Ireland

For people with any type of disability
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Education

Educational Structure

The Education Act, (1998) provides that each school has to ensure that the educational needs of all students, including those with a disability or other special educational needs are identified and provided for. It also provides that each school board must publish the policy of the school concerning admission to and participation in the school by students with disabilities or other special educational needs. This Act makes provision for the education of every person in the State, including any person with a disability or who has other special educational needs, and to provide generally for primary, post-primary, adult and continuing education and vocational education and training. As a result many schools at both primary and post-primary levels have been endeavouring to provide an education in an inclusive environment suitable to the needs of the children.

Ireland is in the process of developing further legislation to provide educational entitlements for children with special educational needs. In 2003 the Irish Government drafted a bill known as Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill. This Bill, now defined as ‘ Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004’ passed through the first of many stages on September 21 st. 2004 on it’s journey towards becoming law. In essence it is striving to make further provision for the education of people with special educational needs. It stipulates that the government will provide an education in an inclusive environment with those who do not have special educational needs. To access the bill in detail go to the Government of Ireland website. This bill will provide for the greater involvement of parents of children with special educational needs in the education of their children. It is to establish a body to be known as the National Council for Special Education.

The Government has also established a National Office For Equity of Access to Higher Education. It was established within the Higher Education Authority in August 2003. The National Office facilitates educational access and opportunity for groups who are under-represented in higher education - those who are disadvantaged socially, economically and/or culturally, those with a disability and mature learners.

On the website of the Department of Education and Science you can find a list of special schools. Click on your left on ‘Children with Special Needs’ and then click on ‘List of schools with special classes’. Here you find the entire list. Another way is to click on ‘Education Provider Search’ on the main page. Here you choose the type of you school you are looking for (for example: Primary Schools- Learning Disability, Autism, Physically Disabled).

Foundations

1. The Brothers of Charity Services is an international, voluntary religious organisation founded in Belgium in 1807, by Canon Peter Triest. The Brothers of Charity opened their first services in Ireland in 1883 to provide for mental health needs. In 1938 they started to develop services for people with an intellectual disability and their families. These services grew steadily over the years, so that today the Congregation is the largest provider of services for people with an intellectual disability in Ireland . These Services are organised into six regions: South Eastern, Southern, Limerick , Clare, Galway and Roscommon.

2. The Daughters of Charity
Service for Persons with Intellectual Disability. Inspired by service to those most in need, recognise that the person with intellectual disability possesses a unique dignity and potential, has a right to be enabled to take his or her place in society and in turn to contribute in a significant way to the enhancement of that society. With their website, The Daughters of Charity hope to offer a guide, not only to their services, but to all of the services, helps and entitlements available to families and those who care for persons with disabilities.

3. COPE Foundation
COPE Foundation has been active in Cork City and County under a variety of names since 1957. COPE Foundation caters for 1500 people who have a mental handicap, through its, system of schooling, vocational training, sheltered employment, housing, information and advice, throughout Cork City and County. The Leisure, recreation and physical activities provide input to the clients in all sectors of COPE Foundation.

Physical Education (PE)

The Department of Education states, in relation to post-primary level: “There is an onus upon schools to facilitate, as far as possible, the inclusion of students with disabilities in all physical education activities” (NCCA 2000). Therefore it is the responsibility of the Department of Education to ensure that PE programmes are carried out. At present, teachers are dependent on physiotherapists (funded through the Department of Health) to help them with the integration of pupils with a disability in PE class. The physiotherapist may be asked to suggest adaptations that can be made to the PE programme so the child can participate. Every parents has the right to teaching assistance and so must apply for it. This is the same in primary and post-primary level. At primary level, PE is organised by the classroom teacher.

Education for trainers/ teachers

Physical Education
The only University providing a degree programme to prepare Physical Education teachers is the University of Limerick. Until 2003 the PE Programme at UL provided a single module in Special Needs in the final semester of the four year degree programme. Student would already have encountered teaching children with special educational needs during the two extended teaching practice experiences in years two and four. The P.E. Programme has been rewritten. Special Needs is now catered for in Semester 2, Semester 5, Semester 6 and Semester 8. Many of the Fourth Year Physical Education Research Projects and Master Degrees are concerned with the area of Special Needs.

Other courses
ITTralee (Institute of Technology Tralee) offers a 4 year degree in Health, Fitness and Leisure studies. This course has a module in APA in which all students participate. Students can take a further module in this area. The Institute has established links with local sports groups where students can gain practical experience. There are also links to centres nationally and internationally where students receive work experience in the field of APA.

IWA-Sport has produced a coaching course in wheelchair athletics. This is to help coaches learn more about techniques that are specific to wheelchair athletics: for example, rim pushing technique, and the safe use of throwing frames.