Ms Audrey Cahill:

To respond to some of the statements and questions, from a WRC perspective, our remit is to ensure that where rights have been infringed, the case is heard and the legislation is upheld. That is the boundary of our remit. From the perspective of ensuring that we are a fully accessible organisation, we go above and beyond, and have done, to ensure no matter who comes through the door or what category they do or do not fall into, that they are given a fair hearing and their case is adjudicated on with a lot of empathy, particularly where it is somebody who struggles with complex language, etc.

I speak not only as the director general of the WRC but as a mother of a 20-year-old girl who has Down's syndrome and cerebral palsy. My daughter is in the workplace and works in a solicitor's office, as mentioned by the Senator. My daughter's strength is digital use of a computer, so she is in the right job for her. In the grand scheme of society, there are people who can work with computers and others who cannot, notwithstanding whether they are disabled. Packing shelves in, say, a supermarket suits some people but not others. My daughter cannot walk so she could not pack shelves but we are lucky that she has been given an education opportunity through the programmes outlined by the representatives of SOLAS and continues to get that education. The lived experience is that the possibilities exist but not at the level at which society might like to see them - that applies also to the quotas and statistics we look at - but they are definitely there. Where there is ability, there are many agencies working hard with families like mine to make sure that these adults are given opportunities. I think it is important to say that.