Alongside legislative developments in education, such as the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004, there has been a dramatic increase in the resources committed to this area in recent years. However, concerns remain over key elements of service provision and there is acknowledged need for improved co-ordination of services at all levels.
Education has remained one of NDA’s five key policy areas for our second strategic period. At policy level, we made both written and oral submissions to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the 2004 Act, hosted a series of seminars on the theme ‘Living, learning and working with special educational needs’, and in December 2004 hosted an international conference entitled ‘Student Journeys: The Special Education Routes’.
For far too many people and for far too long, an inaccessible environment has restricted their ability to participate as full citizens in Irish society. This has been particularly true for people with disabilities.
All too often, the poor design of services has limited their choices and made ordinary activities like accessing public services such as information, transport or voting difficult if not impossible. A significant proportion of our population has been excluded from the economic, political and social life of our nation.
But this is changing. Over the last six years, priority has been given to the development, enactment and implementation of a comprehensive framework of equality legislation. Our equality code is among the most comprehensive in Europe.
Three Acts are in place, the Employment Equality Act 1998, the Equal Status Act 2000 and the Equality Act 2004. In 2000, the Government launched their mainstreaming initiative which required public bodies, where possible, to integrate services for people with disabilities. The Disability Act, 2005 is a positive action measure designed to advance and underpin the participation of people with disabilities in everyday life.
Education and Disability
RépondreSupprimerAlongside legislative developments in education, such as the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004, there has been a dramatic increase in the resources committed to this area in recent years. However, concerns remain over key elements of service provision and there is acknowledged need for improved co-ordination of services at all levels.
Education has remained one of NDA’s five key policy areas for our second strategic period. At policy level, we made both written and oral submissions to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the 2004 Act, hosted a series of seminars on the theme ‘Living, learning and working with special educational needs’, and in December 2004 hosted an international conference entitled ‘Student Journeys: The Special Education Routes’.
Introduction to Accessibility
RépondreSupprimerFor far too many people and for far too long, an inaccessible environment has restricted their ability to participate as full citizens in Irish society. This has been particularly true for people with disabilities.
All too often, the poor design of services has limited their choices and made ordinary activities like accessing public services such as information, transport or voting difficult if not impossible. A significant proportion of our population has been excluded from the economic, political and social life of our nation.
But this is changing. Over the last six years, priority has been given to the development, enactment and implementation of a comprehensive framework of equality legislation. Our equality code is among the most comprehensive in Europe.
Three Acts are in place, the Employment Equality Act 1998, the Equal Status Act 2000 and the Equality Act 2004. In 2000, the Government launched their mainstreaming initiative which required public bodies, where possible, to integrate services for people with disabilities. The Disability Act, 2005 is a positive action measure designed to advance and underpin the participation of people with disabilities in everyday life.