Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Joint Committee on Autism, I thank the Chairman and other members of the Joint Committee on Disability Matters for proposing today's joint session of our committees on this important topic. Accessibility is at the core of the work of both of our committees. In our first public meeting, my committee called for Leinster House to be made autism friendly, as is the case in the Northern Ireland Assembly's parliament buildings at Stormont, Belfast. The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission welcomed our request to make Leinster House autism friendly and I hope to see developments this autumn. We look forward to such initiatives as suitable lighting, noise reduction, a sensory room and, most importantly, staff training. This will ensure that there are fewer barriers to access for autistic people attending Leinster House. I hope that we will set a good example for all to follow.

Our committee's work in public session thus far has focused primarily on education. This is just one area where considerable improvements are needed if we are to make accessibility a core principle. Greater accessibility measures have been implemented in some schools but not others. We need to see such measures being implemented in every school, be it a specialist school or a mainstream one. The same must apply to publish buildings across the board.

I look forward to hearing from today's witnesses about how we can make our buildings and society more accessible for autistic and disabled people. One of our powers is to draft recommendations for legislative change and examine statutory instruments. We would welcome any idea that the witnesses may have in that regard.