Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism
Autism Policy in Education: Discussion (Resumed)
Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The way the Deputy describes the programmes is much better than the way I describe them. That is exactly what it is - it is universal design from a capital point of view in terms of campuses and then universal design in learning. I am going to steal that, if that is okay. That is exactly what we are trying to achieve at phase 1 and phase 2, with phase 1 now under way and phase 2 from next year, and they are pilot projects for three years.
On personal assistance hours and the situation with personal assistants, PAs, in general, I want to publicly acknowledge that this is an issue the Deputy has raised with me on many occasions, particularly in regard to his own encounters in O’Fiaich College, O’Fiaich Institute of Further Education Dundalk and other parts of Louth, and he does raise it with me on a regular basis.