Project Co-ordinator: E McLaughlin, Queen’s University Belfast

Equality and Social Inclusion in Ireland Project

Disability and Equality: the Case of Young Adults and Third Level Education

in Northern IrelandWorking Paper 21

Bronagh Byrne and Eithne McLaughlinSchool of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work

Queen’s University Belfast

Introduction

• Educational Achievement and Provision

• Disability and Equality: Key Themes and Issues

• The Legal Context

• The Case Study

• There are approximately 540 hearing impaired and over 600

visually impaired young people enrolled in various education settings in Northern Ireland. (Byrne and Caul 2001)

• Only 8% of disabled people have a degree or higher education qualification compared to 22% of those without a disability (Equality Commission 2000)

• In Northern Ireland, only 13% of hearing impaired young people progress to university compared to 43% of those without a disability. (Byrne and Caul 2001)

Disability and Education: National and

International Frameworks

“Disabled persons, whatever the origin, nature of

seriousness of their handicaps and disabilities, have the

same fundamental rights as their fellow citizens of the

same age which implies first and foremost the right to enjoy

a decent life as normal and full as possible.” (Article 3)

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Disabled

Persons

“persons with disabilities are members of society and have the right to remain within their local communities. They should receive the support they need within the ordinary structures of education, health, employment and social services” (para 26)

UN (1994) Standards and Rules on the Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities

The Legal Context

In Northern Ireland, there are two key equality

provisions relating to educational provision:

1. Section 75 of the 1998 Northern Ireland Act

2. Special Educational Needs and Disability Order (SENDO) - September 2005

Equality Issues facing Young People with Disabilities in Education

• Segregation from mainstream educational provision at primary and secondary level

• Low expectations• Underachievement at GCSE and A-Level• Physical barriers• Communication barriers• Inadequate information about support available• Inadequate funding and resources• Disabling rules, regulations and procedures• Lack of awareness among college staff• Exclusion from social side of college life

Sample Breakdown

Student Sample – 20 in total

• 10 students in higher education

• 10 students in further education

Of these, 8 had a visual impairment

12 had a hearing impairment

Sample breakdown cont…

• NGO Sample – 9 representatives from a range of disability organisations

• Third-Level Education Providers – 10 (5 in HE; 5 in FE)

Of these, 5 at senior management level 5 support providers/coordinators

• ‘Policymakers’ - 7

“When I went to do electrical engineering the tutor would talk

through things and then ask me questions. And then I would

answer back and the tutor would always use to say ‘oh isn’t this

student’s interpreter so clever?’ As if the interpreter can come out

with all these clever answers. It wasn’t the interpreter at all. It was

me who was coming out with the answers. So they didn’t

understand anything about interpreters. Also I thought some of the

tutors were a bit cheeky. For example at break time the tutors

used to go to the interpreter and say ‘do you not get awful sore

hands from signing all the time?’ and you sort of thought hang on

a wee second, what are they doing? “(Patrick- FE student)

“In secondary school I definitely didn’t have encouragement from teachers. You could feelthat they thought I wasn’t going to go any further than school. I bumped into one of my old teachersthe other day and she said ‘what are you doing?’ I said I’m in my second year at university now and she said ‘I didn’t think you would have made it that far’.”

(Lauren- HE student)

“I didn’t get a note-taker until half way through the first year. The note-taker left after three weeks so then there was a problem of going to find another note-taker. I didn’t get a note-taker until the end of the first year” (Lauren- HE student)

“I have thought about going to the counsellor in theuniversity because of struggling and worryingabout my work now.” (Lauren – HE student)

“Whenever you register that you need specific exam requests with the

examiner they will [ask] ‘would you like to go to a separate room?’

And I am thinking I can read whether I am in[side] [or] outside. So I said

‘no’. ‘I would rather be in the big hall and I would rather

do my exam with everybody else. I don’t want you to take that

experience, the imposingness of a large assembly hall when you are

doing an exam. Don’t take that experience away from me. No way!’ I

wouldn’t allow them to do that.” (Jodie – HE student)

“They (the support provider) did make me feel that I was a burden almost and that I had a problem and that they know best. I think that is really how it came out and it was just like, why do I suddenly feel different now that I have asked for support. I was perfectly happy living with my hearing. Yes it is not perfect, but that is just me. But suddenly I felt uncomfortable of the fact that I had a hearing problem and the fact that I need the support and they made a big issue out of something that I didn’t think really needed to be made an issue out of. That is my experience of it. It wasn’t a very positive experience. “

(Gareth – HE student)

Conclusion

Thank You!

See Working Paper 21 ‘Disability and Equality: The Case of Young Adults and Third Level Education in Northern Ireland

Also Working Paper 9 ‘ Disability and Equality: Themes of sameness and differenceAvailable on Conference WebsiteContact Details

Eithne McLaughlin Bronagh Byrnee.mclaughlin@qub.ac.uk b.byrne@qub.ac.uk