Ms Cara Darmody:

I thank the Chairperson, Deputies and Senators for inviting me here today. I am 12 years old and I am here to tell the committee what it is like to live in a family that has severely autistic children in it. I am also here to tell the committee that I am very angry about the way children with disabilities in general are being treated. It is a crisis and a national disgrace. My brothers Neil and John have been treated disgracefully and I am here to stand up for them. I am also here to stand up for the almost 18,000 children who have been left to rot on waiting lists. I will also tell the committee what I have done to date to raise awareness of this crisis, and what I have done to raise money for others. Last year, when I was 11 years old and in fifth class in Ardfinnan national school in County Tipperary, I studied over 400 extra hours so I could sit the junior cycle mathematics examination in June. I raised €40,000 for my local school and Scoil Chormaic special school. Our family did not benefit by a single penny. Today, many other children are benefiting from my fundraiser. It is disgraceful, however, that those schools are relying on a 12-year-old to fund their services.

On 28 July last, I met the Taoiseach in his office for 80 minutes. He was one of the nicest people I have ever met, but I told him that this situation must now be treated like a crisis, like the house is on fire. I told him he was the parent and the HSE was the child, and that he was basically guilty of not parenting the child. I also told him that children suffer permanent damage when they do not get therapy services. Since then, I do not see any change. I want to be very clear: nobody is treating this situation like the house is on fire. Everybody I meet is always so nice, but it always ends the same: they are all talk and no action. I am sick of adults who just talk. Why can you all not do something about this and stop the damage being done to children with disabilities?

So, this is my plan of action. Next June, I am going to become the first person of my age in our country to attempt to sit a leaving certificate exam in mathematics. My fundraiser will again be for the same two schools, but will now include the incredible national organisations AsIAm and Family Carers Ireland. I have already clocked up 100 extra study hours, which is around 17 extra school days so far. I am doing it not because it is easy, but because it is hard. I am calling it "Cara’s Mount Everest Maths Challenge", simply because people tell me it is impossible to do. My message is very simple: “End Disability Discrimination”.

Living with severely autistic brothers is really hard. Neil will hit and bite himself daily. He cries an awful lot. Mam and Dad do everything they can to keep him happy, but the lack of services has ruined his life. I should not have to witness violence each day. It is surely not wrong of me to ask politicians and the HSE just to do their jobs. If I can sit a leaving certificate subject at 12 years of age for free, why can everyone else not do the jobs they are paid to do?

Finally, I am here today to try to inspire the committee to show bravery and do something that will finally bring help to those vulnerable children and families who cannot defend themselves. Please treat this like a crisis. When this meeting ends, the members will all probably say to me something like, “Hope you have a nice week”. I will not. When I go home, I will have to witness Neil’s violence. Unless the committee does something about this crisis, many other families will suffer the same fate as us. I thank everyone for listening.