Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses. So much has been brought up and I will focus on two or three aspects. I was struck by the importance of time and space being allocated. It is not just about the technical right to participate but it is about the time and space that make participation possible, enjoyable and meaningful. I would like to hear more comment on that issue of time, especially in terms of public participation, meetings and discussions. When I worked with the National Women's Council of Ireland, we found that women often went on to say what happened to them and then some man would explain what happened. Mr. McGrath said that it is not just storytelling but it is about decision-making. In this committee we always say we want to hear the experiences and analyses of people with disabilities because that is so important. I ask the witnesses to talk more about the issue of time and participation and what could be done.

Points were made earlier about making sure that cultural venues, playgrounds and sports amenities are accessible. I was happy to co-sponsor a Bill on playgrounds in the past. I want to highlight something around that which also relates to the deaf community. We will hear a lot about the national development plan in the next week or two and the committee made a detailed submission on it. Something that was important to us in that submission was insisting that new State public spaces and buildings have universal design and accessibility because there will be a lot of capital expenditure on same in the NDP. Could the witnesses comment on the importance of that?

We insisted specifically that the provisions of the Irish Sign Language recognition legislation, which I was proud to see passed by the last Seanad, be reflected in the design of buildings where there are to be public meetings or public performances. Could the delegates comment on this? Regarding the spatial aspect, it is not a matter of being ad hocbut of having the appropriate design from the beginning in any new public buildings or public spaces.

I would appreciate it if the delegates commented on the EU's Web accessibility directive. There is now an obligation to have greater accessibility online in terms of participation. In particular, there is an onus on public departments and bodies. Could I have the delegates' sense of how this is going, how the measure is being implemented and what should be improved? In the Oireachtas, for example, we should be able to do better at captioning debates. While I am aware that we have the transcript and video, we should be able to follow up with subtitled debates. People do not just want the summary; they want to engage and see where the political nuance is. Where are the key gaps regarding participation and the implementation of the measures in the Irish sign language legislation?

Indirectly related to the new EU Web accessibility directive is the new legislation on online safety that is to be introduced in the Oireachtas in the autumn. It is called the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill but it is transposing the audiovisual directive from Europe. The directive is not just about protecting or avoiding harm; there is a duty to have inclusive cultural participation. I am referring to l'exception culturaleand the right to cultural participation, expression and diversity. Could the delegates comment on that? With the central focus on the protection aspects, which are important, proactively ensuring diversity in our media, including online media, and culture might get dropped. Are there any comments on that?

My last point relates to special classes in schools and even to employment opportunities. We have seen in Ireland a failure to avail of some of the opportunities that exist in terms of sheltered workspaces and so forth under EU law, but we have also seen, in other parts of Europe, the overuse of such spaces, whereby they become the only places where people access employment. I am referring to ensuring access not only to employment, in respect of which Ireland is woefully behind the rest of Europe, but also to a fully diverse range of employment opportunities.

What are the steps to ensure education and employment, which are normally points of connectivity for people, do not become culs-de-sac for people with a disability, whereby the places or jobs found for them are not regarded as steppingstones? What can we do to ensure we are building progression opportunities into employment and educational spaces?