Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all of the witnesses for their compelling stories in a really important area. I have a number of questions that I will go through and I will mention the person I might like to answer. I will go in the order of the presentations.

We first had Ms Hayes from the Open Doors initiative. Ms Hayes spoke about the need to transform employment opportunities for people with disabilities. I could not agree more because the figures are very stark with regard to young people and older people with disabilities having the opportunity to have meaningful work experience and earn their own money. What would Ms Hayes’s key recommendations be with regard to what is needed? She might outline what she thinks is needed in regard to improvements in grants or supports to encourage, support and sustain people in that situation.

Ms Finn spoke about the need for disability awareness in schools, which is very important, and she might have particular suggestions around that. I am also interested to know how her organisation supports business organisations to create that culture of openness for diversity, inclusion and disability. It is about helping to create that culture. Ms Finn mentioned schools and it is obviously needed in schools. I think we are actually getting there with schools but a lot of work needs to be done within work and business organisations. Children grow with children, and where children are in a classroom with some of their peers with disabilities, it is completely natural and part of their world. However, work life is that little bit different.

I know the excellent work the Cope Foundation does and I have some experience of it. Ms Hennessy talked about the need for the post-school training and upskilling that the foundation does, which is quite similar to what Ms Walsh was talking about. There is a particular gap that needs to be addressed by giving those sustainable supports to employers as well. Is the Cope Foundation fully back up and running after the pandemic? I am interested in that because we are at a stage where society is starting to open up. We need to make sure that those supports and the different agencies that work with people with disabilities are up and running, which is needed.

On a point to Mr. Kelly, or should I say “Mr. President”, I am incredibly impressed by his presentation. I am sorry he had a negative experience when he was interviewing for a job. If he was interviewing for a job here, he would definitely be the first to get it. He gave an excellent presentation. He should be very proud of the work he does on the Ability Board and he is on the button in what he said about Easy to Read. We all need to learn lessons about that. Perhaps Mr. Kelly could tell us a little about the supports that helped him in terms of progressing to be the man he is now.

I want to go next to Ms Walsh and Ms Gorey, whom I know very well. They are two incredible volunteers who do tremendous work for the families of those with Down’s syndrome throughout Kildare. I know they both have the experience, as mothers. Throughout this whole committee, we have been talking about lived experience all along, and they certainly bring that in terms of the work they are doing. I was fortunate to visit the services they provide a few times, particularly the horticultural services. As Ms Walsh outlined, that has really become part of the whole village of Sallins in terms of how they work with the Tidy Towns and other groups, which is fantastic.

In particular, I would like to ask Ms Walsh about the gap that now exists between education and health. Their service is volunteer led but, obviously, tutors have to be paid for. Previously, this was paid through a section 39 organisation and the health budget. It was then decided that as this was education, it should come through the education budget and the education and training boards, ETBs, but only ETBs in Dublin are actually providing that link. I acknowledge that we had meetings with the Ministers of State, Deputies Anne Rabbitte and Niall Collins, on trying to define where that funding piece can come from. However, there still is no solution in that regard and there needs to be. Ms Walsh might address that gap because, to me, it is shocking that there is not a plan in place for those who are leaving school at 18 to give them the opportunity to retain what they have and to learn.

Ms Walsh also spoke about the link between Down's syndrome and Alzheimer's and the very stark figures in that regard. I know there is the possibility of doing a pilot project over five years, which would be very helpful in defining strategies that could help. We all know that research and facts are needed but I do not think any such research has been carried out in Ireland. Ms Walsh might address that as well.