New funding for Braille to aid visually impaired students – Conway

Ahead of World Sight Day 2018, Fine Gael Senator Martin Conway has welcomed new funding for Braille to aid blind and visually impaired students.

“I strongly welcome the provision of new Government funding for Braille to aid blind and visually impaired students. My colleague the Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, confirmed to me that €150,000 will be provided over two years.

“Visual impairment should never be a barrier to education for anyone. This new funding will help to put visually impaired students on an equal playing field to their classmates.”

Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor said, ‘’I am delighted to have been in a position to provide total funding of €150,000 over 2 years to assist blind and visually impaired students access higher education reading material in Braille.

“Following strong representations from both Senator Conway and the NCBI, having spoken to students,  and seeing for myself the great work being done to make limited printed material available in Braille format , I was determined that my department would support Higher Education students with sight loss.”