Laura Harmon (Labour)

I thank everyone for being here today and for their insightful contributions. As was mentioned, we need a sea change in how we deal with this issue and include disabled people in Ireland in general, be it in the education system or the workforce and through financial supports. The most recent budget was a missed opportunity to introduce a cost-of-disability payment. We now have the new Government strategy on human rights for disabled people, and that has been welcomed cautiously by many organisations in Ireland. We really need to see it implemented, not sitting on a shelf. It is relatively ambitious and it is welcome but it needs to be implemented.

I commend Senator Tom Clonan on all his work and advocacy in this area.

How could personalised budgets be promoted better? Do training seminars need to happen? How could the concept be promoted in the community?

I have a follow-up question, for Leap. It mentioned inclusion facilitators in community roles to ensure disabled people are accounted for in everyday life. How would Leap like to see this happen in reality? What would that look like as a good model?