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Income, Employment and Welfare Analysis of People with a Disability 2019

Education

A CSO Frontier Series Output

A CSO Frontier Series Output- What is this?

In this Frontier Series Output, a person with a disability is defined by the self reported disability indicator in Census 2016.

A person with a disability can have more than one type of disability, and will be included in each type of disability indicated in Census 2016. See Background Notes

This chapter looks at the educational engagement of people with a disability indicated in Census 2016, from Leaving Certificate in 2016 through to further and higher education in 2019. Data from the State Examinations Commission (SEC) is used for Leaving Certificate students. Further and higher education data comes from the Higher Education Authority (HEA), SOLAS and QQI. (see Background Notes)

Just over one in ten (11%) people with a disability who sat a leaving certificate examination did the Leaving Certificate Applied.

In 2016, a total of 57,290 people sat the Leaving Certificate and the Leaving Certificate Applied. There were 4,760 candidates with a disability sitting a leaving certificate examination in 2016. Of these, 11% sat the Leaving Certificate Applied, but this proportion varied from 25% among those with an intellectual disability to 6% of those with 'other disability including chronic illness'. In comparison, 4% of candidates with no disability who sat a leaving certificate examination sat the Leaving Certificate Applied, and 96% sat the Leaving Certificate. See Table 3.1.

Disability	Leaving Certificate Applied	Leaving Certificate
Candidates with a Disability Indicated on Census	10.5	89.5
Candidates with no Disability Indicated on Census	4.3	95.7

Table 3.1 Leaving Certificate Applied and Leaving Certificate Exam Candidates, 2016 by Disability type from Census 2016

Looking at subjects in the Leaving Certificate, candidates with a disability were less likely to sit higher level papers in the core exam subjects (English, Irish and Maths). For English, 67% of candidates with no disability took the higher level paper compared with 51% of those with a disability. The proportion of candidates with no disability who took the higher level paper was 38% in Irish compared with 20% of those with a disability, while in Maths the proportions were 28% with no disability compared with 17% of those with a disability.

Irish was taken by 62% of candidates with a disability compared with 87% of those without a disability. See Table 3.2.

Table 3.2 Leaving Certificate Candidates, 2016 by subject, level of exam and disability from Census 2016

Just over three in four (76%) students with a disability who sat the Leaving Certificate Applied in 2016 were enrolled in higher or further education in the following three years.

More than half (55%) of students with no disability who sat the Leaving Certificate in 2016 went to higher education over the following three years, compared with 43% of those with a disability. Of the students who sat the Leaving Certificate Applied, 63% of students with no disability progressed to further education and training compared with 75% of those with a disability.

Overall, the same proportion of those with and without a disability indicated in Census sitting either the Leaving Certificate or the Leaving Certificate Applied continued to further or higher education (84%).

Table 3.3 Transition of people who sat a leaving certificate examination in 2016 to Higher Education and Further Education and Training in the following three years, by Disability from Census 2016

Half of new entrants to higher education with a disability indicated in Census received a SUSI grant of fees, maintenance or both in 2019.

A SUSI grant was applied for by 18,420 of the 37,979 new entrants to higher education in 2019. This grant can be awarded for fees, maintenance or both fees and maintenance. It is means tested so not all students are eligible.

Just over four in ten (42%) of all new entrants to Higher Education received either a fee or a maintenance grant or both, compared to five in ten (50%) of those entrants with a disability. The highest proportion of those who received a fees and maintenance grant was those who are blind or have a severe visual impairment (55%), while the lowest proportion was 35% for those with a difficulty learning, remembering or concentrating.

Table 3.4 SUSI Grants Award Status of New Entrants to Higher Education, 2019 by Disability Type from Census 2016

Arts & Humanities was the most popular higher education subject for new entrants with disability in 2019

The most popular three courses for all new entrants to Higher Education were Arts & Humanities (19%), Business, Administration & Law (20%) and Health & Welfare (15%). There were similar proportions of new entrants with a disability to these courses. See Table 3.5

Over one in five (22%) of new entrants with deafness or a serious hearing impairment studied Health and Welfare. This was the highest proportion across all disability types. See Figure 3.2

Students with a disability were less likely to enrol on an undergraduate honours degree (78%) compared to those without a disability (84%). See Table 3.6

