The ESAI Annual Conference 2024, an important event for the educational research community in Ireland and beyond, was held at Maynooth University from 4th April to 6th April. Researchers, policy makers, practitioners and emerging researchers came together to share, reflect, discuss and debate insights under the conference theme ‘Education for more just societies: the roles of imagination, innovation and collaboration’.
It revealed a significant disparity between the expectations of immigrant families and the reality of the services they encounter. These families often anticipate comprehensive, culturally sensitive support from EI services, serving as a central point for guidance and assistance in navigating the education system.
However, they encounter obstacles in accessing these services and educational resources, compounded by communication barriers and doubts about the adequacy of support. Consequently, families find themselves navigating a complex network of multiple agencies and services, each operating with its unique guidelines and resources.
To address this gap, the following recommendations are made:
- Allocate resources to develop and distribute multilingual guides, resources, and digital content that cater to the diverse linguistic needs of immigrant families, ensuring they have access to understandable and relevant information.
- Streamline the process for immigrant families, reducing the burden of navigating multiple systems by developing a ‘one-stop’ model that genuinely serves as a comprehensive hub, ensuring that support is consistently available across all educational transitions.
- Actively involve immigrant families and representatives from diverse communities in the education policymaking process.
- Strengthen ties with community organisations, immigrant advocacy groups, and cultural associations to ensure educational policies and programmes are informed by the real-world experiences and needs of immigrant families and their children with disabilities.