Pathways to Inclusion: Exploring Higher Education Opportunities for People with Intellectual Disabilities in Northern Ireland
Research ReportAbstract
Inclusive higher education for students with intellectual disabilities has gained considerable momentum internationally over the past two decades as part of a broader international rights-based movement towards greater equity and social inclusion. For instance, Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified by the UK in July 2009, asserts the right of persons with disabilities to access education “at all levels”, including tertiary education, on an equal basis with others, to facilitate the “full development of human potential and sense of dignity and self-worth” and to offer them the opportunity to “participate effectively in a free society”.
This rights-based imperative has spurred the development of innovative inclusive higher education programmes that break down traditional physical and attitudinal barriers to participation for students with intellectual disabilities. International evidence confirms that such inclusive higher education yields many benefits for the graduates themselves (in terms of fostering greater independence and self-confidence, and reducing dependence on social welfare), but also confirms the positive impact on their employers, the economy and society at large.
However, Northern Ireland currently lacks any inclusive higher education programme specifically designed for students with intellectual disabilities. This represents a significant failing in inclusive policy and practice but also presents a significant opportunity for Northern Ireland to address thd deficit and learn from international best practice in the developing area of inclusive higher education.
This unique study, funded by the Northern Ireland Office, as a part of the Step-Up Programme, administered by the Department for the Economy (NI), therefore set out to critically examine the feasibility of creating an inclusive higher education programme in Northern Ireland, emulating the model of provision at the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities, based in the School of Education at Trinity College, Dublin.