NACE Sector	Agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary	Arts and humanities	Business, administration and law	Education	Engineering, manufacturing and construction	Generic programmes and qualifications	Health and welfare	Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)	Natural sciences, mathematics and statistics	Services	Social sciences, journalism and information
New entrants to higher education with no disability	1.94640853706265	18.9787877997234	19.9076369139249	6.0	11.6914968560023	0.28439481305607	15.185117541159	6.1079656638923	10.8696219375375	4.30244996999504	5.35914629373549
New entrants to higher education with a disability	1.36872666943177	22.2729158025715	15.0145167980091	2.94483616756533	11.4890087100788	0.953961012028204	15.6781418498548	8.3367897138117	10.5350476980506	5.80671920364994	5.59933637494815
Blindness or a serious vision impairment	0	20.4819277108434	19.2771084337349	3.01204819277108	10.2409638554217	0.602409638554217	16.8674698795181	12.6506024096386	6.62650602409639	3.6144578313253	6.62650602409639
Deafness or a serious hearing impairment	2.27272727272727	20.4545454545455	20.4545454545455	2.27272727272727	11.3636363636364	2.27272727272727	21.969696969697	7.57575757575758	4.54545454545455	4.54545454545455	2.27272727272727
A condition that substantially limits one or more basic physical activities	1.72413793103448	29.7413793103448	12.5	3.44827586206897	6.89655172413793	1.72413793103448	16.3793103448276	7.32758620689655	10.7758620689655	3.01724137931034	6.46551724137931
An intellectual disability	1.70940170940171	29.0598290598291	13.2478632478632	2.56410256410256	8.97435897435897	2.56410256410256	11.965811965812	9.82905982905983	8.11965811965812	8.97435897435897	2.99145299145299
Difficulty in learning, remembering or concentrating	1.48571428571429	22.4	15.6571428571429	1.94285714285714	13.6	1.48571428571429	13.0285714285714	8.11428571428571	8.22857142857143	9.14285714285714	4.91428571428571
Psychological or emotional condition	1.03806228373702	26.4705882352941	10.0346020761246	1.55709342560554	6.9204152249135	1.55709342560554	16.6089965397924	10.5536332179931	12.80276816609	4.49826989619377	7.95847750865052
Other disability, including chronic illness	1.10024449877751	20.5378973105134	15.0366748166259	4.27872860635697	11.7359413202934	0.366748166259169	16.3814180929095	8.43520782396088	12.7139364303178	4.15647921760391	5.25672371638142
Difficulty with dressing,bathing and getting aroud the home	0.763358778625954	29.0076335877863	11.4503816793893	2.29007633587786	9.16030534351145	2.29007633587786	15.2671755725191	10.6870229007634	9.16030534351145	5.34351145038168	4.58015267175572
Difficulty working at a job or attending school/college	1.96779964221825	25.4025044722719	10.3756708407871	2.32558139534884	7.87119856887299	2.14669051878354	16.4579606440072	10.0178890876565	11.9856887298748	5.54561717352415	5.90339892665474
Difficulty going outside the home alone	2.2140221402214	30.9963099630996	9.59409594095941	1.4760147601476	6.64206642066421	3.3210332103321	16.6051660516605	9.59409594095941	8.48708487084871	6.27306273062731	4.7970479704797
Difficulty participating in other activities	1.62271805273834	29.4117647058824	9.53346855983773	2.83975659229209	7.09939148073022	2.02839756592292	16.632860040568	9.12778904665314	10.7505070993915	4.25963488843813	6.69371196754564

Table 3.5 New Entrants to Higher Education, 2019 by ISECD Course Categories and Disability from Census 2016

Table 3.6 New Entrants to Higher Education, 2019 by NFQ Level and Disability from Census 2016

The proportion of all higher education students with a disability was highest in level 5 courses (34.2%) and lowest in level 9 courses (5.7%). See Figure 3.3

NFQ Level	Students in Higher Education Without a Disabiity	Students in Higher Education with a Disability
Unknown	91.1788953009068	8.82110469909316
Level 5	65.7894736842105	34.2105263157895
Level 6	92.793777320648	7.20622267935202
Level 7	92.340458191028	7.65954180897195
Level 8	93.9532906125672	6.04670938743281
Level 9	94.3026014233445	5.69739857665554
Level 10	92.4729138946968	7.52708610530317

Just over half (52%) of graduates with a disability in Census graduated from a Level 8 course in 2019

The top three course categories for student graduates in 2019 were Arts & Humanities, Business Administration & Law and Health & Welfare. These were the top three in both those with a disability and those without and accounted for 52% of all graduates. See Table 3.7

Just over half (52%) of graduates with a disability in Census graduated from a Level 8 course in 2019 . Similar proportions of people with and without a disability graduated from each level. See table 3.8

Table 3.7 All graduates from Higher Education, 2019 by ISCED course and Disability from Census 2016

Table 3.8 All graduates from Higher Education, 2019 by Award Description and Disability Type from Census 2016

Just over one in four of all SOLAS students with a disability enrolled in Generic Programmes & Qualifications courses

Just over one in four (25.8%) SOLAS students with a disability studied Generic Programmes & Qualifications in 2019. This was the highest course category across all disability types and was studied by 43.9% of those with an intellectual disability in 2019. See Table 3.9.

