Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael)
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We, that is the Department and the Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities, should be making funding available for every child who has a diagnosis to have assistive technology. I had a discussion with a parent who was able to show me where a young child who is non-verbal, and they had purchased an app which helped with speech which the child could use. It would verbalise back to them. That was at a cost but I am sure that we, as a State, can purchase that app and make it available to every child or young person that is non-verbal or has those issues.

Deputy Ó Murchú was in attendance when we were bowled over in here by young Fiacre Ryan who used the rapid prompting method, RPM, method of communication which the Department does not seem to be supportive of, nor indeed does the Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists. Further trials are being conducted on this method but we have seen at first-hand how successful that assistive technology can be for a young lad that is now in an Atlantic Technological University, ATU, college in Castlebar, and was nominated for a book of the year. That is where we want to see the use of technology to help children like him, others, and more reach their potential to go to university, to go into employment and to be able to live independent lives.

It can happen and we just need to work on it. I am not often, to put like this, speechless but I can see a progression that can work and we just want to ensure that it happens, to be quite honest. Does Deputy Ó Murchú wish to come back in with any final comments?