Protection for disabled students

Disabled students will be protected by the new law

Young people with disabilities in Northern Ireland who feel they are discriminated against in school or college are to get new legal protection.

The draft order is likely to be made law by the end of the year.

However, some pressure groups say it is not strong enough.

The proposed new law is published on Friday, giving schools, colleges and universities notice that it will come into force in September 2005.

Similar legislation was introduced in England, Scotland and Wales three years ago and some say the regulations would have gone further if there had been a local assembly.

The law will strengthen the right for a child with a disability to get a place in a mainstream school, as long as that does not affect the education of other pupils.

It says schools will have to take "reasonable" steps to ensure pupils with a disability are not "substantially disadvantaged".

However, these words of qualification have angered pressure groups.

They think the law does not go far enough and allows too many "get-out" clauses for schools and education boards.

People wishing to comment on the legislation have 12 weeks to respond to it.