Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the witnesses very much. Their testimony is extremely sobering and stark. Much of what they shared should shame the political system. Hopefully, it will stimulate the political system to action and legislative change. The statistics Ms Kearns from Disabled Women Ireland outlined in relation to the lack of accommodations afforded to disabled people, and disabled women in particular, and the disadvantages they face generally in education and the workforce are really shocking. Ms Kearns mentioned increasing reports of reasonable accommodations being entirely denied to students on placements to qualify in many specialisms with predominantly female students, such as social work, education and healthcare. Does she have any thoughts on how this phenomenon can be brought to light more? I think many of these actions tend to flourish in obscurity. Ms Kearns mentioned that people may be fearful of retaliation if they raise these issues. How can we bring this discriminatory practice to light more and how can universities, service providers and employers be held accountable?