New legislation enshrining education rights for children with disabilities is to be expanded significantly to include conditions such as dyslexia and attention deficit disorder. The Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, has introduced amendments to the legislation, which will mean that a much wider range of disabilities will now be included, writes Liam Reid
The Minister has also introduced changes to strengthen the role of parents in the provision of enhanced services for disabled children, through providing them with further rights of appeal.
Voluntary groups representing disabled people will also have an official input on education policy and services through their inclusion on statutory bodies established under the legislation.
A spokeswoman for the Minister said the change will allow Mr Dempsey and his Department to draw up a list of disabilities to come under the Act, without having to introduce specific legislation for each condition.
The list will include attention deficit disorder and dyslexia, which may have been excluded under previous definitions in the legislation, she said. "It's going to be more flexible."
The changes are included in a list of more than 40 amendments the Minister has made to the Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill, which was introduced in the wake of the Sinnott judgment. It ruled that the State had a statutory duty to provide education for those with disabilities up to the age of 18.
The Bill provides for a new multidisciplinary system to identify the specific needs of individual children and provide them with services to meet their requirements.
The Minister is bringing the changes before the Dáil Committee on Education, which begins debating the legislation today.
Because of the public interest, committee chairman Mr Tony Killeen has decided to hold the hearings in the Dáil chamber to provide space for the public. The committee will debate more than 400 proposed amendments from Government and Opposition TDs.
The changes are in response to concerns expressed by groups representing the disabled and their parents. More than 40 presentations were made to the committee and the Minister in September and October last.
Last night Opposition members welcomed the changes, but urged Mr Dempsey to adopt their proposed amendments. "It has to be welcomed, but I believe that our amendments, rather than the Minister's, would be a better way of doing things," said Ms Olwyn Enright, Fine Gael spokeswoman on education.
"Our definition of disability is sufficiently wide to include conditions like dyslexia. The designation of conditions will now be at the whim of the Minister or officials."
Ms Enright also questioned the commitment of Government to providing education services for people with physical or learning difficulties. She said that essential services, such as the National Education Psychological Service, received a 1 per cent rise in funds for this year, which was not sufficient to keep in line with inflation.
"The multidisciplinary approach outlined in this legislation will require a lot of money, and where is that going to come from?"