and scribes (someone to write for another person)
The SENO will decide on the application and tell you and the school the outcome of their decision. SENOs can also advise schools and parents on the facilities, services, and resources available for children with special educational needs. You will find a full list of SENOs on the website of the National Council for Special Education, ncse.ie.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) was set up to improve the delivery of education services to persons with special educational needs, particularly children. The NCSE is responsible (through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers) for allocating resource hours and special needs assistants to support children with special needs.
The Special Education Support Service (SESS) provides a nationwide service to teachers and special needs assistants. The aim of the service is to enhance the quality of teaching and learning with particular reference to the education of children with special needs.
Other supports
Visiting Teacher Service
If your child has special educational needs resulting from hearing difficulties or visual impairment, you can access the Visiting Teacher Service of the Department of Education and Skills from the time your child is two years old. This service provides teaching and support to parents and schools. The visiting teacher will travel to meet you and your child, and other professionals who are involved with your child.
If your child is visually impaired, you may refer them to the Visiting Teacher Service yourselves as parents, or they may be referred through an eye clinic or the National Council for the blind. If your child is deaf or hard of hearing, they may be referred through the HSE's audiology services, through hospital services or the Cochlear Implant Unit at Beaumont Hospital. Your child can also be referred by their school or the HSE area in which they live.
Each visiting teacher is responsible for a particular region and is allocated a caseload of pupils. The visiting teacher will continue to provide guidance and support for your child throughout their education, up to and including third level. Assistive technology is an example of the supports that the visiting teacher can provide, where necessary (see Chapter 7).
Home Tuition Scheme
If your child is unable to go to school on a regular basis because of serious medical difficulties, they may be able to access home tuition. This may also be provided if your child has special educational needs and is waiting for a suitable school place. Home tuition is also used to provide early intervention for pre-school children with autism. The grant aid is for 10 hours home tuition a week for children aged two and a half to three and 20 hours a week for children aged three and over.
The funding is not provided if there is a place in school or early education available to your child. You apply directly to the Home Tuition Unit of the Department of Education and Skills.
July Education Programme
There is a special funding arrangement for schools to provide further special needs education in the month of July each year. Special schools and mainstream primary schools with special classes catering for children with autism can choose to extend their education services through the month of July. There is also a July Education Programme for pupils with a severe or profound general learning disability. The funding includes transport and escort services for the children.
If your child's school is not taking part in the July Education Programme, you may be able to get home tuition for your child during July as an alternative.
Special arrangements for particular disabilities
If your child has a specific learning disability, they may be able to get an exemption from some of the usual educational requirements. For example, if they have dyslexia they may be exempt from the requirement to learn Irish. They may also be granted spelling and grammar waivers in language subjects in state examinations.
Depending on the nature of your child's disability, they may be exempt from part of some exams in Junior and Leaving certificate subjects. For example, if your child has a hearing impairment, they may be exempt from the aural component of an exam. If your child avails of such a waiver or exemption in a state exam, the certificate awarded may note that they have not taken an element of the exam. The Equality Tribunal has ruled that this type of annotation is contrary to the Equal Status Acts 2000-2004. That decision is under appeal at present (2010).
Your child may be able to avail of special arrangements, known as reasonable accommodation , when sitting exams. These can include extra rest breaks, large-print exam papers and the services of a reader or a scribe.
Generally you apply for waivers and reasonable accommodations through your school or education provider. External candidates apply directly to the State Examinations Commission.
Physical access
Depending on the nature of your child's disability, you may need to check with the principal that the school is accessible to your child (playgrounds and toilets as well as classrooms and assembly areas). The school may apply for a grant to make the premises accessible by, for example, putting in ramps or accessible toilet accommodation. The Building Unit of the Department of Education and Skills deals with these grants. There are also special transport arrangements, including escorts and safety harnesses, for children with disabilities attending school. See also Chapter 7.
Special schools
Education in a special school is another option you may wish to explore for your child. There are over 107 special schools catering for particular types of disability and special needs. They include about 70 schools for children with varying degrees of general learning disability and 11 schools for children with physical disability, of which three cater for children with hearing impairment and one caters for children with visual impairment.
There is one school for children with multiple disabilities, also about 20 schools for children with emotional and behavioural disturbance and five for children with autism.
