Mr. Adam Harris:

The AAC is so important. If we look to the progress being made around Irish Sign Language, this is no different in terms of a rights issue. It is about people being able to interact in the community with their preferred mode of communication. I know Fiacre. The amount of work he has done and the journey he has been on is incredible. For us, it is not so much about saying we should favour any one particular approach but rather making sure that whatever works for the person should be resourced. In regard to AAC, we see it as particularly problematic when people are given the equipment but those around them do not receive the training they need to use it. That is one example of a lack of joined-up thinking.

In regard to special schools, a worrying trend at the moment is that we are seeing new special schools being set up without those therapy supports. In some areas there is now a situation where some special schools have the therapy supports and some do not. That is leading to a great many problems on the ground, in particular, for example, in Cork, where it is causing significant challenges at the moment.