Theme 1: Legislation. The Irish Constitution Enshrines

Discrimination affects the intellectual health of an individual by causing a loss of interest, loss of motivation, restricted opportunities, poor job prospect, poor life achievement; an individual that is finding it hard to cope in college because of his disabilities is more likely to drop off because he is not provided with sufficient support. We can say that not providing the necessary support is restricting his access to education which is contrary to the education Act 1996 which sets out the schools responsibilities towards children with special educational needs. The Act also requires that school provide additional equipment and resources and/or support to meet their needs. Such individual will suffer from stress, will be unable to cope

1994 was a pivotal year in the development of inclusion; The Salamanca Statement (UNESCO, 1994) was created. It was an agreement on the rights of all children to participate in ‘regular’ schools. Parents were given the choice of sending their child/children with SEN to ‘mainstream’ school. ***This is well demonstrated by the case of Megan who is a child with a sensory impairment and attends ‘mainstream’ school. Megan is considered as disabled under the Equality Act 2010 as she has a physical impairment that has a 'substantial' and 'long-term' negative effect on her ability to do normal daily activities. She wears hearing aids and her parents wanted her to build her social and communication skills. We are

The 2010 Ofsted review into Special Educational Needs and Disability, ‘A Statement is not enough’, found that young SEN adolescents at the age of 18, experienced difficulties within the transition period because of the lack of guidance towards available and effective funding and financial

The Special Needs and Disability Act 2001, applied to England and Wales in 2001 highlighted the importance of inclusion of all children into mainstream education. It firstly strengthened the rights of access to mainstream and also when it was expanded, it set the SEN code of practice that made it clear to education and care settings that they needed to support children with special needs. It meant in practice that nurseries and schools needed to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate such special needs children. This act strengthens the rights of children with special needs. It requires commitments from care settings themselves. One is to communicate with parents and carers about if and when special needs provision is

This Act became law in 1983 and tried to provide adequate safeguards, rights and duties for all those concerned with the education of children with special educational needs and to ensure these children’s rights to be integrated into the life and work of the community. It also recognised parents’ rights regarding their children’s education.

Every child has a right to an education and equal opportunity. Special needs schools are becoming a thing of the past and students are being integrated into mainstream schools. In 1994 ninety-two governments and twenty-five international organisations gathered with the belief that all students, including those with special education needs, are entitled to an education delivered by mainstream schools (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, 1994). These like-minded governments and international organisations came together to outline a guide for all those schools who believe in inclusive education. Stated in the guidelines schools and support services were to receive resources to support student’s learning and ensure teachers are well trained (UNESCO, 1994). Assistive technologies, from Ipads to wheelchairs, would fall under the category of resources.

Following the Report of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities, the principle of mainstreaming has been established policy since 2000, and was put into legislation in the Disability Act 2005 (NDS, 2013). The Employment Equality Act 1998, the Equal Status Act 2000, the Equality Act 2004 and the Disability Act 2005 have all contributed to the current labour market situation in Ireland (Government of Ireland, 1998; 2000; 2004; 2005). The Employment Equality Act established that it is illegal to discriminate in relation

lEvery child, including those with disabilities, deserves a quality education that respects and promotes his or her right to dignity and the development of their full potential. Access to a quality education is a fundamental right that should be provided to all human beings. In the past education for children with disabilities was provided by private institutions, if it was even provided at all. Children with disabilities throughout the world have been excluded from mainstream society. In many countries, children with disabilities were, and still are, sent away and isolated from society. Many countries have their children with profound disabilities attend separate schools instead of their local community school. The education of children with diverse backgrounds and abilities continues to be a global challenge. Inequality for children with special needs remains a matter of concern for all societies. Despite the improvements that have been made, discrimination and exclusion continue.

As a pre-service teacher, the professional role that I have been developing and striving towards is based on the principles of equity and excellence amongst all my students. The key aspect underpinning this role is ingrained within my teaching philosophy based on the ideals of fostering inclusive education. Foreman (2014, p.19) asserts that inclusive education is based upon the notion that schools unconditionally cater for the individual requirements of all their students, regardless of any barriers, being they include ability or disability. My teaching philosophy takes this notion into consideration as it is bound by social justice principles and is in agreeance with the UN Committee on the rights of persons with disabilities 2015, stating that every individual has a fundamental right to an education. This philosophy mirrors the present legislation in place, in regards to the Disability Discrimination Act (1992), that states it is illegal for education institutions to discriminate against individuals based upon their disability. Additionally, the Melbourne Declaration’s (2008) first goal requires that all students have a right and access to a high level of education, free from any forms of discrimination. Thus, I view my professional role as an educator is one who would enact such policy by putting it into practice. However, at the same time I must be aware that inclusive education is founded upon the principles of responding and supporting individual differences amongst

“The movement toward inclusive schooling is the latest wrinkle in an escalating debate focusing on the appropriate placement of students which special needs. PL94-142, the Education for all Handicapped Children Act (1975), was the foundation of inclusive education. Reauthorized in 1991 as the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), this mandate required that disabled students be placed in an environment that constitutes a least restrictive environment.” (G.Daniel/ A.King, 67)

Looking at Ireland, the legal system is not much different than the United Kingdom mainly because Ireland is a member of the European Union, and that the UK is one of Ireland’s main trade partners. (By export value, the main sub sectors are:. (2016, January 15).) With their strong relationship between the two countries it makes doing business easier when the regulations are very similar. Though, looking at the last couple of months with the UK leaving the European Union this will affect Ireland more than other countries because of their strong partnership trade. (Hunt, B. W. (2016, October 02).) When doing business in Ireland there are many regulations that apply for the company and its products when selling in Ireland or exporting to another country. “The regulations include the National Standards Authority of Ireland, the Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland, Commission for Energy Regulation, Commission for communications Regulation, Environmental Protection Agency, Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Health and Safety Authority of Ireland, Irish medicines Board, and National Consumer Agency.” (By export value, the main sub sectors are:. (2016, January 15). All of these regulations are set to make sure that each business in Ireland is meeting the standards before they start selling their products, therefore each product needs to meet the EU standards before selling. Within the legal system if companies want to have any patents or trademarks of their

In 1993 the report of the Special Education Review Committee (SERC) was published. This report dealt comprehensively with the educational implications of special needs. It provided a definition of special needs which included those with severe and profound difficulties through to those who were exceptionally able and included both physical and mental disabilities. It recognized that the desire of the majority of parents of children with

Concerned about the inequalities persons with disabilities experience in their daily lives causing them to have fewer opportunities to access a quality education that takes place in an inclusive environment due to societies’ misperception of different forms of disability and the limited capacity of social actors to accommodate special needs often place people on the margin,

To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are not disabled, and special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability of a child is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily, (Building the Legacy: IDEA

‘Write a short essay critically and concisely discussing the binding sources of law in modern Ireland.’