Twelve stand-alone facilities provide a specific applied behavioural analysis (ABA) methodology on a pilot basis for children with autistic spectrum disorders. Six schools located in hospitals are also classiied as special schools. They ensure that if your child spends time in hospital, they can still keep up with their education.
You can discuss your child's needs and the most appropriate educational setting for them with your local Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO). You can find a list of all special schools on the website of the Department of Education and Skills ( education.ie ).
Third-level education
Your child may apply for admission to a third-level institution through the standard process operated by the Central Applications Office (CAO). Some institutions reserve a number of places for people with disabilities. The direct admission system varies from one institution to another, and your child will need to find out the closing dates for such applications and the criteria for a place.
Most third-level institutions have Disability Liaison Officers. The Disability Liaison Officer can help with applying for a reserved place, finding suitable accommodation and any special access requirements or provisions for sitting examinations. Some institutions reserve a number of student accommodation places for students with disabilities.
Disability Access Route to Education (DARE)
A new scheme called DARE (Disability Access Route to Education) was launched in October 2009. At present (2010), there are 11 higher education institutions (HEIs) taking part in the scheme. Each HEI has allocated a quota of places on a reduced points basis for students entering through DARE. If your child is applying through DARE, they must provide evidence confirming that their disability has had a significant impact on their educational performance.
DARE works alongside the mainstream CAO process. Your child should apply online at cao.ie as part of the CAO application process. They should mention their disability or specific learning difficulty on the appropriate section of the application form. They will then be directed to the separate online Supplementary Information Form which will ask them for additional information about their disability or specific learning difficulty. They must indicate their wish to be considered for DARE, and then submit supporting documentation.
Your child must still meet the minimum entry (matriculation) and subject requirements of the college or institute, and will then compete with other applicants for a quota of places based on their Leaving certificate results. They may apply through both systems (CAO and direct) for the same academic year. If they get an offer in each system, they may choose whichever suits them better.
All students with a disability are offered a variety of academic, personal and social supports while studying at third level. The following are examples of the types of supports available:
- An orientation programme to introduce students to university/college
- Study skills, extra tuition if required and exam support
- Access to assistive technology and training
- One-to-one meetings with support staff, social gatherings and mentoring
- Course materials in relevant formats (for example, audio tapes of journal articles)
Grants and other supports
Students with disabilities are eligible for third-level grants on the same basis as other students. There are some grants specifically for people with disabilities. Grants tend not to be available for part-time or distance learning third-level courses.
f
The Fund for Students with Disabilities
This allocates funding to further and higher education colleges for the provision of services and supports to full-time students with disabilities. It is administered by the Department of Education and Skills. The Fund aims to ensure that students can participate fully in their academic programmes and are not disadvantaged by a disability.
Eligible students can receive assistance from PLC (post-leaving certificate) level right up to doctoral level. You do not have to be in the first year of a course to be eligible to apply. First-time applications can be made during any year of study on an approved course at further or higher education level. Applications to the Fund are made on behalf of an eligible student by their college following an assessment of need. Applications cannot be made directly to the Fund by students. Colleges are also responsible for the management of the funding approved for eligible students.
Applicants to the Fund for Students with Disabilities are not means tested. A minimum age for application applies, however. Students with disabilities enrolled in part-time courses, access or foundation courses in higher education institutions or short courses are not eligible for consideration under the Fund.
AHEAD (Association for Higher Education Access and Disability)
AHEAD is a voluntary organisation working to promote improved access to third-level education for people with disabilities. It has published Accessing Third-level Education in Ireland - A Guide for Students with Disabilities.
AHEAD Newman House,
86 St Stephen's Green,
Dublin 2.
Tel: (01) 475 2386
ahead.ie
Other education schemes
If your child is on a disability payment and decides to return to second-level or third-level education, they may qualify for a Back to Education Allowance paid by the Department of Social Protection. They will get a standard rate of payment plus an annual Cost of Education Allowance of €500.
Another third-level option is the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS), which allows people aged 21 or over who have been getting certain social welfare payments for at least six months to take up a full-time education course at certain Vocational Educational Committee (VEC) centres around the country. The course centre pays you the equivalent of the maximum rate of your unemployment payment.
See the Citizens Information Board booklet Entitlements for people with disabilities for more information on schemes for adults.
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