Written answer
Education Policy
The Minister outlined expanded supports for disabled learners, including increased funding, universal design, PATH 4, transport assistance and a disability project.
4175. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide additional supports and information to assist young people with special needs access further and higher education courses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55126/26]
Comment on this
My Department provides a significant range of measures to support access to Further and Higher Education, including
• Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD), which I increased in higher education to over €10.5 million, last year supporting over 19,500 students.
• Progressing work on Universal Design measures with 19 institutions receiving a total of €5.8m in funding up to 2026 to support projects.
• PATH 4 courses, with 193 students with intellectual disabilities are now enrolled in 11 HEIs throughout the country. This is a groundbreaking programme, which was recently extended to 2028.
• In Further education and training, I recently announced an increase in the Fund for Students with Disabilities in that sector, increasing the allocation from €5.7 million to €7.7 million, with the specific aim of extending transport supports for learners with disabilities across all further education and training courses.
• Since 2020, SOLAS, AHEAD and ETBI have undertaken significant work to expand ETB capacity to apply Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and to make reasonable accommodations across FET provision, ensuring that accessibility and inclusion are core principles across the FET system. This work will remain a priority in the coming years.
• My Department has commenced a Disability Project which is examining how best to support disabled learners at key stages of their educational journey, from accessing further and higher education through to progressing into employment.
• Through a structured programme of work focused on transitions, supports and services, and employment pathways, the project will help inform future policy and the development of more effective, learner-centred supports across the tertiary education system
It is a priority of this Government to support disadvantaged students to enter and succeed in higher education and we will continue to drive forward with this work to make a tangible difference to students who experience educational disadvantage.