Dr. Aideen Hartney:

I thank the Senator. It is great to hear such good examples of employers, such as the Houses of the Oireachtas, taking proactive approaches to employing somebody with a disability.

There are a few ways of looking at this. We advise that where a public building or place of employment is being built from scratch, a universal design approach from the outset would include all of those considerations the Senator mentioned, such as good accessibility, level access, good signage, good way-finding that incorporates way-finding for people with vision impairments, and all those kind of things. We have an abundance of guidance on that. That is easy enough to think about if somebody is building a building and starting the process now. Where it can become more complicated is in retrofitting existing buildings. Many public sector buildings are in protected structures or older buildings. There are additional challenges in that regard but, equally, there is additional guidance. We are currently developing a code of practice for accessible public buildings to help guide public bodies on how they meet their obligations under Part 3 of the Disability Act. It is hoped that will be with the Minister by the end of this year for approval. That will offer some very practical guidance in some areas and examples of good practice that public bodies could take on board. Again, we will be able to monitor compliance with that code of practice. It will be another way of driving progress.

The assistive technology the Senator mentioned is an area of challenge. It links to the other areas she talked about as regards reasonable accommodation supports for employers. It is certainly a long process. We have heard through work we did on employment that it is a source of frustration and can be a barrier to employing somebody with a disability. The Department of Social Protection undertook a review of reasonable accommodation funding. We understand it has assigned a budget to implement the recommendations of that review. We look forward to seeing that and advising on some of those areas for consideration.

In terms of advice and guidance to employers, a service called Employers for Change offers information and advice to employers from a business perspective. Employers have found it very valuable because it speaks to them in their language in the context of their imperatives and priorities. It is a valuable service showing what can be put in place to enable the recruitment and retention of somebody with a disability. Given that that type of service is very much welcomed and used by employers, putting something like that on a sustainable, long-term footing would be a good move.