I stand for greater access to education for those less well-off and for people with disabilities.
In Ireland, access to higher education for everyone is still aspirational, many people are still excluded and the following statistics below show the harsh reality of what it is like for many people in Ireland when it comes to accessing education:
- Every year over 4000 11-15 year olds drop out of school before reaching the Junior Certificate.
- More than 750,000 adults in Ireland between 25 and 64 years of age have few or no formal educational qualifications
- In suburban areas fewer than 2% of eligible young people and adults progress to higher education.
- Those who get to college continue to be mainly from the higher income groups.
- The figures for disabled people attending our universities are still only at 2.4 %, way off what it should be.
- People with disabilities and members of the travelling community and those from lower income groups continue to be underrepresented at third level.
- In Ireland, 10% of our population is disabled. Out of this 10% of the general population, 7 out of 10 people with disabilities are unemployed.
- There is almost no participation of our students with disabilities and other marginalised groups in the EU student mobility programmes due to the very little financial support from the government for such participation.
These inequities reveal that in our so-called booming, wealthy Celtic Tiger economy many people do not enjoy equal access to education and do not enjoy the same standard of living as the majority of people. In order to tackle these inequities, my policies will include promoting equity of access to education. I believe that there are many benefits to having an equitable and accessible education system that would cater for learners from different backgrounds. This system could…
- value all members of our society
- strengthen our democracy
- improve our economic position
- endorse the concept of lifelong learning in a very practical way
This is what I believe:
- We need pragmatic representation in our government to build a future for educating and employing the disabled and marginalised communities of Ireland.
- In order to create access to education for all, we must design a national education access plan.
- For this plan to work we must include all the various educational institutions and organisations working in the field.
- As well as including all these bodies we must consult and cater for people with disabilities, the socioeconomically disadvantaged, the travelling community and people from different cultural backgrounds.
- To carry out this plan, sufficient financial resources must be made available.
My policies are practical and economically effective. I have already been working to get employers to employ graduates with disabilities and to see the value that disabled people bring to the workforce, both in an economic and very resourceful sense. I have also worked with second level students from disadvantaged backgrounds with a view to encouraging them to progress to higher education.
If more people from all backgrounds have access to higher education, there will be a more equitable distribution of income. Better education makes people more employable.
Employing people from marginalised groups is economically sound, it makes good business sense and this section of the population needs to be engaged and their abilities need to be recognised. If elected, I would harness my skills and tap into my resources, which will allow me to engage and respond to the needs of my voters.
Why vote for Me?
I want to state that I am not standing as a blind candidate, but as a graduate who believes that the Celtic Tiger has left many marginalised groups behind.
- We do not have equal representation in our political system.
- In our present legislature (comprising the Seanad and Dail) there is no one who represents disabled people and marginalised groups.
- If elected, I will represent these groups and make a difference.
I will step up to the plate and, in a unique and innovative way, attempt to redress the imbalance and unnecessary hardships experienced by disabled people and those from other marginalised groups.
What’s wrong with the Seanad?
I believe that there is a need for change in the NUI Seanad panel, as the existing 3 senators have been there for many years and have done very little for the graduates who they were elected to represent. They have had their innings, let’s have a change!
The present system, whereby only graduates from Trinity and the NUI universities have this vote, is grossly unfair to the many hundreds of graduates from the institutes of technology and other colleges. This system of voting is outdated and elitist and restricts a huge amount of our population from voting in what is supposed to be a democratic election. I believe that the NUI Seanad election should be radically transformed in order to truly represent its electorate.
How to Vote
NUI graduates – other than honorary graduates – who are citizens of Ireland, and who are registered, may vote in Seanad Éireann elections (NUI constituency). This is a postal vote. See www.nui.ie for more details.
Remember, if you want change, please use your vote.
About AHEAD (Association for Higher Education Access and Disability)
I am a blind NUI graduate who works for AHEAD (Association for Higher Education Access and Disability) with a Masters in Equality Studies from UCD. AHEAD aims to make higher education accessible for people with disabilities and, as a follow-up to education, to encourage employers to employ these same students with disabilities on graduation. My role primarily concerns working with students and graduates with disabilities on the GET AHEAD project (National Forum of Graduates with Disabilities).
GET AHEAD was set up to address the high unemployment rates among graduates with disabilities, to analyse the labour market trends with a view to creating a comprehensive employment strategy because although Ireland is currently enjoying a sustained economic growth, the employment situation for people with disabilities has no where reached the near full employment levels enjoyed by non-disabled people. GET AHEAD also empowers disabled students and graduates by encouraging them to promote themselves, to make full use their abilities, and to manage their careers.
GET AHEAD also encourages employers to see beyond the disability and employ students and graduates with disabilities at the level of their abilities and educational backgrounds. GET AHEAD is rights based and our motto is “ For, By and With Ourselves (i.e. graduates with disabilities)”. Having worked for the past three years with AHEAD, I have had the opportunity to organise conferences and carry out disability equality training with academic staff, students and graduates with disabilities, and employers.
Since I lost my sight I have, on occasions, experienced discrimination, alienation and marginalisation. As a result of these negative experiences, I have had to become stronger and more vociferous, and have had to fight for my rights. In order to eliminate the many equalities and injustices that I have faced as a disabled person and to assist other disabled people, and those who are marginalised for various socio-economic and cultural reasons, I have decided to enter into politics to enable me to democratically change this inequitable situation.