Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail)
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I thank Mr. Harris. I was listening to him on the way in. Much of what he said in his opening statement rang true particularly that the public is far ahead of the State when it comes to autism. We can see all of the groups that exist. In my area there is the Dublin 12 Campaign 4 Autism Inclusion and Involve Autism. I know Mr. Harris is very aware of these groups. The work they do is phenomenal.

I have heard anecdotally that the NCSE has directed parents to advocacy groups when simple questions are being asked. This is very unfair. These groups have taken on a huge burden. It is practically a full-time job for the main advocates in the groups. They are not getting any support from the State. Perhaps the committee might look at supporting the groups administratively or giving something back to them. Many of those involved stay at home to look after children and run the organisations at the same time. It is amazing. They have to be thanked. I congratulate AsIAm, which is doing unbelievable work. AsIAm and all of the other organisations must be thanked. They are filling a gap the State should be filling. As Mr. Harris said, there are no roadmaps. There is no plan. People are given a diagnosis but not told what will happen next. Parents go to these groups to look for direction and support. This should be provided by the State. It should be very clear what will happen after a diagnosis with regard to what school the children will go to and the opportunities they will then have to go to college or work.

The committee should consider as a long-term goal the parents of children who need high levels of support. Probably on a daily basis many parents of children with autism who require high levels of support ask themselves what will happen when they pass away and who will mind the children when they are not around. We have to have a proper discussion on this. We want to make sure that children have meaningful lives and get the proper support. We are afraid to go down this road and answer the question. Perhaps there is someone the committee can bring in to discuss it. This is not just with regard to children with autism. Parents of children with any disability face this tough and upsetting struggle. It is unfair not to have a discussion until someone passes away. It should be open. What do we do for children with disabilities who require high levels of support when their parents pass away? Do they just go into the local county home? I do not know. I have no idea what happens. It is a real question people have and they deserve to know what the answer is and what supports will be there for the child. The committee needs to step up and ensure there is a pathway and framework for supports for children.

Many local employment schemes are closing down, as was mentioned earlier. The local employment service in Bluebell, which offered the employability scheme, closed down. Many people contacted me about it. For whatever reason it is not able to reopen. It is not prepared to retender, for its own justifiable reasons. We are losing a huge resource that supported people with disabilities to get employment. We need to be able to pull it back. Many services for people have already fallen away because of what is happening with the local employment service. It is regrettable. I thank Mr. Harris and I hope we all have an opportunity to attend the conference. It is very exciting and I wish Mr. Harris the best of luck with planning it.