Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Of course it is, and probably making more sensible options. It is also accepting that we are not going to get a lot of these things perfectly right and systems will need to be constantly reviewed. We all get the idea that the best case scenario is that the research is done. Reasonable accommodations can never be perfect but they can be better. If we can build guidelines in, well then happy days. I am aware there is a huge difference between dealing with housing right through to dealing with public spaces and shared spaces, call them what you will. I am sure that many of us as elected representatives have dealt with the issues around adaptation grants and whether one can get the money or not get the money. Generally, the problem is that houses were not designed from a universal design point of view. That is accepting that we are talking about autism for the most part. It is slightly different for the most part. For a lot of people, in some cases it will probably be about being able to do things without noise in the home in the context of noise and light. It probably does not take huge changes, which are also necessary from the other mobility disability perspective.

I recall speaking to a developer who, in fairness, had gone to a number of symposiums on universal design. He said that while this is grand, nobody wants to pay the extra €20,000 or whatever it would be. This was long before this period of inflation so I would hate to think what extra it would cost now. We are talking about best practice but there is wider disability universal design. We are talking about building in as best from a planning point of view.

Reference was made to the whole idea of PATH 4 in colleges. This is universal design but in all senses. Initially, universal design is about creating safer spaces for people with regard to light, noise and all of the issues that would impact detrimentally on certain people with autism. The other aspect would relate to courses and the whole idea of building in and that we stop calling it reasonable accommodation so that it would just be in the system and in the courses that would work for people. What is doable when we are talking best practice? It can stretch from autistic specific into general disabilities.