Results 41-60 of 1,118,631 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:Pauline Tully OR speaker:Martin Heydon OR speaker:Cathal Crowe OR speaker:Ciarán Cannon OR speaker:Heather Humphreys OR speaker:Neasa Hourigan OR speaker:Seán Fleming OR speaker:Matt Shanahan OR speaker:Seán Haughey OR speaker:Gino Kenny OR speaker:Verona Murphy OR speaker:Noel Grealish OR speaker:Steven Matthews OR speaker:Jennifer Whitmore OR speaker:Seán Ó Fearghaíl OR speaker:Holly Cairns OR speaker:Róisín Shortall OR speaker:David Stanton OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív OR speaker:Aindrias Moynihan OR speaker:Martin Browne OR speaker:Carol Nolan OR speaker:Alan Farrell OR speaker:Richard Bruton OR speaker:Stephen Donnelly)

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Education Needs of Visually Impaired Students: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: Are we building in choice for the benefit of the student or the view that the system might fail them at a later date?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Education Needs of Visually Impaired Students: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: To clarify, Ms O'Dwyer would see summer provision as an opportunity for VI students. Most VI students are in mainstream education and, as described, are received supports from teachers and SNAs who are probably learning with the child what that child needs as with all disabilities but VI is very specific. Most SNAs will have only one child with VI throughout their career. If we can move it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Education Needs of Visually Impaired Students: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: Summer provision has become last minute as we do not know who wants to offer it or which employees want to take up the opportunity. Ms Healy indicated that ChildVision would be willing to undertake that kind of work.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Education Needs of Visually Impaired Students: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: Is the capacity there?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Education Needs of Visually Impaired Students: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: Regarding the pilot in Munster around orientation and mobility, why has that not been expanded? How long has it been in place?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Education Needs of Visually Impaired Students: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: I am sure everybody else in the country is quite jealous of that. Why has that not been expanded? Does Ms Walsh have any insight into that? I know Féach is not the Department but I am just wondering.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Education Needs of Visually Impaired Students: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: Am I correct in saying that when we talk about orientation and mobility, particularly for VI students who are not in the community, there is a belief that that is about learning to use a cane and walk around the town, when in fact it is about independence, particularly in school life? Much of that is down to the social side of things. Ms Agbona spoke of being sent to have lunch somewhere...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Education Needs of Visually Impaired Students: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: Does Ms Agbona want to say something about that? She described something that is probably a fear of many parents - that their child would not have access to the social side of school or be empowered. Most parents want to wrap their kids in cotton wool and it is easy to retreat home. Maybe we are not supporting people to move out into the world and make links.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Education Needs of Visually Impaired Students: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: I suspect there is a huge cohort of visually impaired students who also have other challenges. They might have another diagnosis. They might, as Ms Agbona said, have a migrant parent who does not necessarily feel she will be heard if she goes to the school. There are all sorts of things because people's lives are complicated and complex. We should have a system that serves that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Education Needs of Visually Impaired Students: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: I reiterate that because it is extraordinary we might be looking to move that funding out of the Department of Education. If it currently is in the Department, that seems an unusual choice because we have heard from the previous speakers that it is about the experience of school and is absolutely about school life. Whether it is a legacy issue or not, we might need to look again at that. ...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Education Needs of Visually Impaired Students: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: I am sorry, but when Mr. Kenny is meeting the needs of one in four students, what he means is one in four students apply for recognition under reasonable accommodation. I am sure many of those students would say they are not reasonably accommodated.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Education Needs of Visually Impaired Students: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: I am just looking for a timeline. I have a very small amount of time. I am just looking for a timeline of the review.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Education Needs of Visually Impaired Students: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: Okay. I understand it is the SEC which has the main role here, but does the Department sit on the review body?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Education Needs of Visually Impaired Students: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: Has Mr. Kenny seen the terms of reference?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Education Needs of Visually Impaired Students: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: Will they be publishing them?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Education Needs of Visually Impaired Students: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: Does the Department expect to be a member of that group?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Education Needs of Visually Impaired Students: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: The Department is not a stakeholder.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Education Needs of Visually Impaired Students: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: I am hugely frustrated by Mr. Kenny’s answer. The Department is not a stakeholder, and the SEC sits as an independent body within the Department. We talked at length in the previous session about the lack of joined-up thinking between the good work the Department is doing, such as introducing technology, trying to support students with mobility and trying to increase supports to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Education Needs of Visually Impaired Students: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: Okay, but it is still being taken to court by students for not receiving the correct supports.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Education Needs of Visually Impaired Students: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: Would Mr. Kenny recognise that there is a top-down departmental approach from the SEC where it is not upholding the UNCRPD and the person-centred approach that is now required and that is now actionable in the past few weeks under the optional protocol? I have formed the opinion that the Department is giving the SEC a free run on this. They are not engaging with individuals when an...