ix.
Instructional Climate: the common informing of students with SEN to ‘lower their expectations’ when it comes to academic performance is abandoned so no student believes they will not be proportionately rewarded for effort in school.
The implementation of this model has been extensively advocated for in Ireland, most recently within a higher education setting, with a view to improving the inclusion and retention of students with disabilities.284 IV.
Case Study: School closure during Covid 19 and the rights of children with disabilities and/or special educational needs
With the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic, primary and secondary schools closed for extended periods of time. This presented a number of issues, as while some children continued to do their work from home, households with children with special educational needs generally lacked the facilities required to educate their children to a comparable level as their schools. Therefore, the closure of schools was suggested to have a marked effect on the learning and development for children with special educational needs; concerns were expressed that it negatively impacted their social and academic progression.285 In discussing the reopening of schools, advocates expressed that ‘we cannot lose sight of the significant harm being done to many students with special educational needs by the continued absence of an adequate level of education supports’.286 They further detailed the struggles of families and carers of children with disabilities, impressing that ‘the discussions that have taken place between Government and educational stakeholders have relegated the voice and needs of the child throughout this process’.287 It was highlighted that following the closure of schools, there were sparse supports available the at-home education for children with special educational needs such as ‘[d]irect virtual 1:1 access to the teacher, special education teacher
284
Ahead, ‘Inclusive Learning and the Provision of Reasonable Accommodations to Students with Disabilities in Higher Ed in Ireland’ <https://www.ahead.ie/reasonableaccommodations> accessed 17 January 2021. 285 Ellen O’Riordan, ‘School closures: Parents of children with special needs threaten legal action’ (The Irish Times, 22 Jan 2021) <https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/school-closures-parents-of-children-withspecial-needs-threaten-legal-action-1.4465595> accessed 14 November 2021. 286 Inclusion Ireland, ‘Children with disabilities and their families ‘almost completely forgotten’ in schools’ row’ (19 January 2021) <https://inclusionireland.ie/news-events/children-with-disabilities-and-their-familiesalmost-completely-forgotten-in-schools-row-disability-and-family-carer-groups/> accessed 14 November 2021. 287 Inclusion Ireland, ‘Children with disabilities and their families ‘almost completely forgotten’ in schools’ row’ (19 January 2021) <https://inclusionireland.ie/news-events/children-with-disabilities-and-their-familiesalmost-completely-forgotten-in-schools-row-disability-and-family-carer-groups/> accessed 14 November 2021.
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