Eileen Flynn (Independent)
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We did some good work of which we are all proud. There is cross-party support for places in summer programmes. I recommend that people consider the recommendations because they were influenced by mothers of people who are autistic, by autistic people and by carers. Why were Inclusion Ireland and Dr. Roddy not invited to be part of the conversation on the autism strategy?

On independent living, we have a housing crisis and everything else that goes with it. This has been the case in Ireland for as long as I can remember. How many people does Inclusion Ireland work with? Does it work with people from other ethnic minority groups?

In terms of intersectionality, the delegations were right with what they said about immigration and inclusion. People are afraid of that. When we talk about integrating into society, we are referring to the desire to be normal. There is no such thing as any of us being normal. The word "normal" is thrown around and people can actually prefer that, which is right.

We need to be careful when we talk about special schools for people who are autistic because there are many people who can go into mainstream schools, and have a right to be in the mainstream educational system, but they will get segregated into a special school because they are autistic. We need to look at how this is done going forward and ensure that we do not put people into boxes and corners because they deserve an opportunity to be successful.

I am a member of the Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and of the Joint Committee on Disability Matters. The former committee has done a lot of work to ensure that universities are autism friendly. We are also looking at Leinster House being autism friendly, which is a step in the right direction.

Again, I wish to refer to intersectionality. On Sunday evening, I spoke to family members in Labre Park who referred to how common autism is among the Traveller community. Basically, it was something we never spoke about before. Many people from minority groups fall through the gaps. Every child in the country has access to education and I do not see access being a big issue. I believe the issue is getting an opportunity to be successful and reaching your full potential. Why were Inclusion Ireland and Dr. Roddy not invited to the conversation on the autism strategy? I am sure that other members, like myself, are interested to know why.