Legislation due to come into effect later this year will, for the first time, counter disability discrimination in education here, the Government has said.

Highlighting the impact of the Special Educational Needs and Disability (Northern Ireland) Order (SEND), during a speech to delegates attending a conference organised by the Association of Northern Ireland Colleges, Employment and Learning Minister Angela Smith said people with disabilities were entitled to the same rights of access to education as people without disabilities.

“The SEND Order provides a legal framework under which colleges and universities will be encouraged and required to provide access to the curriculum and create an environment that can accommodate the needs of everyone, including those with disabilities,” the Minister said.

“The new legislation represents a significant step forward in promoting inclusion and disability rights in schools and institutions of further and higher education.”

The Minister acknowledged that many institutions had already taken steps to encourage access and wider participation and added: “We must build on the expertise and good practice that already exists and encourage its application in all colleges and universities,” she said. “It is not enough to say to disabled young people that they are welcome, if access to our curriculum, our premises, our funding and our services tells them they are not.”

The SEND Order, which was made on the 6 April, is to take effect in September.

(MB/SP)