Table 3.9 SOLAS students enrolled in 2019 by ISECD Course Categories and Disability Type from Census 2016

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Table 3.2 Leaving Certificate Candidates, 2016 by subject, level of exam and disability from Census 2016¹
Number of Students
	Mathematics				English				Irish
	Students with a Disability	Students with no Disability	Total		Students with a Disability	Students with no Disability	Total		Students with a Disability	Students with no Disability	Total
Total Sat Exam	4,130	49,000	53,130		4,110	48,570	52,680		2,655	43,990	46,645
of which:
Foundation²	805	5,515	6,320						295	3,155	3,450
Ordinary	2,600	29,320	31,920		1,920	14,705	16,625		1,505	21,785	23,290
Higher	725	14,160	14,885		2,190	33,865	36,050		855	19,050	19,900

Total did not sit exam	130	1,295	1,425		150	1,725	1,875		1,605	6,305	7,910
Total Candidates	4,260	50,295	54,555		4,260	50,295	54,555		4,260	50,295	54,555
%				%				%
Total Sat Exam	97	97	97		96	97	97		62	87	86
of which:
Foundation¹	19	11	12						7	6	6
Ordinary	61	58	59		45	29	30		35	43	43
Higher	17	28	27		51	67	66		20	38	36

Total did not sit exam	3	3	3		4	3	3		38	13	14
¹ All numbers are rounded to the nearest five
²Foundation Level is only offered in Mathematics and Irish in the Leaving Certificate

Table 3.6 New Entrants to Higher Education, 2019 by NFQ Level and Disability from Census 2016¹
	Number of People			%
NFQ Level	New Entrants Without a Disability	New Entrants With a Disability	Total	New Entrants Without a Disability	New Entrants With a Disability	Total
Level 6	1,210	145	1,355	3	6	4
Level 7	4,115	390	4,500	12	16	12
Level 8	30,225	1,870	32,095	85	78	85
Unknown Level	30	5	35	0	0	0
Total	35,580	2,405	37,985	100	100	100
¹ All numbers are rounded to the nearest five

Table 3.8 All graduates from Higher Education, 2019 by Award Description and Disability Type from Census 2016¹
	Number of People			%
Award Description	Graduates without a Disability	Graduates with a Disability	Total	Graduates without a Disability	Graduates with a Disability	Total
Level 6	4,460	390	4,850	8	10	8
Level 7	8,180	695	8,875	14	18	15
Level 8	30,715	1,985	32,695	54	52	54
Level 9	12,500	690	13,195	22	18	22
Level 10	980	60	1,040	2	2	2
Unknown Level	15	0	15	0	0	0
Total	56,850	3825	60,675	100	100	100
¹ All numbers are rounded to the nearest five

Income, Employment and Welfare Analysis of People with a Disability 2019

Education

A CSO Frontier Series Output

Education

Just over one in ten (11%) people with a disability who sat a leaving certificate examination did the Leaving Certificate Applied.

Just over three in four (76%) students with a disability who sat the Leaving Certificate Applied in 2016 were enrolled in higher or further education in the following three years.

Half of new entrants to higher education with a disability indicated in Census received a SUSI grant of fees, maintenance or both in 2019.

Arts & Humanities was the most popular higher education subject for new entrants with disability in 2019

Just over half (52%) of graduates with a disability in Census graduated from a Level 8 course in 2019

Just over one in four of all SOLAS students with a disability enrolled in Generic Programmes & Qualifications courses

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Table 3.1 Leaving Certificate Applied and Leaving Certificate Exam Candidates, 2016 by Disability type from Census 2016¹
	Number of Exam Candidates			%
Disability Type	Leaving Certificate Applied	Leaving Certificate	Total		Leaving Certificate Applied	Leaving Certificate	Total
Total candidates	2,740	54,555	57,290		5	95	100

All persons with no disability	2,235	50,295	52,530		4	96	100
All persons with a disability	500	4,260	4,760		11	89	100

Blindness or a serious vision impairment	35	235	270		13	87	100
Deafness or a serious hearing impairment	35	175	210		17	83	100
A condition that substantially limits one or more basic physical activities	55	280	335		16	84	100
An intellectual disability	210	630	840		25	75	100
Difficulty in learning, remembering or concentrating	355	1,960	2,315		15	85	100
Psychological or emotional condition	115	1,060	1,170		10	91	100
Other disability, including chronic illness	75	1,190	1,270		6	94	100

Difficulty with dressing, bathing and getting around the home	40	155	195		21	79	100
Difficulty working at a job or attending school/college	155	1,085	1,240		13	88	100
Difficulty going outside the home alone	105	290	395		27	73	100
Difficulty participating in other activities	125	705	830		15	85	100
¹ All numbers are rounded to the nearest five

Table 3.5 New Entrants to Higher Education, 2019 by ISECD Course Categories and Disability from Census 2016¹
	Number of Students			%
ISCED Broad	New Entrants without a Disability	New Entrants with a Disability	Total	New Entrants without a Disability	New Entrants with a Disability	Total
Agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary	705	35	735	2	1	2
Arts and humanities	6,690	535	7,230	19	22	19
Business, administration and law	7,230	360	7,595	20	15	20
Education	1,980	70	2,050	6	3	5
Engineering, manufacturing and construction	4,145	275	4,420	12	11	12
Generic programmes and qualifications	85	25	110	0	1	0
Health and welfare	5,355	375	5,730	15	16	15
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)	2,125	200	2,325	6	8	6
Natural sciences, mathematics and statistics	3,860	250	4,110	11	10	11
Services	1,495	140	1,635	4	6	4
Social sciences, journalism and information	1,905	135	2,040	5	6	5
Total	35,575	2,405	37,980	100	100	100
¹ All numbers are rounded to the nearest five