Joe Hayes spoke inspiring words on radio yesterday

Joe Hayes was interviewed on RTÉ Radio 1’s Brendan O’Connor yesterday. A powerful and inspiring interview.  

Below is an address given by Joe Hayes.

Chairperson, Members;

Good afternoon and thank you for inviting me to attend this meeting.

I should perhaps begin with a few brief words about myself which will put in context my personal connection with special education and the Minister’s nomination of me as Chair of the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).

I am from Thurles, Co Tipperary. I retired from the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2014 having served in the Irish foreign service for over 40 years.

I am married to Deirdre and we have four adult children the youngest of whom, Eavan Kate, has a range of special needs and is Intellectually Disabled as a consequence of a profound illness shortly after birth. She will be 30 this year and is a member of the Camphill Community in Dunshane, Co Kildare.

During my time in Foreign Affairs I served in a wide variety of overseas assignments.

I was Ambassador to China, to the Czech Republic, to Denmark and, most recently, to Singapore. I also covered a variety of secondary accreditations including The Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Timor Leste, Ukraine and Iceland. I served in Irish Embassies in Moscow, London and Bonn and for a brief period was based in Armagh as the Joint Secretary of the North South Ministerial Council.

Our children came with us on all my foreign postings.

Eavan was born in 1989 shortly before I was despatched to the Embassy in London on an assignment which, at the time, was a fairly politically sensitive post. As the extent of Eavan Kate’s impairment became clear, the issue for us, as a family, was whether we could provide all the necessary support and care for our beloved daughter and whether I could, at the same time, manage an assignment which, back then, required full time, hands on, commitment. There was never any doubt. Eavan came with us to London and prospered. At the height of the Thatcher Government and, despite its public emphasis on wealth creation and rampant individualism, during our four years in London our daughter nonetheless received an outstanding level of medical and educational care and support.

Several years later I was sent to China.

Again there was never any doubt but that we would go to Bejing as a family with Eavan Kate, despite the very obvious challenges of bringing an eight year old child with special needs to China. It would be socially and culturally challenging for us to adjust, not to mind for a western child with special needs. There would, we were warned, be no access to schooling, no support, no understanding of her disability. It also transpired when we arrived that the expatriate International school community did not recognise special needs.

We were thrown back on our own resources and on the support of the Chinese system.

In the event our most fulfilling posting was our four years in Beijing. Eavan went to school, was deeply loved and supported by a succession of Chinese carers and lived a happy, contented, colourful and fun filled life. Of course not everything was perfect and it would be entirely wrong to use our positive experience with Eavan as a benchmark for generalised judgement on Chinese attitudes to human rights and fundamental freedoms. During our time in China it helped that disability carried a particular badge of honour since the

son of Deng Xiaoping, Deng Pufang, had been a wheelchair user since 1968 when he had suffered a serious injury while trying to escape from a mob of Red Guards during the excesses of the Cultural Revolution. Despite the singular political drawbacks of China’s single party authoritarian system, our vulnerable daughter was accepted, included and respected and along the way I learned an enduring lessson.

I came to realise that one singular mark of a civilised society is its ability to acknolwledge and care for the most vulnerable, for the voiceless, for the disabled. A society which ensures equality and respect for its children with special needs is, for sure, a worthwhile one whatever might be the deficiencies of its political system.

That, Chairperson, Members, in summary is the background to my readiness, on my retirement, to pursue a wish to become involved with the NCSE. There was never any doubt in my mind that this was the way to go, the best way of using whatever few talents I have to return something to the State that had employed me for four decades.

To my mind, the NCSE is symbolic of Ireland’s commitment to equality and fairness, a commitment endorsed by successive Governments and one which reflects the very best of our society.

I don’t have to tell this Committee about the practical achivements of the NCSE since its establishment as an independent statutory body in 2003. It might nonetheless be of intreset to the Committee to hear three headline figures:

•   In 2018 the number of students accesssing SNA support has increased from 27,000 in 2015 to over 34,000.

•   There are now 1,461 special classes in mainstream schools catering for just under 8,000 pupils.

 There are 120 special schools with an allocation of 1,224 class teacher posts.

Apart from the statistical headlines I want especially to direct attention to the NCSE’s remarkable research capacity. This highly regarded and independent research activity underpins the NCSE’s policy advice and recommendations to the Minister and the Department. This research is evidence-based, internationally regarded and independent. The NCSE hosts an annual research conference every November with world class international speakers and a full attendance of education providers, parents, civil servants and advocacy and disability groups. The NCSE’s research output has a strong international focus driven by a need to seek out best practice and innovative educational approaches. It would be my wish to encourage even greater levels of internatioanl research engagement.

In this connection perhaps Members of the Committee might consider attending this year’s research Conference. I’m sure you would be warmly welcome.

Looking ahead, I might mention one development of interest.

In June 2020 the NCSE will gain additional responsibilities in relation to educational provision for adults with disabilities under the 2005 Disability Act. The exact nature of these responsibilities is currently being developed, but we will have a role in:

•   assisting the HSE, on request, as they assess and prepare service statements for adults with disabilities;

•   planning and co-ordinating the provision of education services for adults; and

•   assessing and reviewing the resources required in relation to such educational provision.

As the parent of an adult daughter with special needs, this development will be of special interest.

In conclusion if the Committee is kind enough to ratify my appointment as Chairperson i will continue to ensure that the parental perspective plays a formative role in NCSE work.

I will also strive to continue the excellent work of my predecessor, Eamon Stack, who directed the Council with flair and skill gained during a liftime of experience as a teacher and senior inspector.

Eamon had of course the support of a talented, experienced and supportive Council which operated as a strong united team. They set a high standard for the incoming Council.

Chairperson, Members thank you for your time and your attention.

Unlike my distinguished predeccesor I have no background in education, no particular skills and no professional insights. I have, however, a lifetime’s experience as a parent and an abiding belief that the most important person is the child, the adolescent and the adult recipient of our services. They are the heart and centre of everything we do.

Thank you.