Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 22 February 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Employment Strategy and Impact on Disabled Persons in the Workplace: Discussion

Ms Anne Marie McDonnell:

One of the best ways to have ambassadors is to allow people with lived experience to be the ambassadors in the public and private sectors. They can discuss matters from their experience in a really authentic way.

I was struck by Mr. Hannafin's comment that there should not be an easy get-out concerning reasonable accommodations. People who have experienced barriers regarding work can show what is possible. Sometimes it is not about a lot of money but just about a different way of thinking and working. Would another fantastic way to employ more people with disabilities not be to have them as the disability-inclusion champions in the public and private sectors, showing us the way and changing the statistics?