The NCBI, the Irish blind charity, has published a set of recommendations to the government to improve the education experience for visually impaired or blind students. 

Their report, entitled Equitable Education, draws upon experiences faced by students and their families and presents solutions that would help the transition of visually impaired young people into tertiary education.

Prefacing the report, NCBI says that a recent AHEAD report shows that only 282 blind or visually impaired students were registered with disability support services in colleges in 2020/2021, while only 24% of blind or visually impaired people in Ireland are employed. 

Among their recommendations is the need to establish a database on the availability, or delay, of accessible formats of school books, as well as the designation of their delivery as a key performance indicator for the Department of Education.

They also recommend a review of SUSI eligibility criteria to include blind or visually impaired students who are studying part-time, as well as addressing the deficits in assistive technology, the development of school transitioning plans and the funding of mobility supports nationwide. 

In Association with

Lorna Fitzpatrick of the NCBI said: “Sight loss is a spectrum and can impact everyone differently, so it is imperative that children and young people with sight loss have access to regular individualised assessments and timely interventions to ensure they have the skills to be independent and active agents in their own learning.

“The report clearly shows variations that exist in students’ experiences in accessing supports as well as the severe lack of quality data on the number of students with vision impairment in the education system or evidence to demonstrate that current supports are enabling these students to thrive.”

Eithne Walsh of Féach, an organisation for parents of low vision children, added: “This report marks a great starting point for improving supports for blind or vision impaired students in education. The issues highlighted in the report have been denying students with low vision equality of access to education, which ultimately affects every aspect of their lives. 

“None of the issues are insurmountable, practical solutions can be put in place which will have a huge impact on their educational outcomes.”

The National Council for the Blind of Ireland, established in 1931, was the first voluntary body dealing with disability issues in Ireland.

Every year they provide services to over 7,000 visually impaired people, and act as an advocacy group for the roughly 55,000 blind or visually impaired people in Ireland today. 

Photo (l-r): John Kearney, CEO of NCSE; Eithne Walsh, Féach; and Toni O’Dwyer and Lorna Fitzpatrick, NCBI.