Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is nice to get a hands-on example of someone who has done this transition. I will finish up with a couple of quotes from our previous witness, young Fiacre Ryan. It is really what this is all about. He said:

Try to see past the autism and realise that we are the same inside as others.

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Please listen today to the voices of those who have been silenced by our society. It is time that they are heard, valued and understood.

We as a committee, and collectively in our organisations, have to strive for, push for and make sure every autistic young adult and child is valued and understood and gets the opportunities in life that they are entitled to and deserve. I thank the witnesses for coming in today and being with us. I ask them to forward us their reports with regard to passports. The awareness campaign is something I would like to see them moving on and bringing in other organisations. We can work with them on that to make sure that happens because it needs to happen.