Dr. Amy Hassett:

Ms Kearns has covered many of my points. The other invention that was created as a disability accommodation was the keyboard. I think the majority of us spend most of our time using keyboards. There are so many examples of accessibility devices that we now all benefit from. A report was released yesterday that I saw in passing. It was talking about how Ireland has an ageing population that will result in us having less tax revenue, something we need to prepare for in the future. It had me thinking about the fact that we do have an ageing population, which always sounds like a threat when we say it, and that non-disability is a temporary state. You will all be disabled if you are fortunate to live long enough. One of the things we have to think about, particularly in the next 20 to 30 years, is how we make Ireland more accessible and more inclusive with an ageing population. It is absolutely the case that we need to look at ways of keeping older people to be part of our society. A lot of older people are disabled, and many of the interventions and things we want for disabled people are equally applicable to older people. They are a cohort that we really do not think about enough in society. It happens a great deal in the world of disability where, often, once someone turns 65 they are not considered to be disabled any more, just elderly. It makes absolutely no sense, but I will set that aside.

It has been well established across a bunch of different areas that bringing diversity into systems creates better solutions. It creates better teams and outcomes for everybody involved. If we can get disabled people into the workplace, it will bring a different element of diversity into our workplaces which will lead to better solutions, products, ideas and services. That is an economically focused outcome, but one we cannot disregard.

On transport, Ms Graham has expressed some really great opinions. In terms of how we do that, she, Ms Kearns and I have shown here today the importance of engaging disabled people directly, particularly organisations led and organised by disabled persons. We can apply a really analytical perspective to various challenges. That is something that all disabled people contribute everywhere we go. We are excellent problem solvers.

In terms of how we actually get to that imagined future, it is by engaging with disabled people directly.