Some children require special educational provision because they have a physical or sensory disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided. These difficulties can be age related and may fluctuate over time. Many children and young people with vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment (MSI) will require specialist support and/or equipment to access their learning, or habilitation support. Some children and young people with a physical disability (PD) require additional ongoing support and equipment to access all the opportunities available to their peers. 

Hearing Impairment - Hearing impairment refers to a range of hearing conditions from those with a mild hearing loss to those who are profoundly deaf. In school, learners are regarded as having a hearing impairment if they require hearing aids, adaptations to their environment or particular teaching strategies to access the curriculum.

Visual Impairment - A visual impairment is a problem with a learner’s eyesight that cannot be corrected by wearing glasses or surgery.

Multi-Sensory Impairments (MSI)  -Learners with MSI usually have a combination of both visual and hearing impairment and often require access to specialist equipment and support to fully access the school curriculum.