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Within a European context, facilitating the increased participation of marginalized groups within society has become a cornerstone of social policy. In higher education in Ireland this has generally involved the targeting for support of individuals representing groups traditionally excluded on the grounds of socio-economic status. More recently, people with disability have been included in this consideration. This approach has tended to focus on physical access issues and some technical supports. However, access is multifaceted and must include a review of pedagogic practices, assistive provision (technological and personal), student's engagement with their workload (e.g. recording) and evaluation procedures: achieving accreditation levels commensurate with ability.This small-scale Irish study examined the experiences of two groups of young people with physical disabilities and with dyslexia in two higher education institutions. It was apparent that for students with physical disabilities and with dyslexia, assessment practices were fraught with additional limitations. Assessment practices were mediated for these students through the physical environment, the backwash effect of assessment on curriculum, the availability and use of assistive technology, and through the attitudes of staff and students. It can be concluded that access issues within higher education have been inadequately conceptualized and as a result failed to address fundamental issues around assessment for students with physical disabilities and with dyslexia.

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Special educational provision in the Republic of Ireland has experienced significant changes in the past decade. A combination of interrelated factors including litigation, legislation, parental advocacy and international developments has radically altered the landscape of special education. As a result of these changes the move towards establishing inclusive learning environments appears irreversible though many critical issues remain to be addressed at this time of transition. This study examines how key stakeholders in primary education perceive the challenge of responding appropriately to increased diversity. The results indicate that many barriers remain in the development of inclusive learning environments. The conceptual understanding of special educational needs (SEN) was seriously deficient and this affected the coherence of policy and service delivery. The system lacked strategic leadership, according to participants, and this restricted the capacity to support schools. School capacity to deliver quality education for children with SEN was constrained by the serious shortfall in the range and level of skills required and opportunities for professional development available. There was strong support for the principle of inclusion into mainstream though this was principally perceived in terms of the development of socialisation skills. It was concluded that in this transition phase schools required strategic leadership from policy‐makers to address the many challenges that remain in the establishment of inclusive learning environments.

Accessible summary• Students with intellectual disabilities can go to University.• This paper is about a course at Trinity College Dublin.• The researchers talked to students, families and teachers involved with the course.They asked them what they thought about the course. • They found out that the people with intellectual disabilities were more included.They felt better about themselves. They had more friends. • The researchers will give ideas for making University work for students with intellectual disabilities. SummaryThe purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of students with intellectual disabilities gaining access into a university setting, specifically Trinity College Dublin. The topic is important as gaining access to a university setting for students with intellectual disabilities is not commonplace. The study was qualitative in design and aimed to understand the phenomenon of inclusion by collecting multiple sources of peoples' understanding of what was happening for the students with intellectual disabilities completing a 2-year certificate course entitled, Certificate in Contemporary Living. The perceptions of the students, family members and tutors were captured through focus groups, questionnaires, and use of Photovoice and document analysis. Triangulation of the multiple sources of data was used as well as open, axial and selective coding for thematic analysis. The student voice echoed by that of family members and tutors found that inclusion within a university setting led the students to see themselves more alike than different to their peers. They felt more accepted, more competent and more socially networked. Vital to the development of friendships was a mentoring programme. The aspect of the certificate programme that supported students to participate in a range of undergraduate classes will be described, and how this strategy is continuing to be researched will be outlined. Being included within a university setting opens up a whole new way of being for students who have previously experienced marginalisation. Such inclusion is a cogent way to promote ability. The safeguards to ensure that inclusion within university settings does not become another form of segregation will be touched upon.