UCC head’s views are ‘widespread’

A GROUP representing college students with disabilities believes University College Cork president Michael Murphy did infer they were weaker academically but believes similar views are held across higher education leadership.

Though Dr Murphy has tried to clarify the remarks he made in a speech last month, the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability (AHEAD) says he did suggest that disabled or disadvantaged students were academically weaker than others.

Dr Murphy had told business leaders government policy had been right to support participation at third level by students with disabilities, mature stud-ents and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

However, he said that given the rising numbers of students being accepted into universities whose staffing has decreased, their ability to cater for the needs of the most academically gifted had suffered as they had far more weaker students than before to assist.

He suggested that some of the additional supports given to colleges for non-traditional students should be used to develop the gifts of the most talented.

In an internal communication to staff this week, Dr Murphy rejected the inference taken by more than 30 academics in UCC’s School of Applied Social Sciences in an open letter to him. They had said he suggested those who were helped through programmes for social disadvantage, disability and lifelong learning were “academically weaker”.

AHEAD executive director Ann Heelan said the fact UCC offered the best supports to students with disability of all Irish colleges made the assumptions in his Cork Chamber talk on December 20 more disappointing.

“To paraphrase, he suggests that educating and supporting students with disabilities is a costly exercise that we can’t afford in the current climate as it steals from resources available to the talented 5% of top academic students who the country needs in order to be creative and build our future.

“These views expose what Dr Murphy and indeed many others in education really think and reveal the assumptions that lie behind the mask of equality. The assumption is that students with disability are less able than other students and are not expected to be found amongst the 5% of gifted students in higher education.”

Dr Murphy had also told staff he was not suggesting a choice be made between the two groups but that both needed to be supported. He wrote on Tuesday that he only wanted to highlight the need for appropriate investment in programmes for the academically talented.

However, Ms Heelan said rather than “robbing Peter to pay Paul”, supports for students with disabilities or other non-traditional student groupings needed to be maintained.

A Department of Education fund to help colleges offer assistance to disabled students is being cut by 20% this year from almost €14 million.