There has been a significant fall in the number of post-secondary school courses available through Higher Education institutions for people with intellectual disabilities, according to a new report.
In 2014 there were 16 such courses, running in 16 colleges throughout the country. However, by this year that had fallen to just 10 courses, catering for 106 students in total.
The report by the National Higher Education Forum says that many young people with intellectual disabilities find themselves leaving compulsory schooling to end up in adult day centres, or on vocational courses “in which they have little or no interest”.
It says many of these young people wish to avail of a range of post-school options, “rather than taking the traditional route into day service provision”.
The report, ‘Higher Education Opportunities for Students with Intellectual Disabilities in the Republic of Ireland A National Response’, blames the lack of a formal funding stream for the demise of the courses, with many of them funded primarily through philanthropic and charitable donations.
It says coordinators are sometimes reluctant to promote a course, or recruit students, because of uncertainly from year to year about continued funding.
It says there is clear evidence that people with intellectual disabilities benefit from engagement with such programmes, reportedly gaining “a stronger understanding of themselves and the world they live in” as a result.
It criticises the “ad-hoc” transition pathways for young people with intellectual disabilities from school to post-school education or training options, and it calls for a widening of access to higher education for this cohort.
The report also criticises what it says is the predominance of Higher Education partnerships with HSE funded service providers.
It says this “is indicative of the traditional government focus on health-related spending to support this population”.
The report says that traditionally, young people with an intellectual disability who completed compulsory second-level education were expected to transition to adult day services and sheltered workshops run by community-based disability support agencies under the remit of the Health Service Executive.
More than 23,000 were attending full-time day service provision in 2017.
This report, which was launched this evening by Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor, also criticises the fact that students attending inclusive educational initiatives at third level colleges are not eligible for state SUSI grants.
It says that unemployment and underemployment are critical issues affecting the lives of people with intellectual disabilities, but there is little infrastructure to support transition from school into further and higher education or employment.
“People with intellectual disabilities are accessing meaningful education and training opportunities [through these programmes]” said Des Ashton, Chair of the National Higher Education Forum, “with a view to becoming empowered and active citizens”.
“Now we are calling upon the government; the higher and further education sector; and employers nationally to make this model sustainable”, he added.
