By

Jacqui Browne M.Ed

May 1999

The Social and Labour Market Dimension of the Information Society:
People First -The Next Steps (European Commission, 1998).

• have greater control over their own lives;

• participate in and contribute more fully to activities in their home, school, and work environments, and in their communities;

• interact to a greater extent with non-disabled individuals; and

• otherwise benefit from opportunities that are taken for granted by individuals who do not have disabilities.

In this investigation of the evolution of a policy with regard to the inclusion of assitive technology as a support in the education of pupils with disabilities, a number of national and parallel developments in the area of education and the Information Society are identified with a view to examine whether or not a policy exists or what pillars of existing policies can inform the need for a policy.

SIP will see the active involvement of a number of organisations as partners in project development and design. The partners will come from the world or commerce and industry, third level institutions and a variety of community groups. The benefits of such partnerships are manifold and include:

1. Increase in pupil’s awareness of the role of industry and commerce.
2. Closer co-operation between the different education strata.
3. Participation by school in projects which have a clear focus and direction.
4. Increased public awareness of developments in ICTs in education.
5. An elevation in profile of the sponsoring companies both locally and nationally.
6. An opportunity to test new technologies, teaching methods etc.
7. An opportunity for the partners to sponsor projects whose themes are appropriate to their own needs.
8. The development of models of innovative practice.

Schools have also been encouraged to collaborate with each other and many of the projects will involve clusters of schools collaborating innovatively. In this context a cluster does not necessarily consist of schools that are geographically close but is rather compiled of those that share a common purpose or common theme. It is also envisaged that a number of schools facing the same challenges posed by Schools IT 2000 might come together to collaborate in supporting each other to overcome their difficulties.

Clustering of schools to implement projects under Schools IT2000 has the advantage that the benefits that accrue will have a greater effect than if the schools were to act independently. In addition, supporting clusters of schools gives a national profile to the sponsor as the projects in which they engage will have a very high profile.

• An evaluation of the effectiveness of telematic applications in delivering specialised educational services to groups affected by isolation and dispersal.

To date a small number of innovative teachers have pioneered the use of ICT within their schools, but SIP will now allow a large number of teachers to establish best practice models across a wide variety of school settings including special needs, curricular and technical support… SIP is special in that it is a bottom-up initiative where schools were asked to propose their own research questions in collaboration with other organisations. Many of the proposals have enormous potential for generating much needed Irish curriculum resources and for mainstreaming and replication within the education system nationally.

Address by Micheál Martin T.D., Minister for Education and Science at the AHEAD-ASTI-TUI Seminar ‘Mainstreaming Disability in the second-level Sector’, March 24 1998.

The Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities in their report A Strategy for Equality (1996) found that the lack of support services is one of the greatest barriers to the equal participation of people with disabilities in education. Many are denied ease of access to the appropriate support structures such as assessment for specialist equipment or technology that will promote their inclusion into local mainstream education.

The Report of the Special Education Review Committee (1993) recommended that:

(i) All students with special support needs, in ordinary school and special schools, should have ready access to such additional support services and personnel, including speech, physio and occupational therapists, as their assessed needs may require from time to time.

SERC Recommendation 7.2.4 (i)

At a Social Inclusion Conference in June 1998 organised by the Information Society Commission the dominant theme arising from all of the workshop sessions was the fundamental importance of access.

Under the scheme of grants identified above the Department of Education and Science also recommended that a designated teacher in the school should take responsibility for the management of the equipment and for monitoring its effective use within the school.

There are however a number of weaknesses with this scheme. The main criticisms and observations of which were identified through the SOLAS project. At an Orientation Evening held for SOLAS parents and contact teachers in October 1997, the facilitator of the teachers’ group summarised their observations of the scheme as being "most frustrating." The key issues identified included:

1. Many schools view the current scheme as a once-off opportunity to acquire equipment up to the value of £3,000 for the pupil, and in some cases over-specify the requirements of the applicant.
2. In many cases, the response to the challenge of the needs of a pupil with a disability appears to be to provide a computer. This, on it’s own can have significant outcomes in some cases. In other cases, however, the lack of suitable support and training leads to unfulfilled promise and disappointment. In such cases, this is a further setback for the pupil concerned.
3. The criteria for eligibility refer only to loss of function by the pupil and do not cover other aspects such as educational delivery.
4. As many disabled students must at present travel to Dublin for an assessment of their individual technical assistance requirements in school, the lack of a locally available assessment procedure can lead to an undue burden, both financially and practically, on students with disabilities and their families.
5. The scheme does not include the Primary Sector for which there is no equivalent structured system.
6. There appears to be little follow-up or monitoring of pupils who receive equipment under this scheme of grants.
7. The commitment and expertise required in training and maintenance is often underestimated.
8. Essential repairs to equipment can be demanding on school budgets.

The Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities in their Working Paper on Technology and Communications (1996) recommended that any forthcoming Education Acts should "…explicitly require the provision of all necessary assistive technology at all levels of education…" (p. 54).

The Education Act (1998) defines clearly the functions of the Minister and places an obligation on him to ensure that there is made available to each person, including every person with a disability or other special educational needs, support services and a level and quality of education appropriate to meeting the needs and abilities of that person.

Section 33 provides for the Minister to make regulations regarding access to schools and centres for education by students with a disability or other special educational needs, including matters relating to reasonable accommodation and technical aid and equipment for such students.

An explicit policy, if not legislation such as the United States PUBLIC LAW 100-407 - TECHNOLOGY-RELATED ASSISTANCE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (See definitions ~ Appendix A) is required to enable equality of access and opportunity for people with disabilities in Ireland.

In conclusion, it is essential that projects like the SOLAS SIP Project do not remain separate from structures and policies that may be developing at national level, rather it should become an integral part of any mainstream policy or services. To succeed to any degree the need for a regional assistive technology support service to meet the educational needs of people with disabilities must be recognised and supported by the Department of Education & Science. The service, once developed, must also have some degree flexibility in relation to equipment. These two aspects are critical to ensuring the real inclusion of people with disabilities in education.

Information Society Ireland

Second Report of Ireland’s Information Society Commission, (Dublin: GPSO) April 1999, (Pages ix, 46).

From the documentary and other research carried out by this author it appears that current policy is not sufficiently explicit with regard to the role and detail of how assistive technology in education does or will assist people with disabilities to be actively supported in both special and mainstream education. Furthermore, there are no clear lines of responsibility and accountability for the provision of assistive technology services to people with disabilities in education.

Colgan (Disability Federation of Ireland, 1998) in her report on Access To Mainstream Classrooms For Pupils With Disabilities In Ireland noted that: "We urgently need a new system of giving educational backup for the inclusion of children in mainstream classrooms" (p1), and that: "There is no infrastructure for supporting inclusion. There are no published schemes for support services and no entitlements to these services." (p48)

The Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities in their report A Strategy for Equality recommended that a single existing agency should be responsible for all assistive technology and for disseminating information about new technological developments. This agency should also the Commission recommended provide an adequate assessment service of the most appropriate technical aids for people with disabilities.

The Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities went on to describe how the agency should set up nominated assessment centres and support them with appropriate funding for equipment, staff and training. They recommended that there should also be a network of 'feeder' or 'outreach' centres to provide primary assessments and training using a person centred approach.

The Information Society Commission very recently recommended that it would be appropriate for the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE) who overseas the Schools IT 2000 project, and now underway for over a year: "…to evaluate the progress of Schools IT 2000 and to anticipate issues related to technical support and curriculum integration".

Information Society Ireland

Second Report of Ireland’s Information Society Commission, (Dublin: GPSO) April 1999, (Page 21).

 The Education Act (1998) defines clearly the functions of the Minister and places an obligation on him to ensure that there is made available to each person, including every person with a disability or other special educational needs, support services and a level and quality of education appropriate to meeting the needs and abilities of that person.

Section 7 requires the Minister, wherever practicable, to consult with persons representing people with disabilities and other special educational needs. The Minister will have to ensure that there is made available to each person, including those with a disability or other special educational needs, an appropriate level and quality of education and appropriate support services.

Section 33 provides for the Minister to make regulations regarding access to schools and centres for education by students with a disability or other special educational needs, including matters relating to reasonable accommodation and technical aid and equipment for such students.

An explicit policy, if not legislation such as the United States PUBLIC LAW 100-407 - TECHNOLOGY-RELATED ASSISTANCE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (See definitions ~ Appendix A) is required to enable equality of access and opportunity for people with disabilities in Ireland.

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Conclusion

(1) ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY DEVICE. -- The term "assistive technology device" means any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.

(2) ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY SERVICE -- The term "assistive technology service" means any service that directly assists an individual with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device. Such terms includes --

(F) training or technical assistance for professionals (including individuals providing education and rehabilitation services), employers, or other individuals who provide services to, employ, or are otherwise substantially involved in the major life functions of individuals with disabilities.

(B) who is or would be enabled by assistive technology devices or assistive technology services to maintain a level of functioning or to achieve a greater level of functioning in any major life activity.