Ms Jodie McGriele:

I agree that education is key. There is a need to educate businesses. We can do it in a fun way, such as by using virtual reality. There are many ways of engaging people and debunking the myths. Our advocates wrote a guide for employers and it makes the point that people have a sense of humour and it is fine to say certain things. All of that stuff is important. Accessibility is key. There was reference to the fund and the NCBI having to respond to the lag in applying for the fund. Applying for the fund is not accessible. One has to get a scribe to come in and fill in a hard copy to be posted. Many people cannot do that independently. It is the same with the personal reader grant. It can then take several months for the person to get the equipment or the funding for the equipment. As Ms Feeney stated, some people have to go to a credit union to get a loan. The NCBI has stepped in to create a pot of money in order to give people independence through equipment but a cross-departmental approach is needed on this issue. Education is key.