Sustainable long-term funding needed to support students with intellectual disabilities
Posted on: 17 October 2019
Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, recently launched the ‘Higher Education Opportunities for Students with Intellectual Disabilities in the Republic of Ireland – A National Response’ report at a special event in Trinity.
People with intellectual disabilities have historically been absent from participation within the higher education system in Ireland. Unemployment and underemployment are critical issues affecting the lives of people with intellectual disabilities.
Increasing numbers of students with intellectual disabilities are attending mainstream secondary schools but there is little infrastructure to support transition into further and higher education or employment.
This report highlights the developments within the Irish higher education system over the past decade in establishing and developing inclusive educational programmes and alternative access routes for students with intellectual disabilities.
In Ireland, ten higher education institutions currently are delivering assorted post-school educational programmes that collectively seek to include students in every aspect of life as a third level student.
The report was published by the Inclusive National Higher Education Forum [INHEF], a national interest group of representatives of higher education providers and stakeholders.
Speaking ahead of the launch, Minister Mitchell O’Connor said:
“The ten higher education institutions offering special options for people with intellectual disabilities are enriching the lives and prospects of students and their families. I look forward to future engagement with the Inclusive National Higher Education Forum on the report and its findings. I am very pleased that there have already been constructive discussions with officials from my Department and SOLAS.”
Commenting on the report findings, INHEF chairperson Des Aston of the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities said:
For the past number of years, we have seen a significant decrease in number of inclusive education initiatives in operation across Irish higher education providers. Many of these programmes have been discontinued due to the unsustainable nature of the funding models allocated.
Through INHEF, people with intellectual disabilities are accessing meaningful education and training opportunities, with a view to becoming empowered and active citizens. In doing so, INHEF has built a network for sharing best practice which includes several models of inclusive higher education that are effective; now we are calling upon the government; the higher and further education sector; and employers nationally to make this model sustainable.
Key findings of the report highlight the lack of current long-term sustainability for inclusive education programmes nationally.
The current models of funding combined with limited access to the necessary supports and resources to sustain these inclusive education initiatives need to be addressed by a national response.
- Ten Irish higher education providers are offering a diverse range of inclusive education options specifically for students with intellectual disabilities. The range and depth of programmes on offer indicate a strong commitment from Higher Education Providers (HEPs) to addressing the educational and social inequalities experienced by people with intellectual disabilities.
- There is clear evidence that people with intellectual disabilities benefit from engagement with these programmes and it is regularly reported that these participants gain a stronger understanding of themselves and the world they live in.
- It is evident that these programmes have been designed as a response to the lack of post-school options for young people who have an intellectual disability. However, it is equally evident that transition pathways to post-secondary provision for these students are often ad-hoc, and that making the progression to post-school educational provision relies heavily on the capacity of families.
- The predominance of HEP partnerships with HSE funded service providers is indicative of the traditional government focus on health-related spending to support this population. Focused government spending on developing viable transition pathways for this populace into post-school educational provision is currently lacking. It is apparent that these young people and their families wish to avail of a range of post-school options, rather than taking the traditional route into day service provision.
- Students attending inclusive educational initiatives are currently (Spring 2019) unable to access SUSI grants and higher education institutions are unable to avail of the FSD for this cohort.
- Despite these systemic limitations, these 10 higher education providers have demonstrated what is possible in developing authentic educational opportunities for this population. These programmes have the additional advantage of clearly addressing government commitments to the sustainable development goals and the obligations incurred as a result of the ratification of the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities.