Ms Neil Moore Ryan:

I thank the committee and the Cathaoirleach, Deputy Moynihan, for the invitation to this meeting and for facilitating me to attend online. I also thank the team at Mental Health Reform for their support throughout this event and others I have been fortunate enough to attend.

To answer the question honestly, I do not believe my human rights, or those of many citizens and-or residents of this country have been supported. For us, self-advocacy becomes a necessity as we have to fight to access what we are entitled to. People with disabilities are frequently infantilised, degraded and not recognised as individuals with numerous capabilities who can flourish when their needs are properly met. Accessibility for everyone is just not regarded as truly important and many of the obstacles are based on ignorance, ableism and stubbornness. All of this can result in poor mental health on top of everything else.

Recently, I was involved in a committee discussing my experience of CAMHS.

In preparation for that, I spoke to many people who had been or were still in CAMHS. For many, myself included, this is the first step in our mental health journey, seeking answers for our struggles, which in my case was a late diagnosis of autism. The common experience reported to me was negative. If this is the starting point, imagine how difficult it is moving forward from that. My diagnosis was locked behind a paywall as I was gaslit by a medical system that was supposed to support me. I was denied an assessment that I had been asking for and was forced to go private, a luxury many people cannot afford but feel forced to do, as I did.

I also took part in a public consultation on the Green Paper on Disability Reform in November 2023. This was an incredibly upsetting event as the Government showed in plain terms its complete lack not only of respect for people with varying ranges of disabilities but also of competence on the extent of our experiences. The fact that what was suggested on that day made it to a stage where you looked at us, in person and online, and completely dismissed the multitude of access issues across this country and tried to force us into an inherently inaccessible workplace that many of us are not a part of, for good reason, shows a real lack of regard for people with disabilities.

I would recommend better training and education across all Departments on the varying needs and struggles of people with disabilities, with an acknowledgement of the toll on mental health. I would encourage community-led initiatives that focus more on individual support needs rather than broad strokes approaches. I truly believe this country and its Government are more than capable of supporting the rights of people with disabilities, as it is their responsibility to do. As one of the richest countries in the world, we can fund it, and people with disabilities are more than happy to return on that investment when given the proper supports.