Just 1 in 6 visually impaired students get to third level

JUST one in six of blind or visually impaired students enter third-level education, compared to more than half of students with no disability, a study has found.

It also shows that blind and visually impaired children are “very disadvantaged” at secondary school level because they are not getting the basic resources they need.

Executive director of the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability, and author of the report, Ann Heelan, said children had to wait an unacceptable length of time before receiving a Braille book.

“It seems impossible to guarantee that a small group of children — 400 to 500 at most, can easily obtain books in Braille or electronic format,” she said.

The report, published yesterday, also highlights that mainstream secondary school teachers are not obliged to undertake disability training and that the visiting teacher service that does cater for blind or visually impaired children is inconsistent.

“The visiting teacher service only amounts to a few hours a week and, in some cases, a few hours a month. Braille in Ireland is ad hoc, under-funded and dependent on the varying expertise of visiting teachers,” said Ms Heelan.

There are just 10 visiting teachers who look after the educational needs of 226 blind or vision impaired students throughout Ireland.

University College Dublin’s disability officer, Tina Lowe, was 27 years old when she went blind after contracting viral meningitis in 1993 while teaching English in Spain.

Ms Lowe went back to college in 1997 after re-sitting her Leaving Certificate. She studied arts and languages at UCD where she was awarded a scholarship.

“In the beginning it was extremely difficult to get my material in an accessible format and I had to do battle to get the stuff I needed,” she said.

While she found that most of the academic staff members were hugely supportive, there were some that needed to be convinced that her disability would not impede her ability to study like everyone else.

Ms Lowe was not able to learn to read Braille and relies on new technology.

“For someone born blind, however, learning Braille is as important as learning English,” said Ms Lowe, who is concerned that some of the visiting teachers would not be sufficiently proficient in teaching Braille to help a student go into third level.

Ms Lowe said UCD only had one registered blind student, compared to five when she was a student.

The report calls for the establishment of a database of blind or visually impaired children and a review of the visiting teacher service.

It also recommends that a formal structure is put in place for Braille and computer training and calls for a government guarantee to provide books and supporting materials.