Vision Ireland, the new name for NCBI welcomes the recent ruling, ordering the Department of Education to pay €5,000 to a legally blind student who was denied access to a summer tuition programme during the Covid-19 pandemic, highlights the ongoing challenges faced by students who are blind or have a visual impairment.
The low representation of individuals with sight loss in higher education and the workforce demonstrates the need for systemic changes in both education and employment. Less than 1 in 4 people with impaired vision are actively participating in the labour force, and those with vision impairments have a 60% lower chance of being employed compared to the general population. The percentage of students who are blind or vision impaired in third-level education has also been steadily decreasing.
Although there are multiple factors contributing to this issue, incidents like this case only serve to create additional barriers for students with blindness or a vision impairment.
For Cormac Flynn, the refusal of access to the summer provision scheme resulted in him having to drop honours maths, potentially limiting his career opportunities in physiotherapy.
This type of casual discrimination, as described by Cormac’s mother, Eithne Walsh, underscores the need for greater understanding and consideration of the specific needs of students with disabilities.
At Vision Ireland, we are dedicated to creating an inclusive and accessible educational environment for all. We will continue to advocate for policies and practices that ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their abilities.
It is crucial that incidents like these prompt meaningful change, so that no student with a visual impairment is left behind in their educational journey.
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