Dr. Aideen Hartney:

The breakdown of the type of disability as Dr. Tamming said earlier comes from the census of 2016. It is a little bit outdated. It showed the lowest employment rate was for people with intellectual disabilities and the highest employment rate was for people with hearing difficulties. There is a spectrum in between. I understand the census 2022 disability module will be out in the third quarter of this year and we will have more updated statistics. There is much work required to support people with intellectual disabilities in the workplace.

I mentioned the employer helpline. It is something that the NDA funded on a pilot basis between 2015 and 2019. It has since been replaced by the Employers for Change initiative that Ms Wilkinson spoke about. It is the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth that has provided the funding for this initiative. We believe that it needs to be put on a sustainable and long-term footing. At present it is funded not quite on a year to year basis but there is no long-term certainty about its future. The funding would also need to reflect the resourcing required. As Ms Wilkinson said earlier, those involved believe they could meet the needs of many more employers than they are in a position to do. It is an area that needs attention. It is a business-facing support that is required. Organisations such as Rehab and others provide the disability-facing support. It is the needs of business that need to be met.